Under The Gun Review sent photographer MJ Rawls to Irving Plaza in New York to shoot Tyler, The Creator on June 12.

I was talking to someone about Tyler, The Creator and they mentioned that he was that kid growing up who would tell you of his huge imagination about the future that you would always dismiss. Flash forward to 2015, a growing passionate fan base, new album Cherry Bomb, and innovative app Golf Media, all those dreams have come to fruition. Cherry Bomb still has the bombastic energy of Tyler’s previous albums mixed with mature musical growth, and I was excited to see these songs performed (particularly “Deathcamp”; that’s a jam).

It was hot in Irving Plaza on this particular Friday night. I’m talking Indio, California during the peak of Coachella weekend hot. Fans were packed into the sold out show to the point where they tried to fit within every nook and cranny of the pit up front. Tyler’s DJ, Taco, kicked off the night playing recent hits like Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen,” which got the crowd hyped before the main performance. Tyler, along with Jasper, started off the night performing “Sam (Is Dead)” before taking a pause and admiring the crowd. There was a fan in the front row who made a custom shirt for Tyler.

“Damn, it’s hot as Hell in here. We better give them water before we all die,” Tyler stated as he and the security guard threw water bottles out into the crowd who had been at the venue since 5 PM that day.

“So, we’re going to begin this show with a little slow jam,” Tyler explained, before climbing the speaker balcony in the corner of Irving Plaza. When “Deathcamp” rang out through the speakers, it was like a call to arms for fans to expel all the energy they had. Tyler switched from performing on the actual stage and the balcony with tracks like “Domo23,” “Yonkers,” and one of the best tracks off Cherry Bomb, “Fucking Young.” Fans definitely got their money’s worth.

If you’ve ever been to a Tyler, The Creator show, you never leave the same way you came in. Alternative rap–as some have coined it–is really the new generation of the evolution of hip-hop. Tyler, The Creator has been a vital cog in the machine, and telling from the Irving Plaza show in NY, he’ll continue to be for years to come.

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MJ Rawls

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