Tyler, The Creator is Okonma's most commonly used alias, and the one that both of his first two albums are credited to, but he has used several others as well, including Wolf Haley, Ace (or Ace Creator), and Young N***a, the latter of which was part of a prank on OFWGKTA's official site. Many other characters or alter egos and names are featured in his music, such as Tron Cat, a therapist called Dr. TC, and most recently, Tyler Baudelaire, the character from the 2021 album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.
In 2009, Tyler self-released his debut mixtape B*stard as a free download off of the official OFWGKTA website. Two music videos were released for tracks off of B*stard, "VCR" and "French!," both of which were directed by Tyler (credited as Wolf Haley). The album is focused on dialogues between Tyler and Dr. TC, and it received generally positive reviews from critics and blogs alike.
After signing to XL Recordings in February 2011, he released "Yonkers," the lead single off his sophomoric album Goblin, which was released on May 10, 2011. The music video for "Yonkers" (directed by Tyler credited as Wolf Haley) won Tyler The 2011 MTV Video Music Award for "Best New Artist," as well as a nomination for Video of the Year (which lost to Katy Perry's "Firework").
Goblin, an album described as "dark," "monolithic," and "a natural sequel to B*stard," continues the sessions with Tyler's fictional therapist, with Tyler venting to Dr. TC about fame, message boards, critics, hype, expectations, media scrutiny, and the idea of being a role model. All of the production was handled by Tyler, save for "Transylvania," which was produced by fellow OFWGKTA member Left Brain.
Tyler's third studio album, known as Wolf, was released in 2013. Tyler alluded to several possible track names on his Formspring account, and he stated that the album would focus less on rapping and more on production. In an interview with DJ Semtex, he confirmed that he would handle all the production on the album, except for one song produced by Left Brain, the same approach that was used for Goblin. On February 14, 2013, OFWGKTA uploaded a video to their YouTube account, which included L-Boy skydiving and stating that on April 2, 2013. Tyler revealed three album covers via his Instagram. The first single from the album was released on February 14, 2013, titled " Domo 23" along with the music video which features cameos from Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin and Taco Bennett. On February 26, 2013, Tyler performed the songs "Domo23" and "Treehome95" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Cherry Bomb
Tyler the Creator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boy don't cut that wood
Found out his flowers don't smell that good
But if they smell real good to him
Then he don't need anybody else's nose to win
Look, I am a god
No, I don't pray to society
All you other niggas wear camouflage
What weak niggas see me?
Nigga, Young creators will scream with me
Nigga, you ain't got drivers to just beep-beep .
They wanna talk shit from the back seat
Come and light,my fire, I'll blow your fuckin' face off
Nigga I'mma goddamn pilot
And I decide when we gon' take off
Let's get it
Tie the knot
Kick the chair
Up in the air
It's cherry bomb
You muthafuckas want war, then come get it
You muthafuckas want war, I don't want war
(Muthafuckas!)
Just take me to the gun store
I don't got enough time for your rolex nigga
I choke your dad, hit your mom, cuz I don't know that nigga
Come and light my fire, I'll blow your fuckin' face off
Nigga, I'mma goddamn pilot
And I decide when we gon' take off,
Let's get it
Tie the knot
Kick the chair
Strangled in the air
It's cherry bomb
You muthafuckas want war
They're like "this that cherry bomb"
I'm a firecracker and I'm ready to blow, you fire me up, I lose control
Golf 191 Okaga
Playing only classic hits
In Tyler the Creator's song "Cherry Bomb," the lyrics depict a sense of defiance and independence. The opening lines "Boy don't cut that wood, found out his flowers don't smell that good" could suggest a rejection of societal norms or expectations, indicating that the subject is not guided by others' perceptions of him. This is reaffirmed in the next line "But if they smell real good to him, then he don't need anybody else's nose to win," reinforcing the idea that personal validation is more important than validation from others. The following lines, "Look, I am a god, no, I don't pray to society, all you other niggas wear camouflage, I'm in a field wearing pink and blue," further enhance the theme of individuality and being different from the rest. The somewhat ironic line "what weak niggas see me?" suggests that strength is found in being true to oneself.
Towards the end of the song, the repeated line "tie the knot, kick the chair" is a reference to suicide and could be perceived as a metaphor for killing the self-doubt and limitations that society constructs. The final line "I'm a firecracker and I'm ready to blow, you fire me up, I lose control" can be interpreted as Tyler's way of saying that he's prepared to blaze his own trail no matter what others might think.
Line by Line Meaning
Aw, nah
No, don't do it
Boy don't cut that wood
Don't cut off your own source of happiness
Found out his flowers don't smell that good
Realized his work isn't as great as he thought
But if they smell real good to him
But he still finds value and enjoyment in it
Then he don't need anybody else's nose to win
So he doesn't care about others' opinions of his work
Look, I am a god
I have immense power and influence
No, I don't pray to society
I don't conform to societal norms or expectations
All you other niggas wear camouflage
Everyone else is trying to blend in or hide
I'm in a field wearing pink and blue
But I stand out and wear what I want
What weak niggas see me?
Who thinks less of me?
Nigga, Young creators will scream with me
Other young and talented people support me
Nigga, you ain't got drivers to just beep-beep.
You don't have the power and control that I do
They wanna talk shit from the back seat
They criticize me from a position of lesser power
Come and light, my fire, I'll blow your fuckin' face off
Challenge me and you'll be destroyed
Nigga I'mma goddamn pilot
I'm in control
And I decide when we gon' take off
I choose when to act
Let's get it
Let's do this
Tie the knot
Commit suicide
Kick the chair
Hang oneself
Up in the air
In the process of dying
It's cherry bomb
This is what death feels like
You muthafuckas want war, then come get it
If you want a fight, I'll give it to you
You muthafuckas want war, I don't want war
I don't want conflict, but I won't back down
(Muthafuckas!)
(Fuck you!)
Just take me to the gun store
I'm ready for anything
I don't got enough time for your rolex nigga
I don't have time for the materialistic things you cling to
I choke your dad, hit your mom, cuz I don't know that nigga
I'll attack anyone without hesitation
Strangled in the air
Being executed by hanging
They're like "this that cherry bomb"
Referring to the explosive power of his music
I'm a firecracker and I'm ready to blow, you fire me up, I lose control
I'm explosive and unpredictable when provoked
Golf 191 Okaga
Tyler's various musical influences, styles or projects
Playing only classic hits
Producing only high-quality songs
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Tyler Gregory Okonma
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind