Tyler, the Creator is 30 years old. So it’s only natural that he seems to be paying more attention to his skincare. Whatever his routine is, it’s working. His skin is noticeably glowing in photos and whenever he’s on camera, he’s encouraging men to take on their own daily skincare routines, be it simple or advanced. Who can forget this passionate plea he made to every man entering their mid-20s? “Be healthy, don’t look gross cause a lot of niggas my age are fucking disgusting,” he said matter-of-factly. “Niggas hit 24 and just what happened? I don’t know. I see it all the time…do not get gross. I don’t know what that means to you, but do not let yourself go. That’s not even a life lesson, n-ggas should wake up and be on top of their shit. And get your nails done. N-ggas be shaking my hand with dark ass fingernails with dirt. When you get to a certain age, getting manicures is important.”
Of course, Tyler would be the first to tell you he’s a student of Pharrell. You can hear P’s influence in his music, but Tyler’s clearly following Pharrell’s trademark impeccable skincare routine too. Tyler started taking care of his skin in his 20s, adding that his mother and Pharrell were his reference points. “I think you doing this will open up a door for people who can’t grasp a concept of how important it is to take care of themselves,” Tyler says of P’s Humanrace Skincare. “Everybody should be looking good and glowing.”
After releasing his seventh studio album last week, Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler hopped on Instagram Live to get some flexing off, but he also made sure to shout out his exfoliation game: “10 years and n-ggas counted me out,” Tyler said. “Everytime. And I just keep stunting on n-ggas. I just keep doing it. Skin glowing. Crib silly. Garage dumb.”
While Tyler was bragging a lot, he did have a point to make: “I just want everyone to be on their favorite shit.” Tyler is taking his own advice on Call Me If You Get Lost, as he passionately boasts about looking clean in the same breath as the jewelry he has on or the car he’s driving. What follows are some choice rhymes from Tyler on skincare and grooming, from his days as a skate rat to his current alter ego, Tyler Baudelaire.
“Slater” (2013)
Lyric: “I wild out at shows, break shit, it should be fun/Venues are like pussy with me, ‘Should he come?’/I’ma wax that like the chapstick in my backpack for my black lips/Then dip to Europe and come back with a stack of cheese”
Tyler’s early Bastard/Goblin/Wolf era featured the least amount of grooming and skincare flexes as he utilized therapy sessions and developed fictional characters to address critics of his music, the trappings of fame, and his strained relationship with his father. On “Slater,” named after his bike on the cover, Tyler/Sam brags about doing youthful shit while revealing he carries chapstick everywhere he goes. Personally, I’m a ChapStick Classic guy.
“Where This Flower Blooms” (2017)
Lyric: “Tell these black kids they could be who they are/Dye your hair blue, shit, I’ll do it too (What the fuck?)/Look, I smell like Chanel/I never mall grip with my manicured nails/I coconut oil the skin/I keep the top low ’cause the follicles thinnin'”
Tyler comes from a place of confidence. He always wants his fans to express themselves with no regrets, encouraging them to “be who they are.” When it comes to men’s grooming, Tyler’s got it down to his cologne of choice, a daily manicure, coconut oil to his skin (which has a natural ability to lock in moisture), and keeping a low buzz.
“I Ain’t Got Time!” (2017)
Lyric: “Walk weird ’cause my pockets look like thick Yoda/With a Skywalker, riding ’round solar/Anakin skin Sprite, and my tint cola”
Tyler isn’t normally known for his double entendres, but he gets a few off here. He plays with language by using Star Wars references to show off his money (“thick Yoda”) and cars (“Skywalker”). He may also be referencing his clear skin through a clever “Anakin skin Sprite” line that pairs well with his tinted sunglasses.
“OKRA” (2018)
Lyric: “Tell Tim Chalamet to come get at me/Skin glowin’, clear of acne”
Your mileage may vary when it comes to Tyler shouting out Timothee Chalamet—in a post Flower Boy world, every time Tyler references an attractive young actor it’s bound to be overanalyzed. But “Okra” is all about Tyler getting some long overdue flexing off after spending most of the preceding album unpacking complex emotions and tender melodies, and it’s no accident that he follows a line calling out a buzzy new It Boy with one about his favorite thing to brag about: his 10/10 skin. You see that glow, Tim? Get at him!
