Tyler, the Creator has never been shy about showering praise on Pharrell, detailing the ways that P, his music and, specifically, his In My Mindalbum shaped his life.
But he went a step further on Monday (July 25).
To celebrate today’s 10th anniversary of that solo debut from Pharrell, Tyler posted a lengthy tribute on Facebook. It reads as part album review, dissecting specific songs, and part reflection:
I REMEMBER WHEN I MET CLANCY, AND HE WAS TELLING ME HOW JIMMY IOVINE AT INTERSCOPE THOUGHT THIS ALBUM WAS A COMPLETE FUCKING FAILURE AND HOW IT DIDNT “WORK”. BUT SEE, IT DID, IT JUST DIDNT WORK ON THE KIDS HE WAS LOOKING AT. YOU KNOW, THE ONES WHO FREQUENT THE MALL, USED THE POPULAR SLANG, LISTENED TO WHAT EVER WAS THROWN AT THEM AND DRESSED IN WHAT EVER CLOTHING THAT WAS TRENDING AT THE TIME. NOT SAYING ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH THAT, BUT OF COURSE THIS WOULDNT WORK ON THEM, EVERYTHING YOU DID WAS FOR THE ECLECTIC. BUT YOU KNOW WHO IT DID HIT: YOUNG TYLER.
After crediting his relationship with the album and Pharrell’s impact with inspiring him to start Odd Future and morph into not just an artist but a businessman, Tyler concluded his tribute in a particularly touching way:
I NEVER HAD MY FATHER AROUND, NO UNCLES, NO BROTHERS, NOTHING, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING MY ROLE MODEL AND THE MALE FIGURE I GRAVITATED TO. ALLOWING ME TO EMBRACE BEING DIFFERENT AND TRUSTING MY IDEAS, I LOVE YOU, THANK YOU.
VIA MTV