“Sir Baudelaire” by Tyler, The Creator (ft. DJ Drama)

If you gaze intently at the cover art to “Call Me If You Get Lost”, you’ll notice that the ID with Tyler’s face on it actually reads “Tyler Baudelaire”. To note, “Baudelaire” is not his real last name. Rather it is a persona which the rapper introduced leading up to the release of this album. In other words, it is said character, who is described as “a flashy aristocrat” and “international jetsetter”, whom he is project throughout the project and most specifically on its introductory song.

“Sir Baudelaire” is rife with Braggadocio Song

And as manifested, all of that is just a fancy way of saying that this is a braggadocio track, albeit Tyler, the Creator style. Thus on top of the standard allusions to expensive cars and extended bank accounts, we also have the rapper noting, more convincingly than others we would say, that he is in fact a globetrotter. 

Moreover he gives a shoutout to a sneaker brand he founded (in collaboration with Converse) called Golf le Fluer*.

So again, this is more or less your conventional modern-day rap braggadocio. Big-name rappers of this era, like Tyler, the Creator, do in fact tend to be rich, complete with cars, jewels, businesses and what have you. Moreover, they also have a habit of bragging about their travel experiences. However, in that latter case, as pointed out earlier, there is a special emphasis on this particular artist “traveling the world”.

And of course, as implied by the cover art, such is one of the major subthemes of “Call Me If You Get Lost”. That much is clearly revealed in the outro of the track whereas Tyler is presenting himself as someone, symbolically we shall say, who is able to guide you home if you can’t find your way. 

It would seem that such symbolism is meant to convey a notion like the rapper taking on the role of some kind of teacher or guide on this project. But if not, the general idea would be that his music has some sort of special quality, i.e. this song most simply serving the purpose of Tyler biggin’ up himself.

Facts about “Sir Baudelaire”

This is the opening track on the playlist of Tyler, the Creator’s 2021 project, “Call Me If You Get Lost”.

For the record, Tyler’s legal name is actually Tyler Gregory Okonma.

Philly’s DJ Drama serves as an adlibber on this track, as he does throughout “Call Me If You Get Lost”.

Tyler, the Creator wrote and produced “Sir Baudelaire”, with Conductor Williams also playing said roles. Additional co-writers are DJ Drama, Billy Cobham and Westside Gunn. And apparently Conductor Williams, Westside Gunn and Billy Cobham are credited. These names receive writing credits due to the fact that “Sir Baudelaire” samples one of Westside’s tracks from 2020 entitled “Michael Irvin” which they all worked on.

Columbia Records is the primary label behind making this song public.