Tyler, the Creator wants to create free, safe spaces for dancing. The mirthful, often mischievous West Coast rapper has been a central figure in hip-hop for over a decade. Combining lush ’70s soul sounds and punchy, Pharrell Williams-esque beats, Tyler weaves together stories exploring gender identity and performance, love and heartbreak, and, well, sex. His latest album, Don’t Tap the Glass, is a 28-minute, high-energy sprint that basks in the glorious synthesized grooves of ’80s house, hip-hop, and funk music. On first listen, it’s notably less introspective than his work on 2017’s Flower Boy or last year’s Chromakopia. However, woven through these immediately danceable tracks is a wariness that we are losing something profoundly human, and that the “glass” of our smartphones may present a barrier to our flourishing.
In an Instagram post accompanying the album’s release, Tyler wrote, “I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public and some said because of the fear of being filmed.” He continued, “I thought damn, a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost. It made me wonder how much of our human spirit got killed because of the fear of being a meme.” While “don’t tap the glass” is a phrase that brings to mind zoos or aquariums, where spectators are encouraged not to disturb the animals on display, here it carries a dual meaning. It reminds us that our neighbors are not beings on exhibit, fodder for our entertainment and endless content. It also encourages us to disconnect from our glass-encased digital worlds and reconnect with our bodies through dance and song.
As the album opener “Big Poe” begins, Tyler takes on a robotic voice to lay down the album’s code of conduct: “No sitting still,” “Only speak in glory,” and, of course, “Don’t tap the glass.” This is followed by a sampled phrase chanted by Shye Ben Tzur in Hebrew, which translates to, “Dancing, dancing, dancing to God / Dancing, dancing, dancing from God.” With this opening benediction, Tyler invites us to create a space free from fear for half an hour, a space where soul and spirit are given room to increase as we bounce and sway with others in divine joy.
