Tyler, the Creator Facing Backlash After His D’Angelo Tribute

Tyler, the Creator is facing mounting backlash after a tribute to D’Angelo spiraled into a heated debate about race, fan culture, and his own controversial past. After neo-soul icon D’Angelo passed away on Oct. 14, Tyler shared a tribute post online to honor one of his biggest musical influences. “We are so lucky to have been alive to enjoy his art,” Tyler wrote at the time. “My musical dna was helped shaped by this man. Forever grateful. Safe travels.” However, the comments section under his post, which has since been turned off, were reportedly flooded with off-topic and insensitive replies from fans who either didn’t know D’Angelo or made jokes about when Tyler’s next album would drop. The tone-deaf responses sparked outrage across social media platforms, particularly among fans who felt they revealed a larger disconnect between Tyler’s audience and the Black artists he champions. In response to the wave of comments, Tyler tweeted and later deleted a tweet about “sun dodgers.” The term was interpreted by some as a derogatory way to refer to white people. While Tyler previously used the phrase in reference to ICE agents in an unrelated Instagram post, its use reignited long-standing criticisms about the racial dynamics within his fanbase.

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