Tyler, The Creator has paid tribute to one of his all-time favorite albums, N.E.R.D.‘s Fly or Die, on its 20th anniversary.
The Odd Future founder took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday (March 23) to celebrate the sophomore project from Pharrell, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley‘s genre-bending band.
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Alongside photos of Fly or Die memorabilia, including a copy of the CD, a framed poster and a skate deck, Tyler reflected on falling in love with the project.
“20 years ago ( 3/23/04) FLY OR DIE by N.E.R.D came out. i begged my mom to take me to their meet and greet at tower records day of; didnt happen but she did snag the album,” he said.
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“Bridge after bridge after bridge. THRASHER bridge outta of the abrasive guitar and crowd yells…sheesh. MAYBE bridge with Lenny Kravitz and Questlove….come on. THE WAY SHE DANCES bridge…i still dont understand how it was made.”
He continued: “At the time ive never heard what i considered ‘rock’ music use melodies and chords typically for ‘soul’ and ‘jazz’, so i was drawn in cause there was a slice of familiarity. i would record every tv appearance 03-05 ( MTV needs to release the black history month she wants to move in full) and as corn [sic] as it is i have a collection of stickers to put on my passports.
“FIND MY WAY is the first song i remember coming up with a video concept for. i was 13 and it was terrible. piano version of thrasher in full is still needed. what a time. i love this album.”
Tyler, The Creator has been very open about his love of all things Pharrell, who he has long cited as one of his chief influences.
Back in 2021, the Grammy-winner penned a similar tribute to Skateboard P’s debut solo album In My Mind.
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“In My Mind turns 15 today,” he wrote next to a picture of him at 15 years old. “Came out around the time of this photo. Was at Hawthorne High summer school and man I cant articulate what it means/ did for me.
“I made Odd Future that summer and set out to be where I am now before 10th grade began. Very important piece of art to me.”
The “See You Again” rapper also credited Pharrell for changing the trajectory of his career, which he detailed in the 2023 Hulu docuseries Rap Caviar Presents.
“I didn’t have a father. I didn’t have a big brother. I didn’t have a big cousin,” Tyler said. “So as a kid since 10/11, Pharrell is who I looked at.”
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“So through that we just developed like, a friendship where he would ask me advice on certain things,” Pharrell added. “And Tyler was talking about where he was and feeling low. He wants that respect.”
Pharrell also shared advice that would change Tyler’s life: “Make something undeniable and make it equally as infectious. Why are you doing music? Is it just because you just want to look cool?
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“‘Cause that will burn out. When it becomes purpose-oriented, it can be as cool as the flashy shit but it will be much more meaningful.”
