Early Monday morning (July 21), Tyler, The Creator released his ninth studio album, Don’t Tap The Glass. Shortly following the drop, the high-motored lyricist explained the intentions behind his dance-laden effort and the urgency that fueled it.
“I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public, and some said because of the fear of being filmed,” his Instagram post began. “I thought damn, a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost. It made me wonder how much of our human spirit got killed because of the fear of being a meme, all for having a good time.”
On the eve of Don’t Tap The Glass, Tyler held an intimate listening party where he played the album front-to-back twice, dubbing the dance soiree as one of the “greatest nites of his life.”
“I just got back from a listening party for this album and man was it one of the greatest nites of my life. 30 people. No phones allowed. No cameras. Just speakers and a sweatbox. Everyone was dancing. Moving. Expressing. Sweating,” the Grammy-winning MC said. “It was truly beautiful. I played the album front to back twice. It felt like that pent up energy finally got released and we craved the idea of letting more of it out.”
He added: “There was a freedom that filled the room. A ball of energy that might not translate to every speaker that plays this album but man did that room nail it.”
He finally urged people to soak in the album in a way that allows them to move freely, express themselves, and, most importantly, dance. “This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing. Driving. Running. Any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume,” he wrote.
Don’t Tap The Glass arrives less than a year after Tyler’s Billboard 200 chart-topper CHROMAKOPIA. He’s currently embarking on a worldwide tour for the project and will surely dish out new records from his latest effort during his multi-country trek.
Read Tyler’s full post below.
The post “Tyler, The Creator Explains Urgency Behind ‘Don’t Tap The Glass’ LP in Note to Fans: ‘This Album Was Not Made For Sitting Still’” by Carl Lamarre was published on 07/21/2025 by www.billboard.com