AOTW: DON’T TAP THE GLASS

“no sitting still.”

Tyler Okonma (better known as Tyler, The Creator... or just Tyler, honestly) left his fans surprised, and in anticipation after announcing the release of new music midway through his Chromakopia world tour. Set to drop a second album within a one-year period and deviating from his consistent two-year album release periods, Don’t Tap the Glass dropped on July 21, 2025.  

In an X (Twitter) post, Tyler states that the album expanded from a conversation with friends that refused to dance in public for “the fear of being filmed.” To battle against nonchalant culture (and to cope with the stress of touring the world), Tyler pushed the album with the purpose of embracing movement. “This album was not made for sitting still... Dancing driving running any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it.”  

In this album, Ty takes influence from early 80s+ rappers like LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane, sampling producers like Pharell Williams and artists like Cherrelle. Track 6, 'Ring Ring Ring' takes clear inspiration from Cherrelle’s 'Saturday Love,' modified in a way that showcases Tyler’s creativity and production prowess. Not afraid to even sample himself, track 9, 'I’ll Take Care of You' uses the same drumline as a track from his older music, 'Cherry Bomb.' 

Though not as deep as his older work, Tyler expresses his talents in the form of a summer album that encourages us to display our love for music in the form of dance and movement. He also tells us not to tap the glass. No, we don’t know what it means. Just don’t do it.  

7.7/10