Tyler Gregory Okonma was born on March 6, 1991, in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Ladera Heights, California. His mother is a mixed-race African American and European-Canadian. His father is Nigerian, and he has never met him. He grew up primarily in the Greater Los Angeles neighborhoods of Ladera Heights and Hawthorne.
He used to make album covers and make up his own tracklists and cover art as a kid. He taught himself to play the piano seven years later when he was 14 years old. In his 12 years of schooling, he attended 12 different schools in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas.
Tyler the Creator worked at Starbucks and FedEx for about two years while in high school. Tyler the Creator was inspired by his MySpace page.
Tyler the Creator sibling: Does Tyler the Creator have siblings?
Tyler is the oldest of his siblings, having been born Tyler Gregory Okonma. He grew up with a younger sister named Lynda, as well as other cousins.
Tyler the Creator grew up in a female-dominated household. His father abandoned him when he was a child, and he has few recollections of ever meeting him. So, his family consisted of his mother and sister.
Tyler, Hodgy Beats, Left Brain, and Casey Veggies founded the hip-hop collective Odd Future in 2007. Their first mixtape, “The Odd Future Tape,” was self-released in late 2008. Tyler’s debut solo mixtape, “Bastard,” was self-released on December 25, 2009. “Bastard” was ranked 32nd on Pitchfork Media’s Top Albums of 2010.
He released the video for his song “Yonkers” in February 2011. The video quickly went viral, capturing the attention of numerous media outlets. Tyler released an extended version of the video as a result of the sudden interest.
Tyler won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist for “Yonkers” in 2011. Tyler’s popularity grew, attracting the attention of music industry figures such as Jimmy Iovine, Rick Ross, Steve Rifkind, and Jay-Z. In the spring of 2011, Tyler (and Odd Future) signed a deal with Sony. “Goblin,” his debut album, was released in May of that year.
