Goblin (album)
Encyclopedia
Goblin is the second studio album
by OFWGKTA
leader Tyler, The Creator
. It was released on May 10, 2011 through XL Recordings
. The album's production came almost entirely from Tyler himself, along with contributions from fellow OFWGKTA member Left Brain
. Goblin continues Tyler's dialogues with his fictional therapist Dr. TC, first heard on Bastard
.
The album was preceded by singles "Sandwitches
", featuring Hodgy Beats
, and "Yonkers
", the latter of which is considered responsible for garnering the significant internet and industry buzz surrounding the OFWGKTA group at the time of the album's release. Upon release, Goblin received generally positive reviews from music critics.
" on Odd Future's official website for free, saying it was not going to be on any albums. On February 10, 2011, Tyler released the music video for the first single, "Yonkers
", from the album. An extended version with an extra verse was later released on iTunes
four days later, along with an extended version of the previously released track "Sandwitches". On February 16, Tyler and Hodgy performed "Sandwitches" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
, making it the first television appearance for any Odd Future member.
One month later, on March 16, 2011, Tyler and Hodgy performed the tracks "Yonkers" and "Sandwitches" on the mtvU Woodie Awards with the rest of Odd Future. On that same day, a preview of "Tron Cat" was released online as promotion for the album.
Also in March, the album cover was posted online featuring a colored picture of Buffalo Bill
when he was 19, and it was featured as a backdrop for Tyler's MTV
performance. On March 24, Tyler posted the track list on his Twitter
, and the track "Sandwitches" was to be included on the album. In March and April, pre-orders were released on Amazon
for the standard and deluxe editions, respectively. Pre-orders for both versions were then released on iTunes on April 15.
On April 21, Tyler posted several pictures from the filming of a new music video, followed by an announcement that the video is finished on the next day. On April 22, Tyler released a promo video involving himself portraying a character named Thurnis Haley who is a golfer. A second and third promo was released several days later. On April 28, Tron Cat was leaked online. On April 30, snippets of the album appeared on Amazon. On May 3, Tyler and Hodgy performed "Sandwitches" and "Analog" on BBC
, along with them performing "65" off of the upcoming MellowHype
album.
The third single to be released from the album was "She" featuring Frank Ocean
. On May 9, 2011, Tyler posted a picture of a TV screen on his Twitter, with the caption "She". The music video for "She" was released June 3, 2011.
The album's fourth single was announced to be "Bitch Suck Dick
", featuring Jasper Dolphin & Taco. The music video was released at 5pm Western Time/8pm Eastern Time on October 11, 2011.
Tyler has said that the album was supposed to feature the song "Llama" featuring Earl Sweatshirt
, however, it was removed due to his mother not giving Tyler permission to use his vocals. He has also said that it may, however, be included on his third studio album Wolf
.
Goblin was also released as a deluxe edition with alternate artwork and packaging, a poster, lyrics, and a second disc containing three bonus tracks. Tyler released the deluxe edition cover of the album on his Flickr on April 4, 2011.
", the album's second, and most successful, single, which was the song that brought about Tyler's mainstream popularity. The song revolves around a repetitive 2 note bassline and distorted drum sounds.
In addition he is talking to Dr. TC (who is his conscience) while fighting his alter ego which is Wolf Haley, contradicting every line with the verse after, such as; "Green paper, gold teeth, and pregnant gold retrievers (a bitch) all I want" then follows up with "Fuck money, diamonds and bitches don't need 'em'"
The song had slight controversy surrounding it due to a violent diss to rapper B.o.B
and singers Hayley Williams
(of Paramore) and Bruno Mars
. The controversial lyrics were "(What do you think of Hayley Williams?) Fuck her, Wolf Haley robbing 'em/ I'll crash that fucking airplane that that faggot nigga B.o.B is in/ and stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus/ and wont stop until the cops come in".
The song also gained praise from acclaimed rappers such as Kanye West
. At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, the "Yonkers" video won Tyler the Best New Artist award. The clip was also nominated for Video of the Year
; however, it lost to the video of Katy Perry
's "Firework".
", features Frank Ocean
, who performs the first verse and chorus. In the song, Tyler talks about spying on the girl that he loves and about necrophilia, with Tyler wanting to "drag [her] lifeless body to the forest" and to want to then "fornicate with it".
The song was the album's third single.
", featuring vocals from Hodgy Beats
, is a violent song with Tyler's verse talking about killing those more fortunate than him, with Hodgy's verse discussing how he feels that all religious people, particularly Christians, are hypocritical, with him naming his mother as a leading example.
"Sandwitches" was the first song to be released as a single from the album.
", featuring Jasper Dolphin and Taco, is a comedy song
about abusing women and making them give them oral sex, as well as forcing them to do things such as massage their shoulders and wash their dishes. At the end of the song, Tyler tells Jasper and Taco that he loves them and then shoots them.
