• Record Label: XL
  • Release Date: May 10, 2011
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 37
  2. Negative: 1 out of 37
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  1. May 10, 2011
    30
    Goblin is the messy schizoid splatter painting of the child we've raised and ruined, and it's coherent only as a hopeless plea for us to expect nothing from him again.
  2. May 9, 2011
    90
    Goblin is just as disturbed and twisted as Tyler's debut. And, moreover, it's every bit as outrageously brilliant.
  3. Sep 20, 2011
    80
    This album then delivers anger, honesty and arrogance, all in sporadic scatter-gun fashion: the overriding feeling is confused, uncertain, often unreasonable, but ultimately well intentioned.
  4. Aug 4, 2011
    70
    At first listen, you'll think this album is a disappointment and didn't live up to the hype. And maybe it didn't, but this isn't Bastard--it's an album with a much deeper theme and message, with just enough blood-thirsty lines and misogyny to hold the kids over.
  5. 80
    Ultimately, this album is about Tyler and we cannot dictate how somebody chooses to express themselves, so the best thing to do is sit back and let him open himself up. warts and all… So yes, I highly recommend the album.
  6. Jun 14, 2011
    60
    Goblin will probably encourage some hand-wringing by non-fans/detractors, and Tyler is well aware of what's within the grooves of his record. It doesn't take radical thought to understand that outrage sells.
  7. May 24, 2011
    75
    Sometimes this anger is ugly and interesting. Sometimes it is shallow and shocking. But something tells me that, while I have no trouble dismissing loads of offensive hip-hop, I won't be able to write this one off so easily.
  8. May 20, 2011
    80
    Ultimately, listening to Goblin feels a lot like reading a creative writing assignment by the kid in the army boots and trench coat who sits in the corner. There are moments of clarity that show a unique talent, if only he weren't trying quite so hard to be unique.
  9. May 19, 2011
    60
    Goblin is undeniably, intentionally unpleasant, and any attempt to wave away the unpleasantness is bogus.
  10. May 18, 2011
    50
    His constant assurances across Goblin that he doesn't really mean any of the hateful shit that he continues to say, including this disclaimer's attempt to dissuade listeners from actually doing anything Tyler raps about and the title track's assertion that because Goblin is a work of "fiction" Tyler himself shouldn't be blamed for anything bad that results, undermines any of the resonance Goblin might have otherwise had as a, well, purer document of depravity and, at his most extreme, a certain kind of madness.
  11. May 17, 2011
    80
    By introducing the concept of rap as therapy through expansive, rambling tracks (that are admittedly a bit too trying on the patience to be played repeatedly), Tyler has certainly set himself apart from the endless sea of new young rappers.
  12. May 16, 2011
    85
    It's a lot to take in, but the simple, hypnotic beauty of the stark landscapes Tyler has created here reveals itself more with each subsequent listen.
  13. May 16, 2011
    60
    There are muddled, muffled messages here, whispers of golden horizons and awards cluttering the shelves; it's just a shame that the filler is so predictably repugnant and the brilliant gems so widely scattered.
  14. May 16, 2011
    70
    While the album is a revolutionary object in that such fantastic filth was born and flourished outside the corporate--and even indie--music industry, production is about the only thing to be objective about, as everything else is polarizing and preaching to the converted.
  15. 70
    It's an album that leaves you in no doubt that Odd Future's leader is a rare talent.
  16. His second solo album, while often truly horrible, is also fascinating and funny.
  17. 91
    Too bad Kanye--who's also a fan--already used the title last fall, because Goblin is one Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
  18. May 13, 2011
    60
    All this underlying pathos ultimately makes for a sad and honest chapter in Tyler's career - his young, ground-breaking, fascinating, magnetic career that's only like, three years old. He'll get off that couch of his soon enough.
  19. May 12, 2011
    80
    Tyler, the Creator still achieves an engrossing dystopian vision of Hip Hop that refuses to compromise to what fans and industry critics demand of him.
  20. May 12, 2011
    40
    He clutches that control so tightly that the album has turned out insular and ill-conceived.
  21. May 11, 2011
    80
    It's that sort of shameful thing that would prevent us from seeing Goblin for what it really is: a massive spoonful of marvelous hip-hop medicine, of the most unnerving, hyperreal humour you may well ever hear.
  22. May 11, 2011
    80
    His fantasies and lack of filter are still huge roadblocks for many if not most listeners. They're depraved and despicable, tied in part to a long and unfortunate legacy of gangster and street rap. They're also one aspect of a larger, character-driven story -- a license that we grant to visual arts, film, and literature but rarely to pop music.
  23. May 10, 2011
    80
    The insanity in Tyler's ever-more-popular rap character feels real because he too recognizes it. He's crazy and it's crazy that we're listening, but maybe that makes the actual world slightly more sane. Oh, the horror.
  24. May 10, 2011
    83
    Brash and unwieldy as it seems on the surface, Goblin is a deliberately crafted work of art, one of the densest and most provocative statements that independent rap has produced in years.
  25. May 10, 2011
    60
    The repugnant misogynistic bullshit on Goblin sort of cancels any goodwill I have toward the guy. Particularly because it feels more like search engine optimization; Tyler makes no bones about his desire to hit the pop charts, and on too much of Goblin, he's doing it in the tawdriest way possible.
  26. May 10, 2011
    73
    It may be a sprawling, jumbled mess, but if Goblin's primary reason for being is to further convince us just how completely nuts Tyler actually is, then I'd say it's a success.
