#Yonkers tyler the creator driver#

Google search data points to Tyler as overall the largest driver of Supreme-related searches from 2011 through 2015-more than A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, Justin Bieber and Chance The Rapper, respectively-and he is still a consistent contributor to this day, though some of the buzz has faded. While Tyler is clearly not solely responsible for Supreme’s meteoric rise over the past decade, he clearly plays a role. The Odd Future front man rarely ever took off his signature 5-panel, and became so closely associated with the brand that in 2011, he starred in Ollie Magazine’s Spring/Summer Supreme editorial. During that time period Supreme was a part of Tyler’s everyday wardrobe. The “Yonkers” video wasn’t an abnormality. He did not gravitate towards the store for any reason besides that fact that it was literally where he and his friends shopped and hung out. For Tyler, like many skate-affiliated teens in Los Angeles loitering on Fairfax Avenue, Supreme was mecca. Back then, a Tisa snapback was arguably “cooler” than the Supreme cap that Tyler wore-at least, amongst the hip-hop set. Jordan Brand was at its apex and Supreme, while already undeniably cool, had nowhere near the same international recognition-drops didn’t even necessarily always sell out. Rappers still primarily wore gaudy high-fashion, Balmain and Givenchy in particular. To fully appreciate Tyler, The Creator’s impact, it’s crucial to understand hip-hops relationship with fashion in the beginning of the decade. Today, Tyler is a multi-hyphenate creative dabbling in numerous endeavours and boasting tremendous influence.

No longer just a rapper, today Tyler more closely resembles world-recognized polyglots like Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.

In the eight years since “Yonkers” debuted, Tyler has transformed from a Supreme-clad rapper from Los Angeles to become the face of a new era of streetwear, launching his own brand and collaborating with countless others in the process. That said, Tyler’s cultural impact-tied as much to clothing as it is to music-is undeniable. While Tyler has a successful musical career, Pitchfork points out that the Odd Future collective, Tyler included, “were neither the first alternative rappers nor the first shock rappers nor the first DIY rappers.” While Tyler has had an impact on the sound of his contemporaries, he hasn’t radically altered the hip-hop landscape.