Album Review: DON'T TAP THE GLASS

The album cover of "Don't Tap The Glass," depicts Tyler, the Creator dressed in bold red pants, adorned with an oversized gold chain necklace. He sports a matching red cap with the word "GLASS," exuding a unique blend of confidence and style.

“I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public, and some said because of the fear of being filmed. I thought, damn — a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost. It made me wonder how much of our human spirit got killed because of the fear of being a meme, all for having a good time. I just got back from a listening party for this album, and man, was it one of the greatest nights of my life — 300 people.

No phones allowed. No cameras. Just speakers and a sweatbox. Everyone was dancing, moving, expressing, sweating. It was truly beautiful. I played the album front to back twice. It felt like that pent-up energy finally got released, and we craved the idea of letting more of it out.

There was a freedom that filled the room — a ball of energy that might not translate to every speaker that plays this album, but man, did that room nail it. This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing, driving, running — any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume. DON’T TAP THE GLASS” These were the words posted by Tyler, The Creator just minutes after his newest album, Don’t Tap The Glass.

Tyler Okonma, aka Tyler, The Creator, is one of the most unique music artists we’ve ever seen,

not just in hip hop but in music. The range in sound throughout his discography is so vast, from

the more polished sound of Flower Boy to the grittiness of WOLF, and this can be said for so

many albums of his.

In Late 2024, Tyler put out his most successful and personal album to date (Chromakopia) and we were of the belief we wouldn’t hear more from him for a while, considering his usual release schedule and the subject matter of that album. About 9 months later, on July 18th, Tyler began teasing a date of July 21st. Some believed he was releasing a music video, others thought it would be the deluxe version of Chromakopia, until his website then changed and had merchandise uploaded for the brand new album. Many theories, fake tracklists and more would appear across social media but nobody knew what to expect until the album came out on the 21st of July. At 5am in the morning. On a Monday.

Now, initially, when this album was released, I did not follow what Tyler said in the letter he

posted after the project’s release. I sat down and listened for lyrics and substance, like what he

had on Chromakopia. The beats were amazing and energy filled but I didn't pick up on any

incredibly deep lyrics or bars or any of the sort. A few shocking lines, as you’d expect from every

Tyler album at this point(“I don't trust white people with dreadlocks”) but not more than that. I

walked away on my first listen, appreciative of the music but confused when it came to what I

had just listened to because It sounded so different from all of his previous releases. I then read

the open letter, kept in mind what Tyler said and decided I’d give this album another listen. This

time, in my car through the speakers.

It was truly in that listen, where I gained an appreciation for the album. In that setting, I was

better able to appreciate the Busta Rhymes sample in “Big Poe”. The infectious rhythm of “Sugar on my Tongue”. The super high energy of “Stop Playing With Me”. It all sounded better in a setting with higher bass where I could just vibe out and jam out to the songs and how they made me feel. Not the lyrics, but the sound. The album is made for movement and thus, itthrived in those situations. My standout tracks were tracks 8 and 9 (Don’t You Worry Baby and I’ll Take Care of You).

What I love about “Don’t You Worry Baby” is its melodic chorus delivered by Madison McFerrin. It is such a perfect fit for this track and the song just puts you in good spirits. “I’ll Take Care of You”, on the other hand, has one of the best instrumentals on this album. The beat itself sampled the drums on Tyler’s 2015 song,“Cherry Bomb” and sampled vocals from Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck”. It is from a production standpoint, an absolute genius decision from Tyler and somehow, it sounds perfect. This album is at its best, when you take Tyler’s advice. The album is made for Body Movement. You can of course, sit down and listen to it like you would with other albums.

But you benefit so heavily from not doing that. Go for a run. Go for a Drive. Turn up the Speakers and Dance. Because that is what this album is for. It’s a great album but it is so much better if you change your usual way of listening to it.