Whether you like him or not, Tyler, The Creator is one very interesting guy. At only 18, he released his first album, Bastard, to critical acclaim. That album, like much of his hip-hop group Odd Future’s early material, contains plenty of dark topics, such as murder, rape, drugs, and just about anything you can imagine. He also spits a lot about depression, skateboarding, and his absentee father, who left him at an early age. It was an incredibly ambitious project for Tyler, a high school student from Los Angeles, who just rapped with his buddies for fun and to get out his anger.

In 2011, Tyler released his second album, Goblin, accompanied by the insanely successful video for “Yonkers”. “Yonkers” along with his success with Bastard, created massive hype for Goblin, which ultimately failed critically. Goblin expanded upon those dark themes even more, but also provided a deeply confessional and personal venue for Tyler’s depressive thoughts about his fame, his then missing best friend, Earl Sweatshirt, and the sudden pressure placed on him in the music community.

Now, after the Odd Future brand has expanded into several albums for every member, a Grammy for Frank Ocean, a TV show, and a huge clothing line, Tyler has released his third effort, Wolf.

Wolf showcases a more matured Tyler, who isn’t concerned with rapping about rape and stalking any more. He’s more interested in talking about his father, the death of his grandmother, his odd new-found fame, all the money he’s made, and his weird relationship with some of his fans. He even dives into writing some love songs. “Awkward” details a young kid who suddenly finds himself kissing a girl for the first time, while “IFHY” consists of Tyler talking about a quite literal love/hate relationship.

Wolf’s excellent production value is immediately noticeable. Many songs border on jazz or soul, and features from Erykah Badu, Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier, and Frank Ocean could actually solidify them as such. However, Tyler hasn’t completely abandoned his fans, plenty of songs play the part of the simple hip-hop banger, which adds plenty of diversity to the album.

“Colossus” is Tyler’s account of an insane fan who meets Tyler and tells him about how much he idolizes Tyler, and everything he’s done for Odd Future, and he eventually gets more strange and sexual as the song goes on. It’s easy to make a comparison to Eminem’s “Stan”, but this song feels a little more realistic.

“Lone” is a disturbing and depressive account of the night that Tyler’s grandmother died, with a truly dark and personal tone. “Open up the curtain, she’s just sitting there, hello / Our conversations brief, couldn’t even make eye contact when we speak / Lookin’ at her you could tell all she had was weak” says Tyler in his last verse on the album. “That’s heavy man.” says Tyler’s therapist, Dr. TC. Indeed it is.

The album also continues the loose storyline of Tyler’s albums. On Bastard, Tyler begins sessions with his therapist, detailing his sick fantasies and thoughts. On Goblin, he continues these sessions but ultimately realizes that his therapist was really his conscience, trying to help Tyler. Wolf may very well be a prequel, describing the events that led up to the therapy sessions.

But, my favorite part about Tyler is also still apparent on Wolf. He is still absolutely genuine. He continues to rap about what’s meaningful to him, not what’s expected of him. He likes making inside jokes, he likes referencing his friends and fellow rappers, and he likes writing music he loves. At the same time, he also uses his music as a vessel to discuss his loneliness and depression. A lot of critics would call it beating a dead horse, but Tyler is excellent at painting a portrait of young guy who’s just doing what he loves. I love that, and his fans should too.