Tyler, the Creator, real name Tyler Gregory Okonma, was recently honored with the Innovator of the Decade award at Variety’s Hitmakers event, an occasion he used to reflect on his achievements over the last 15 years.
Addressing the Hollywood audience, the artist confessed he was surprised by the recognition, mentioning a host of legendary innovators he admires, including Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Pharrell, and Missy Elliott.
“It made me think like, ‘Yo, I don’t take the time out to look back at what I’ve done, for me, the folks around me, the last 15 years. For me, always looking forward — that’s where I sit comfortable at,” he told Variety.
“But damn, it does feel good to hear the last 15 years you’ve been doing super-duper, awesome shit. I’m so grateful y’all have noticed things I’ve done.”
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Tyler, The Creator, received his award from André 3000, who commended him for his multifaceted career. André 3000 praised Tyler’s work as a musician, entrepreneur, and actor, specifically mentioning his forthcoming role alongside Timothée Chalamet in “Marty Supreme.”
Additionally, André 3000 also acknowledged Tyler’s dedication to mentoring new artists and championing others who have advanced within the industry.
André 3000 praised Tyler’s inspiring impact, stating that to “inspire others to want to purely make something, you have done a great deed.” He described Tyler’s “excitement, momentum, and passion” as “infectious” when working with him, highlighting that the rapper”cares about what he’s doing and innovating himself.”
In tandem with the award’s initial announcement, Josh Safdie, writer and director of “Marty Supreme,” said of the honor, “Tyler is a rare artist and creator in that everything he does is completely vertically integrated: There is little to no difference between a song and the larger picture, which is the album, or a bottle of cologne, or a T-shirt, or a music video he’s directing, or in this case, with me, a character that he’s developed.”
Since the 2009 release of his debut studio album, Bastard, and his emergence with the Odd Future crew, Tyler has been an undeniable, constant force in hip-hop.
Over the past decade, he has continuously redefined and reshaped rap music, exploring new forms for his artistry through ventures into fashion, acting, and other creative realms.
In the previous year, following the launch of his eighth studio album, Chromakopia, the artist immediately began a world tour. During this global journey, he started creating his ninth album, Don’t Tap the Glass, which saw a surprise release in July.
In addition to being honored as the Innovator of the Decade at Variety’s Hitmakers event, Tyler, the Creator was recently named Apple Music’s 2025 Artist of the Year, as reported by AfroTech.
A press release confirmed that he achieved his highest streaming figures yet on the platform, with global listeners accumulating over 4.5 billion minutes of listening time between November 2024 and October 2025.
Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1, praised Tyler, the Creator, stating, “Tyler continues to prove that anything is possible.”
Lowe highlighted that Tyler, the Creator’s bold creativity is matched by the thoughtfulness in how he presents it, and asserted that the artist’s influence extends to inspiring both his peers and fans today, a trend that will continue to influence future generations.
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