Steve 'Flash' JuonAt only 18 years old Luh Tyler has been anointed as “what’s next” in rap. His flight from unknown rapper to star status has been so fast he doesn’t know he took off or touched down. Two years ago Ski Mask the Slump God had him cameo on a song, and within 12 months XXL had branded him “the real life Bart Simpson.” If it makes you suspicious that a rapper who wasn’t legally old enough to drink OR vote got pushed that hard, you’re a savvy media consumer. People do accidentally go viral and succeed off it occasionally, but when you’re signed to Atlantic Records as a teenager, it’s much less likely to be an accident. “Mr. Skii” is his second album for the label, and that shows he’s a project they are invested in, not just a TikTok trend they tried to cash in on quick.
“I’m talkin money in my rhymes, I ain’t promotin no violence/All these hoes on my body, I been pimpin like Scottie” quips Tyler on his single “Young Nigga.” It’s a little weird for him to make a Scottie Pippen reference when he retired from the Bulls two years before Tyler was BORN. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he just respects NBA history that much, but it does raise more questions. On the surface it’s also refreshing to say he’s not promoting violence, but the rest of the album betrays that promise. On “First Show” he’s antagonizing his enemies. “Niggaz hatin on my motion, this shit gettin old/At my first show, I might have your bitch front row/white bitch, look like Elsa, had to let her go.” Imagine that scenario not starting a fight. I’ve seen people tussle at a concert over far less.
Since Tyler is a Florida rapper I suppose we can let it slide that he’s doing his own version of “Take It to Da House” on “TH2DH,” but I still prefer Trick Daddy’s version (come back to rap — we miss you Trick). It’s cool that his dad breaks up the house party in the music video but couldn’t Maurice Young been in there somewhere too? If you’re paying attention to the visuals we’re skirting dangerously close to “promoting violence” with him flashing his cash and chains at someone who is clearly upset at him. We might need a better definition of “promoting” then. Does he say he’ll take somebody out who tries to take what’s his? Lets look at “2 Slippery” for some answers.
“My bad, my pockets deeper than the sea nigga/you don’t bring nuttin to the plate, then I can’t eat wit’cha/All that shit you doin fake, you just a pretender/they say my flow so cold, but I still bring the heat nigga.” Well that walks right up to the line and pushes it. Heat is at the very least double entendre here, but I’m going to split hairs for Luh Tyler on this one. Unlike a lot of rappers his age or slightly older, he’s not rapping about how many bodies are on his blicky in every song, and I don’t see him flashing the “heat” in his videos either. In that respect he’s sticking to his promise to not promote violence, but he’s definitely pushing buttons and trying to provoke people by showing off how good he’s got it so young. As he says on “Change My Wayz” right off the top, “I told all my haters bye.”
Tyler’s flow is interesting, and by that I mean he actually has one. He’s not singing his lyrics nor heavily leaning into pitch correction, both of which are welcome changes for a modern day rapper. The delivery is very soft spoken but the music has been equalized so that you can hear him clearly. It’s difficult to imagine he could perform the songs in concert the way they are recorded on the album, because nobody in the venue would hear him over the crowd let alone the speakers, but I could be wrong. Despite the big amount of hype around him the only big feature is Kodak Black on “7 AM in Munich.”
“Mr. Skii” shows some future potential for Luh Tyler, but that’s weighed down by the amount of ice on his neck and Euros in his pockets. He’s enjoying the fruits of having a major label deal at a young age, and even if I told him to plan for his future, he’s not interested in the advice of somebody his dad’s age like me. Maybe he’ll listen to his own father though and put some of that money away instead of spending it all, or at the very least invest some and reap the dividends later. The rap game is fickle and they may call you “the real life Bart Simpson” now, but if that fame vanishes in a year or two you can be left eating your shorts for breakfast.