The song was released as the album's fourth single on October 11, 2011.
chart, with first-week sales of 45,000 copies in the United States. On the week of August 28, 2011 Goblin climbed up 92 spots on the Billboard 200. Earlier that month the album nearly left the charts, before winning MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
. As of November 4, 2011 the album has sold 129,000 copies in the United States.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 73, based on 36 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by OFWGKTA
OFWGKTA
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, often abbreviated OFWGKTA and also known simply as Odd Future or Golf Wang, is an alternative hip hop collective from Los Angeles, California...
leader Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Okonma , better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper, record producer, music video director, actor, graphic artist and fashion designer from Los Angeles, currently signed to English independent record label XL Recordings and his own record label, Odd Future...
. It was released on May 10, 2011 through XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
. The album's production came almost entirely from Tyler himself, along with contributions from fellow OFWGKTA member Left Brain
Left Brain
Left Brain, born Vyron Dalyan Turner, is an American record producer, rapper, and photographer from Los Angeles. He serves as one of the main producers in OFWGKTA, having produced portions on nearly all Odd Future releases...
. Goblin continues Tyler's dialogues with his fictional therapist Dr. TC, first heard on Bastard
Bastard (album)
- Samples :* "Odd Toddlers" contains a sample from "Huit Octobre 1971" By Cortex* "Jack and the Beanstalk" contains a sample from "What More Can I Say" by Jay-Z...
.
The album was preceded by singles "Sandwitches
Sandwitches
"Sandwitches" is a song by American alternative hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator, featuring fellow Odd Future member Hodgy Beats, released as the first single from his second studio album Goblin.-Background:...
", featuring Hodgy Beats
Hodgy Beats
Gerard Damien Long , better known by his stage name Hodgy Beats is an American rapper from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He attended Pasadena High School in Pasadena, California...
, and "Yonkers
Yonkers (song)
"Yonkers" is a song by American hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator, released as the second single from his second studio album Goblin. It was produced by Tyler, the Creator...
", the latter of which is considered responsible for garnering the significant internet and industry buzz surrounding the OFWGKTA group at the time of the album's release. Upon release, Goblin received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Background and release
On October 8, 2010, Tyler and Hodgy released "SandwitchesSandwitches
"Sandwitches" is a song by American alternative hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator, featuring fellow Odd Future member Hodgy Beats, released as the first single from his second studio album Goblin.-Background:...
" on Odd Future's official website for free, saying it was not going to be on any albums. On February 10, 2011, Tyler released the music video for the first single, "Yonkers
Yonkers (song)
"Yonkers" is a song by American hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator, released as the second single from his second studio album Goblin. It was produced by Tyler, the Creator...
", from the album. An extended version with an extra verse was later released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
four days later, along with an extended version of the previously released track "Sandwitches". On February 16, Tyler and Hodgy performed "Sandwitches" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, making it the first television appearance for any Odd Future member.
One month later, on March 16, 2011, Tyler and Hodgy performed the tracks "Yonkers" and "Sandwitches" on the mtvU Woodie Awards with the rest of Odd Future. On that same day, a preview of "Tron Cat" was released online as promotion for the album.
Also in March, the album cover was posted online featuring a colored picture of Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
when he was 19, and it was featured as a backdrop for Tyler's MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
performance. On March 24, Tyler posted the track list on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, and the track "Sandwitches" was to be included on the album. In March and April, pre-orders were released on Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
for the standard and deluxe editions, respectively. Pre-orders for both versions were then released on iTunes on April 15.
On April 21, Tyler posted several pictures from the filming of a new music video, followed by an announcement that the video is finished on the next day. On April 22, Tyler released a promo video involving himself portraying a character named Thurnis Haley who is a golfer. A second and third promo was released several days later. On April 28, Tron Cat was leaked online. On April 30, snippets of the album appeared on Amazon. On May 3, Tyler and Hodgy performed "Sandwitches" and "Analog" on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, along with them performing "65" off of the upcoming MellowHype
MellowHype
MellowHype is an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles, California, that consists of OFWGKTA members Hodgy Beats , real name Gerard Long, and Left Brain , real name Vyron Turner. Hodgy Beats claims the two met by having similar friends in high school. Left Brain was looking for an artist and Hodgy...
album.
The third single to be released from the album was "She" featuring Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis Ocean , better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of OFWGKTA.-2005-2010: Career beginnings:...
. On May 9, 2011, Tyler posted a picture of a TV screen on his Twitter, with the caption "She". The music video for "She" was released June 3, 2011.
The album's fourth single was announced to be "Bitch Suck Dick
Bitch Suck Dick
"Bitch Suck Dick" is a song by American hip hop artist and OFWGKTA leader Tyler, The Creator, released as the fourth single from his album Goblin. The music video was released on October 11, 2011. It features fellow OFWGKTA members Jasper Dolphin and Taco...
", featuring Jasper Dolphin & Taco. The music video was released at 5pm Western Time/8pm Eastern Time on October 11, 2011.
Tyler has said that the album was supposed to feature the song "Llama" featuring Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt
Thebe Kgositsile , better known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and member of the Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All.-Biography:...
