Odd Future used to be the three-ring circus hip-hop collective — a cocky troupe of upstart, devil-may-care rappers armed with moody beats and sneering attitudes. And no one was better suited to be the group’s ringleader than Tyler, The Creator, Odd Future’s larger-than-life spokesman.

But then Odd Future grew up from being a group of snot-nosed brats. Frank Ocean broke hearts and won Grammys for last year’s breakout album, “Channel Orange,” and teen phenom Earl Sweatshirt embraced his role as rap’s next big thing.

Where did that leave Tyler? With two records rife with misogyny and stomach-turning rhymes — and not much to show for them.

“Wolf” is finally a coming-of-age album of sorts for Tyler, a record in which the rapper drops his usual shock tactics and dives headfirst into his own troubled psyche. Listeners might not like what they find there, but with lush, jazzy instrumentals and Tyler shedding his juvenile, anarchist antics, the trip is one worth taking.

Tyler, The Producer proves he has an uncanny ear for beats on “Wolf,” starting the record with an ivory-tickling title track. But Tyler, The Rapper still churns out some immature lyrics. The first track is nothing but a string of “f*ck yous” and tossing out some cringe-worthy epithets. As pretty as the instrumentals are — and they are absolutely stunning — they do nothing to hide the fact that “Wolf” is unabashedly profanity-laced.

The stream of obscenities fits Tyler’s persona when he’s spitting violent rhymes over brooding beats on the track “Cowboy” and almost distastefully sampled police car sirens on “Pigs.”

But it comes off as clumsy when he tries to sound charming. Sure-fire single “Awkward” — smooth Frank Ocean guest spot included — flourishes with jazzy beats and cutesy lyrics about puppy love, and it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow when Tyler starts dropping F-bombs in his baritone delivery.

The same goes for triple-feature “PartyIsntOver/Campfire/Bimmer,” a mash-up of three blink-and-you’ll-miss-it vignettes. The song boasts impressive production, complete with a children’s choir, some thumping bass lines and features from Frank Ocean and Stereolab songstress Laetitia Sadier. Tyler should be the star of his own show, but his silly verses are overpowered by Ocean and Sadier’s refined performances.

“Wolf,” for its nearly immaculate production value and neo-jazz leanings, is incredibly self-indulgent.

The tracks in which Tyler grapples with the price of fame and comes to grip with family problems are insightful and emotionally charged. “Colossus” tackles a warped account of meeting obsessive fans while daddy issues rear their heads on “Jamba”

But that fervent flow loses steam about halfway through the album’s 18-song track length, and Tyler’s self-destructive lyrics drop off in urgency.

In fact, he spends much of the back half of “Wolf” trying to be crass and edgy again. “Treehome95” feels out of place as a blue-eyed soul that doesn’t fit the violent vibe of “Wolf,” no matter how dazzling guest vocalist Erykah Badu croons. The Latin flair of “Tamale” and groovy bass of “Rusty” buckle under Tyler’s unpolished lyrics — probably, as usual, a point of contention for critics.

So when Tyler finally returns to his pseudo-therapist’s chair in album-closer “Lone,” listeners are desperate for him to spit some more confessionals. It’s a solid return to form and weaves nicely back into the album’s early narrative.

But the record’s soft center is too dense to fully appreciate the closure Tyler offers.

“Wolf” has some spectacular moments, most drawing from the jazz-inspired beats. Almost none are Tyler’s lyricism or flows. His chops for producing supersede his rapping talent by an unfairly wide margin, and it shows.

Maybe it’s time for Tyler, The Creator to take the backseat to Odd Future’s two infinitely more talented members: Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt. Tyler’s got a bright future ahead of him as a hit beat-maker, but he still needs more time to grow up before releasing another misguided, blatantly offensive solo effort.

Published on April 2, 2013 at 12:44 am

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman