Tyler, The Creator Heaps Praise On Pharrell Williams: “Frontin’” Changed “The Trajectory of My Life”

Tyler, The Creator gave Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes their flowers for changing ” the trajectory of my life,” when he was just 12 years old. 

The “DOGTOOTH” hitmaker took to Instagram over the weekend (Jun.3) to mark Pharell’s 2003 hit song “Frontin’” turning 20. Among a series of images, he reflected on the impression the song left him with as a pre-teen listening on RealPlayer, admitting Pharrell’s melodies left him dumbfounded.  

“A few weeks before June 3rd, someone posted a link of FRONTIN’ from some dj radio show on the STAR TRAK message boards. a nice treat for me, given ive spent every dollar my mom could spare on any album that had Waters of Nazareth in the credits.”  

He continued: “I was stunned. 3 minutes and 57 seconds of dopamine. the grove, familiar, but still sounded like the soundscapes of a different planet. the air of it; aside from GRINDIN and WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BOY the year before, my ears hadn’t heard anything with that much space in it. 3 percussive sounds, 3 bass notes, 2 chords, and a synthesized whistle that sounded like ice cream melting.” 

Tyler, The Creator Says Pharrell Gave Him An Addiction To Bridges

Tyler, The Creator went on to praise Pharell’s melodies and harmonies before revealing how the bridge altered his musical career.  

“But what took me over the edge was the bridge. I believe the trajectory of my life changed at that moment. It’s a high chance my addiction of putting bridges on everything was cemented because of this song. I’ve subconsciously been trying to chase that high for 20 years.”  

He added: “Most bridges only exist in the middle of the song, but he brought it back at the end. who does that? he did it a few times on justified but this just felt reckless. i was STUNNED. i rushed home every day to replay that link, blocking any phone calls since all we had was AOL. if i remember correctly, i caught the video on CITAS WORLD after school. i was stunned, but this time my eyes was recording information that would, again, change the trajectory of my life.” 

Read his post in full below and listen to “Frontin'” at the end of the page.  

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