Tyler, The Creator’s New Look Is a Blast from Hip-Hop’s Past

With little warning, Tyler, The Creator dropped his ninth studio album this week. Don’t Tap The Glass is short, sweet, and full of bangers engineered to make you move. Ever since Tyler began donning colorful suits and a blond bob wig in the lead-up to his 2017 record Igor, we’ve seen the musician and designer adopt distinct modes of dress for each album cycle—the dreamy Wes Anderson aesthetic of 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost; the eerie mask and distinct green suit from last year Chromakopia. This latest album is no exception, with Tyler making direct nods to the hip-hop style of the 1980s through his ensembles.

On Don’t Tap’s album cover and in the music video for “Stop Playing With Me,” Tyler puts motifs from the rap fashion of yesteryear front and center. In particular, he honed in on some statement-making acetate glasses from Cazal, the German eyewear company founded in 1975 by the late designer Cari Zalloni. The thick-cut frames landed stateside in the 1980s and quickly became a staple in New York’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, thanks in large part to Darryl “DMC” McDaniels from Run-DMC. (McDaniels was loyal to a pair of black 607s—an oversized frame with unmissable gold detailing.) In the decades since, the brand has been worn by stylish rappers such as LL Cool J and Jay-Z, as well as the filmmaker and eyewear icon Spike Lee. Throughout Tyler’s new video, he weaves in other throwback-style nods, including retro high-top Converse sneakers and a head-to-toe bright red ensemble.

Photograph: Tyler, The Creator