, however, it was removed due to his mother not giving Tyler permission to use his vocals. He has also said that it may, however, be included on his third studio album Wolf
Wolf (Tyler, The Creator album)
Wolf is the third studio album by OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator. It is scheduled to be released sometime in May 2012.- Background :Tyler first mentioned the album in 2010 saying that he would have an album titled Wolf. In early 2011 he told fans through his Formspring that his third album would...
.
Goblin was also released as a deluxe edition with alternate artwork and packaging, a poster, lyrics, and a second disc containing three bonus tracks. Tyler released the deluxe edition cover of the album on his Flickr on April 4, 2011.
Yonkers
The second track on the album is "YonkersYonkers (song)
"Yonkers" is a song by American hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator, released as the second single from his second studio album Goblin. It was produced by Tyler, the Creator...
", the album's second, and most successful, single, which was the song that brought about Tyler's mainstream popularity. The song revolves around a repetitive 2 note bassline and distorted drum sounds.
In addition he is talking to Dr. TC (who is his conscience) while fighting his alter ego which is Wolf Haley, contradicting every line with the verse after, such as; "Green paper, gold teeth, and pregnant gold retrievers (a bitch) all I want" then follows up with "Fuck money, diamonds and bitches don't need 'em'"
The song had slight controversy surrounding it due to a violent diss to rapper B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
and singers Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.- Life and career :...
(of Paramore) and Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
. The controversial lyrics were "(What do you think of Hayley Williams?) Fuck her, Wolf Haley robbing 'em/ I'll crash that fucking airplane that that faggot nigga B.o.B is in/ and stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus/ and wont stop until the cops come in".
The song also gained praise from acclaimed rappers such as Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
. At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, the "Yonkers" video won Tyler the Best New Artist award. The clip was also nominated for Video of the Year
Video of the Year
Video of the Year may refer to:*BET Award for Video of the Year*Grammy Award for Video of the Year*Juno Award for Video of the Year*MTV Pilipinas for Video of the Year*MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year...
; however, it lost to the video of Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "Firework".
She
The fourth track, "SheShe (Tyler, the Creator song)
"She" is the third single by American hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator from his album Goblin. It was released May 10, 2011. It features another OFWGKTA member Frank Ocean. The single was produced by Tyler himself....
", features Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis Ocean , better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of OFWGKTA.-2005-2010: Career beginnings:...
, who performs the first verse and chorus. In the song, Tyler talks about spying on the girl that he loves and about necrophilia, with Tyler wanting to "drag [her] lifeless body to the forest" and to want to then "fornicate with it".
The song was the album's third single.
Sandwitches
"SandwitchesSandwitches
"Sandwitches" is a song by American alternative hip hop artist and OFWGKTA member Tyler, The Creator, featuring fellow Odd Future member Hodgy Beats, released as the first single from his second studio album Goblin.-Background:...
", featuring vocals from Hodgy Beats
Hodgy Beats
Gerard Damien Long , better known by his stage name Hodgy Beats is an American rapper from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He attended Pasadena High School in Pasadena, California...
, is a violent song with Tyler's verse talking about killing those more fortunate than him, with Hodgy's verse discussing how he feels that all religious people, particularly Christians, are hypocritical, with him naming his mother as a leading example.
"Sandwitches" was the first song to be released as a single from the album.
Bitch Suck Dick
"Bitch Suck DickBitch Suck Dick
"Bitch Suck Dick" is a song by American hip hop artist and OFWGKTA leader Tyler, The Creator, released as the fourth single from his album Goblin. The music video was released on October 11, 2011. It features fellow OFWGKTA members Jasper Dolphin and Taco...
", featuring Jasper Dolphin and Taco, is a comedy song
Comedy hip hop
Comedy hip hop or comedy rap is a sub-genre of hip hop music that's comedic in nature, often incorporating satirical lyrics. While a lot of comedy hip hop could be considered a parody of the hip hop genre, with artists such as Eminem, this is not always the case. Its central idea is to amuse the...
about abusing women and making them give them oral sex, as well as forcing them to do things such as massage their shoulders and wash their dishes. At the end of the song, Tyler tells Jasper and Taco that he loves them and then shoots them.
The song was released as the album's fourth single on October 11, 2011.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with first-week sales of 45,000 copies in the United States. On the week of August 28, 2011 Goblin climbed up 92 spots on the Billboard 200. Earlier that month the album nearly left the charts, before winning MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984...
. As of November 4, 2011 the album has sold 129,000 copies in the United States.
Critical response
At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 73, based on 36 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
Track listing
- "Boppin' Bitch" is a hidden track at the end of "Fish" and is only listed on the track listing inside the album booklet.
Personnel
- Tyler, the Creator (credited as Wolf Haley) – executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
- Left Brain – production on traсk 5
- Syd the Kyd – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, additional vocals on tracks 3, 7, 10, and 15 - Taco – additional vocals on track 3
- Frank Ocean – additional vocals on track 10
- Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Chart positions
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
21 |
| UK R&B Albums Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
35 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
16 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
5 |
| US Digital Albums | 4 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
| US Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... |
2 |
| US Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
1 |