Tyler, the Creator is known for his exuberant, larger-than-life personality. His eclectic music sets him apart in the hip-hop world. Having won Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, his album Igor mixed hip-hop with soul and funk to explore themes of same-sex love, cementing his departure from the controversial lyrics of his erstwhile edgelord persona. There is undoubtedly still an element of taboo with regard to homosexuality in hip-hop, so Tyler embracing that ambiguous side of himself is a testament to his admirable growth as an artist.
But there is yet another side to Tyler, the Creator, a decidedly poignant facet of his persona. That is, of course, the relationship he has with his father, or lack thereof. Tyler's paternity is riddled with mystery and various fan theories, so let's unpack the enigma that is his dad. Here are 10 facts about the rapper and his father.
10 Tyler The Creator Was Raised Without His Father
There are many celebrities who were raised by independent single moms and Tyler, the Creator is one of them. He was raised in Ladera Heights, California by his mother, Louisa Van Velsor.
The rapper is close with his mom, who joined him on stage during his acceptance speech at the 2020 Grammys. "One, to my mother, you did a great job raising this guy," he said as he accepted the award for Best Rap Album. Evidently proud of her son, Louisa was seen crying tears of joy for Tyler.
9 Tyler The Creator's Dad Abandoned Him At A Young Age
When Tyler was just a kid, his father abandoned the family. Subsequently, he grew up predominantly around women, including his sister Lynda. He Tweeted about this absence of male role models when growing up. "[I] had no father or uncles or brothers so LOVE to all the women who raised me," he wrote.
8 Tyler The Creator's Father Is Nigerian
It is believed that Tyler's father is a man called Walter Whitman. Through his dad, Tyler has Nigerian and Igbo ancestry. In 2010, Tyler Tweeted about his mixed heritage, describing himself as "half Nigerian" and also using a racial epithet to point out that his mother is half white.
7 It Is Uncertain Whether Tyler The Creator Has Met His Dad
Generally, it is believed that Tyler has never met his dad before. However, fans have theorized that he has quite possibly met his father on at least one occasion. Sleuthing fans found a connection between Tyler's old YouTube channel under the name bloxhead and a Hypebeast blogpost written by a user with the same name. "Bloxhead" blogs about having met his father, though whether the author was indeed Tyler has not been verified.
Moreover, when Larry King asked whether he had ever met his dad, Tyler replied, "I think I did at 12, supposedly, but I don't really know. That's what my mom said."
6 Tyler The Creator Has Expressed His Resentment Towards His Absent Father
One of Tyler's early songs, "Inglorious", from his debut mixtape Bastard (the title itself being a reference to growing up fatherless), is an angry rant against his dad. From the outset of the song, he explains that his dad (symbolically) died the day he was born and "left a burden on my soul".
Poignantly, he goes on to explain that he lied to his school about his father being in meetings whenever there were any father-son activities and that during "Birthdays, Christmas my only ****ing wishlist was CD's (and a father)".
5 Tyler The Creator Imagined A Phone Call With His Dad On "Answer"
The rapper's 2013 album Wolf features a song called "Answer" in which Tyler conjures a phone conversation with his absent father. His anger is palpable, as he raps, "Hey Dad, it's me, um. Oh, I'm Tyler. I think I be your son" before branding his father a mere "sperm donor" who impregnated his mom when she was just 20.
As is common with Tyler's early, controversial records, he uses a homophobic slur to refer to his father. However, the artist has softened in recent years and has even been romantically linked to Jaden Smith.
4 But Tyler The Creator Has Stated That He Has Moved On
Although much of Wolf referenced his father's abandonment, Tyler has stated that he has, in fact, moved on. In a since deleted Tweet, he explained that he is no longer sad about his dad leaving and rose above his loss after releasing Bastard. However, fans were sceptical since so many of the album's songs appeared to be about his dad.
3 Tyler The Creator Has Said That He Is "Stoked" He Doesn't Have A Dad
In a 2014 interview with Larry King, Tyler opened up about his absentee dad. "Nah dude, I'm stoked!" he explained when King asked about the pain of not having a father, "I think if I had a dad I would have went the normal college route like a lot of other people." When queried as to whether he was angry, he said, "I'm so stoked my life turned out how it was. I just decide to rap about it to seem like I'm sad."
2 Tyler The Creator Parodied His Dad's Absence On "The Eric Andre Show"
It is admirable that Tyler can poke fun at his persona despite all the loss and heartache he experienced as a boy. He did just that during an appearance on The Eric Andre Show when he is supposedly reunited with his "dad" and proceeds to cry. Andre is known for his zany brand of comedy, so of course Tyler's father doesn't actually show up and his "dad", played by Buddy Daniels Friedman, is just a creepy guy lurking in the shadows.
1 Tyler The Creator Doesn't Care Whether His Dad Knows He's Famous
Undoubtedly, Tyler has become of the most famous rappers in the world, so his immense stardom has surely attracted the attention of his estranged father. When Larry King asked the rapper, "he must know all about you?", Tyler replied, "Yeah, I don't really care. Like, I'm fine. I'm not even being passive aggressive right now. I really don't care."