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Photo: YouTube / Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator, is not like the other rappers in the game. It’s not just his eclectic, jazz-infused sound and versatility and his colorful image that sets him apart from the rest of the players, but also his preference for a more private life.
For once, he’s throwing his desire for privacy out the window to offer style publication The Robb Report a look at some of his most prized possessions (and collectibles). Tyler Gregory Okonma, by his real name, grew up with a love of cars and bicycles, so he collects both. He also owns an impressive stash of timepieces, mostly vintage Cartier that he picks for their ability to be further customized, and vintage trunks, which he actually uses as pieces of luggage when he travels.
Tyler, The Creator, is one of the hottest and most popular artists right now, and he’s also a very successful businessman with an estimated net worth of some $16 million. He lives up to the moniker he started using as a joke when he was a teen on MySpace, in that he creates some of the most intriguing and often-times controversial pieces of music and visual art. He also lives up to that moniker when it comes to his cars, not a single one of which is still in its original form.
As he tells the publication, Tyler doesn’t like keeping a car in the same condition it was in when he bought it, regardless if it’s a limited edition or some vintage rarity. The way he sees it, you buy a car so you can enjoy it, and for him, this means two things: personalize the heck out of it, and drive it whenever and however you want to. Nothing is “sacred” when it comes to changing a car: not the paint, engine, or standard features. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow, so you might as well enjoy the today you get, the rapper explains.
Photo: Instagram / Tyler, The Creator
The publication makes a point of how Tyler doesn’t show off his cars, which is only partially accurate. He doesn’t show his cars as much as all the other rappers of his status, but his collection does get plenty of airtime, including in his music videos and on social media. It’s not like he’s been keeping it a secret and is only now opening the door to the vault to let strangers gawk at it.
But the interview does bring insights into Tyler’s process when adding to the collection. As a kid playing with Hot Wheels, he grew up with a soft spot for anything boxy and colorful, so his cars really are like that. These are the only principles that seem to guide him – well, these and the potential enjoyment he will get out of them through personalization.
Tyler owns anything from a McLaren 675LT to a pair of Lancia Delta Integrales, a baby pink Fiat Abarth 131 Rally with text tires, a rare BMW E92 M3 Frozen Silver Competition Edition, an Audi R8, a 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith, and a Rolls-Royce Cullinan that serves as his daily and he compares to a luxury plane, but for the road. He’d ditch the Cullinan and opt for his trusted BMW if he were ever to rob a bank, though.
At least three of Tyler’s dream cars are still missing from his fleet: a Ferrari LaFerrari (maybe painted dark Kelly green and driven at 5 mph so people can have a very good look at it), a Ferrari F40, and one of those old Lambo Rambos, the Lamborghini LM002 that Jay-Z also owns. Until he gets them, he plans to repaint and overhaul the cars he has already, so he might as well show them off one last time. Hence the interview.
Photo: Instagram / Tyler, The Creator
Another passion of Tyler’s is biking. In fact, if we were to choose between his cars and his bicycles, he would probably be unable to; he loves bikes so much that he remembers every single one he owned since he was a kid and learned how to ride. His collection includes a vintage penny farthing and not one but two limited-edition Tamboite x Louis Vuitton handmade bicycles that he got as a gift.
As noted above, Tyler, The Creator is uncharacteristically private for a modern celebrity, let alone a rapper, but he does occasionally show off his collectibles. For instance, his cars and bikes last made an appearance in the music video for Lemonhead, off the album Call Me If You Get Lost, in September 2021 (see below). They sure are an eclectic, eye-catching lot.
