Lyric Analysis: An Analysis of Okonma's Music

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Art is often a guide to the unconscious mind. Even if a writer is focusing on a certain topic, the mind may find its way to talking about what it desires to. This is true in all creative expression and it is in this manner in which the mind forces us to spill out secrets. Writing may be the easiest form to read and understand, though it requires a skilled writer who allows him/her to put him/herself on the page. Enter, Tyler “The Creator” Okonma, an indie hip-hop rapper and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, California. Okonma’s genre lends way for lyrics that don’t conform to traditional standards, being as when he started his career he produced, wrote, and released all of his own albums on his own website. His use of shock value may cause listeners who don’t stick around to think his lyrics have no significance in society or to insight on his mind. However, in Okonma’s lyrics, we can find a message. This message gives us a small window to his mind and the longer we look the more he see his true personality, his relationships, and most importantly, how he sees himself. While we can’t see a great deal about a person’s history just from looking at a person’s behaviors, we can see their personality. From that we can determine why they act the way they do, which may give us clues as to their developmental history in childhood. So first, we’ll tackle Okonma’s personality traits. Personality traits are generally classified as sources of behavior that govern the majority of choices we make and the life we live. We can determine personality traits by, as stated, looking at behavior and general reactions to experiences. Take, for example, these lyrics: “My mother raised me a single parent so it's apparent / That I got love for my mother, non... ... middle of paper ... ...ons. Without deep insight into his past and family life, it’s difficult to truly confirm theories about his development. But the traits discussed previously are derived from behaviors seen, and actions made, now. Okonma’s actions are very specific. He tells us a lot more than he thinks. But whatever Okonma’s actions in the past or future, hopefully he understands himself, and finds someone else who understands him as well. Works Cited Funder, D. C. (2010). The Personality Puzzle. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company Okonma, T. (2010). Bastard. On Bastard [CD]. California: Odd Future. Okonma, T. (2010). Sarah. On Bastard [CD]. California: Odd Future. Caramanica, J. (May 4 2011). Angry Rhymes, Dirty Mouth, Goofy Kid. New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2011, From http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/arts/music/tyler-the-creator-of-odd-future-and-goblin.html.

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