  27. May 10, 2011
    80
    Those songs are products of an ambition that hasn't quite been tamed, but on the majority of Goblin, Tyler genuinely uses his creative freedom to create the fantastic.
  28. May 10, 2011
    50
    The cussing, the horror, the anger, the disappointment, the alienation, the frustration, while real and scary and sad, gets tiresome. That's a lot of Tyler, and so much ego-maniacal nihilism, while fascinating and at times revolutionary, wears thin very quickly.
  29. While the production may not be as exciting as the first serving, it helps to connect Goblin's deeper meanings with their formation on Bastard.
  30. May 10, 2011
    70
    If Tyler's lyrics are early-Eminem evil, his offhandedly lush, left-field R&B-tinged tracks are like strips of light sneaking through the cracks of a lunatic's drawn blinds.
  31. May 9, 2011
    80
    Is the entire thing about 20 minutes too long? Probably. But the obvious lack of outside meddling proves that Tyler's auteur status remains intact. He is, in the parlance of our times, still swaggin'. Now maybe he can get to work on winning that Grammy.
  32. May 9, 2011
    63
    It all sounds a little off, at times broken or aggressively annoying, an intentionally wobbly frame around an imagination that's churning at 1000 miles an hour. Call it avant-garde at your own risk, but at times this music has as much in common with electro-punk as it does hip-hop.
  33. May 9, 2011
    80
    There are many arguments for and against Tyler's mouth and mind, but once the language barrier is crossed and ears become numb, the real brilliance of Goblin can be heard.
  34. May 9, 2011
    70
    Pairing beats both aggressively sinister and minimalist-sleek, Tyler--when he's not bloating the album with narratives--continues to prove himself a capable wordsmith and beatmaker.
  35. May 9, 2011
    60
    The question, regrettably, becomes whether or not their transgressive lyrics are funny, whether they're 'appropriate' in a world where we're hung up on identity politics. This difference is significant, and it's precisely here where our reaction to Goblin becomes less weighted: if it's all in jest, who really cares about the relationship between his lyrics and our values?
  36. Mojo
    Dec 12, 2011
    60
    Irksome and intriguing, compelling and calculated, Goblin confounds at every turn. [Aug. 2011, p. 104]
  37. The Wire
    Aug 17, 2011
    60
    It's a shame that the the young skate rat seems to be so caught up in his own hype, as beneath the bluster and amped-up angst, there is something interesting going on. [Jul 2011, p.54]
User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 258 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 25 out of 258
  1. Oct 29, 2011
    10
    A creation of pure genius. If you listen to the lyrics and the message Tyler sends, it is not for the weak, but it is a strong messageA creation of pure genius. If you listen to the lyrics and the message Tyler sends, it is not for the weak, but it is a strong message opposing government, injustice, and the common word. Full Review »
  2. Jul 22, 2011
    9
    One of the best album of the year. Underground hip hop music is always the best hip hop and Tyler proves that. This album is on of the bestOne of the best album of the year. Underground hip hop music is always the best hip hop and Tyler proves that. This album is on of the best hip hop album in a while and one of the best abums of the year. EVery track on the album is something special. Other people may argue that there is too much profanity in this album and other may get offending by this album . This album isn't for people that is uptight if you not up tight then you could give this album a shot . If you are very religion pleas don't listen to this album because he take a lot of shot at god. Tyler the creator is a very good producer one of the best producer and director. The song Yonker is a very brilliant song and video. Most of the songs on the album is Hardcore Rap and Alternative Hip Hop. If you love hip hop music then i don't see o you cant love this album. I love the style of this album. Some of the songs seem like a movie. The songs tell stories. This is a album to get. I think hip hop fans and also fans of good music should give this artist a chance , maybe you will love it. I heard one song and i started to love this artist. OFWGKTA has a bright future ahead of them. Full Review »
  3. May 12, 2011
    10
    The people giving this bad reviews don't know rap, alternative hip hop, and the direction behind the art. "It's not **** horrorcore faggots"The people giving this bad reviews don't know rap, alternative hip hop, and the direction behind the art. "It's not **** horrorcore faggots" as Tyler would put it, but it's more then that. If you have been a GOLF WANG fan since the days of the original OF tape YOU WILL LOVE THIS. If you jumped on the yonkers bandwagon, but are starting to see more to the group, YOU WILL LOVE THIS. If you know the difference between a simile and a metaphor, and how a real rapper tells a story (fictional or not) YOU WILL LOVE THIS. Tyler has swagged all over this album, and it shows with his deep hypnotic graveyard beats, his witty f*ck everybody" lyricism that goes over the heads of 90% of the critics. I think the way Tyler views this album is summed up in the first track alone when he says "They don't get it, cuz it's not made for them/ the n!gg@ that's in the mirror rapping this is made for him". Standout tracks (aside from yonkers and sandwitches which have been out for a while) would be Tron Cat, Fish, Radicals, and Transylvania, however the whole album is worth countless playthroughs. The message he presents is do yourself and **** anybody who says otherwise, which is the truest message anybody can tell, and Tyler tells it viciously deliciously. GOLF WANG or lick a pimple covered d*ck faggots. P.S. n*ggas who wanna call d*ck riding, eat a d*ck yourself, its swa6 music for people who like getting swa666ed out, killpeopleburnsh*tf*ckschool Full Review »