“I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public and some said because of the fear of being filmed. 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, all for having a good time,” said Tyler, the Creator in a Instagram post on July 21st, shortly after the release of his ninth studio album, DON’T TAP THE GLASS.
In a post-social media world, any moment can get caught on footage, and uploaded online for millions to see, causing people to stray away from being themselves. Whether it is through adopting a personality that’s not their own or hiding their authenticity from the world, it has become embarrassing to feel joy or excitement.
However, for Tyler, it’s the complete opposite.
He encourages those listening to DON’T TAP THE GLASS to let it out and dance, but in three rules, as per the album’s opening track, “Big Poe” featuring Sk8brd, an alias used by Pharrell Williams:
“Number one, body movement (Funky)
No sitting still (Dance, bro)
Number two (Hahahaha), only speak in glory (Yeah)
Leave your baggage at home (None of that deep sh–)
Number three (N—-), don’t tap the glass.”
“Big Poe” is a hype anthem that sets the tone for the album. A “Pass the Courvoisier Part II” by Busta Rhymes sample in the bridge made it all the better, and believe me, I was already dancing.
In an interview for HOT 97 on July 29th, Tyler explained how DON’T TAP THE GLASS was originally a duo name for himself and long-time friend/musician A$AP Rocky. Due to scheduling conflicts between the two, the name was never used and Tyler kept it to himself ever since. He compares the album name to when you’re at the zoo and you see animal, and there’s a sign or someone says, “Don’t tap the glass.”
The album cover shows a shirtless Tyler with red pants, glasses, a red cap that says “GLASS,” a large chain, and big hands. Myself and many others took notice of the enlarged arms , as it was reminiscent of Ludacris, who famously rocked the big arms in the music video for his song “Get Back” that was released in 2004. Despite this comparison, in the HOT 97 interview, Tyler said that it wasn’t intentional and he made the album cover on Adobe Photoshop, but he does appreciate that so many people were making that connection.
Sonically, DON’T TAP THE GLASS is 80s hip-hop influenced, with dance, funk and house elements through ten tracks in a runtime of 28 minutes, making it Tyler’s shortest album in his discography. Although I was slightly disappointed with the album’s length, I enjoyed it in its entirety, especially at how Tyler has so much pride towards growing up in his city of Hawthorne, California, in the third track “Sucka Free.”
His pride then turns into bragging and not tolerating anything from anyone in the fifth track “Stop Playing With Me,” accompanied with a music video that has appearances from LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Pusha T & Malice of the rap duo Clipse.
My favorite moment in DON’T TAP THE GLASS is the three track run of “Ring, Ring, Ring,” “Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’,” and “Don’t You Worry Baby,” with the last track featuring Brooklyn-based Jazz musician Madison McFerrin.
In “Ring, Ring, Ring,” Tyler misses his ex-girlfriend and calls her, but she doesn’t answer him. He addresses how he to had to protect his heart and “build a wall so tall” that he “couldn’t look over.” In the context of this album, it’s like you’re heartbroken while also dancing the sadness away.
Tyler brings back the tradition of the two-parter track that he places towards the end of his albums. He didn’t do this on CHROMAKOPIA, his previous album, which ended a long streak of the tradition that stunned listeners. As a fan of two-parter tracks, Tyler is truly an architect of this, and it is evidently shown in “Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’.” Tyler glosses over the production with his flashy, clever and honest lyrics (e.g., “Michael Jordan eyes, neck yellow, look like bing, baow” and “You can get a workout, not in the gym, b—- / You ain’t gotta lie, we can smell the Ozempic”).
Lastly, “Don’t You Worry Baby” is a feel-good, romantic track in which both musicians are reassuring one another that they have time for each other, with McFerrin singing that she’ll give him the world before she falls asleep.
I could not end this album review without mentioning the second to last track on DON’T TAP THE GLASS, “I’ll Take Care of You,” featuring Yebba. Sampling Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck” and his very own track, “Cherry Bomb,” from the 2015 album of the same name, Tyler made this work so well. The lyrics are clear as day, with Tyler caring about the person he’s interested so much that he’ll take care of them.
DON’T TAP THE GLASS is described as a no concept album by Tyler in a post on X that was released while he was on the Chromakopia Tour. It reveals that a last-minute album announcement with little promotion matched perfectly with the urgent and fast-paced sound that DON’T TAP THE GLASS encapsulates.
“This album was not made for sitting still,” said Tyler at the end of his Instagram post.
“Dancing driving running any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume.”
Rating: 8/10
Favorite Tracks (in no particular order):
Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’
Big Poe
I’ll Take Care of You (feat. Yebba)
Don’t You Worry Baby (feat. Madison McFerrin)
Ring, Ring, Ring