“435” (2018)
Lyric: “Big dollars, the scent Prada/Skinny nigga also big poppa, women they adore me/If you see me out in public, no pictures don’t record me”
Tyler has multiple colognes for different occasions. Prada is part of his collection, adding luxury to his personality.
“Crust in Their Eyes” (2018)
Lyric: “I’m the real Fresh Prince, new crib in Bel Air/And I feel so free, the cheetah print in my hair (woo!)/Rainbow on the belt, gang shit yeah yeah/I hopped out that bitch, had to make some room for my furs”
Leopard print hair has a long, rich history through pop culture, perhaps most famously with Dennis Rodman. During the 2018 Grammys, Tyler debuted his leopard print hair on the red carpet, paired with a Louis Vuitton scarf, baby blue jacket, and Converse sneakers. On “Crust in Their Eyes,” a remix to “Kids See Ghosts,” Tyler calls back to that moment, and then freely expresses his sexuality once again.
“Bronco (2018)”
Lyric: “I sit in my garden and play Stevie Wonder/And get foot massages while Clancy talk numbers/He threw me some game and I swear I won’t fumble/Might cop me a Bronco to ride for the summer”
Tyler has a thing for pampering his feet. As he raps in “Bronco,” he gets to relax while his team handles the business. In 2019, when Tyler responded to Jerrod Carmichael’s question in a GQ video about whether he would rather get another foot massage or listening to N.E.R.D.’s “Rollinem 7’s” again, he responded:
“Have you ever gotten a real foot massage?” Tyler asks the interviewer. “Like a real one where someone grabs your feet like ‘you’ve been eating too much fish’ type shit. It’s crazy.” Clearly, I need to take T’s advice and book an appointment.
“Group B” (2019)
Lyric: “N-ggas like ‘act ya age T you trippin’/I’m pushing 30 but the skin say different well/if I act my last deal I’m prolly 12”
Anytime Tyler decides to share a photo of himself, there’s always someone asking him to drop the skincare routine. “Group B” contains a multitude of boasts, but nothing speaks more truth than bars about looking youthful and getting rich off your first look deal.
“SIR BAUDELAIRE” (2021)
Lyric: “My skin soak up the sun, ain’t shakin’ hands with you bums (Nah)/Bunnyhopper, the new car doors, they lift open (Woo)”
Tyler Baudelaire is a well-traveled man with a passport full of stamps. Like Tyler says about his lyrics, everything on Call Me If You Get Lost is real and really about his life.
“WUSYANAME” (2021)
Lyric: “Let’s go to Cannes and watch a couple indie movies that you never heard of (Baby)/Listen to bands, groove and we dance/Disco in France, smell some perfume, head in the wind (In the wind)/We can switch off/I can show you how you can really exfoliate skin”
“I can show you how you can really exfoliate skin” is the biggest flex that only T could pull off.
“BLESSED” (2021)
Lyric: “Golf Wang’s doin’ amazing, might open up another store/le FLEUR* is goin’ insane, smell good, nail polish/Converse, Gucci/Camp Flog Gnaw one of the best festivals/I’m healthy, my skin glowin’, my friends healthy”
Tyler counts his blessings and never takes anything for granted. In this verse, he goes through all his latest achievements, from his brand collabs to scoring commercials. Life is good for Tyler. Opulence baby!
“JUGGERNAUT” (2021)
Lyric: “What it is? It’s that nigga T, skin look colored in (Woo)/Ridin’ in double-double R, that’s that Cullinan (Yeah)”
Tyler’s skin is so smooth that it looks like it is perfectly colored inside the lines of a coloring book. Now that’s looking flawless.
“SAFARI” (2021)
Lyric: “Huh, took that GRAMMY home, couldn’t lose again/The suit was so sharp that it could get Medusa coochie trim (Ugh)/Hov talkin’ ’bout a hundred million, nigga, loop me in/Like who that young, rich, handsome nigga with the gooey skin?”
While creamy and glowing are great for describing perfect skin, gooey is about to be the new compliment.