Imagine your mugshot becoming an internet sensation, circulating far and wide meme after meme. Well, that actually happened to a famous rapper, Tyler The Creator, nearly a decade ago.

When his mugshot was released to the public, it didn’t just capture his run-in with the law — it seized the imagination of the online community. Dressed in a vibrant pop-pink shirt and flashing his now-signature startled grin, Tyler’s mugshot quickly became a favorite among fans, cementing itself as a viral image as iconic as his music.

In this feature, we explore where it all started and how Tyler’s mugshot has taken on a life of its own in pop culture.

Tyler The Creator’s SXSW Festival Controversy

Tyler The Creator’s meme story started when he egged on a large crowd outside of a Scot Inn gig during the SXSW festival — a film, music, and interactive media festival in Austin.

KXAN reported the incident on March 16, 2014, and posted the video on YouTube titled “Tyler, the Creator arrested for starting a riot.”

The Austin police department said things turned rather dangerous when the rapper encouraged fans to push past venue security into a space already at total capacity. He was seen yelling, “All y’all outside the gates, y’all push through!”

The rapper, whose legal name is Tyler Okonma, was charged with allegedly inciting a riot, turning a crowd into a mob. The riot turned ugly in the packed venue, causing minor injuries. 

The Austin Police Department’s statement read, “Regardless of the size of a crowd, the encouragement of unruly and unlawful behavior is against the law and cannot be tolerated (1).”

After that incident, Okonma was arrested in Austin at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on March 14, 2014, as he was catching his flight out of the state. The Austin Police Department then put out his infamous mugshot the following day. 

From Mugshot to Meme: Tyler The Creator’s Viral Transformation

Online creators quickly grabbed Okonma’s mugshot and gave it a life of its own online. On March 16, 2014, Redditor BryanBeast13 posted the mugshot on r/photoshopbattles.

Image credits: BryanBeast13

Other Redditors began replying with their versions of the mugshot, transforming it into historical figures and splicing it with other meme characters.

For instance, Reddit user Friesheid linked an Imgur image in the replies to the Tyler mugshot with no nose. The image was posted on Reddit on March 16, 2014, and has received 61,725 views since.

Tyler The Creator Mugshot meme without a nose

Image credits: imgur.com

Another Redditor, CrazySoup, posted a version of Tyler The Creator’s mugshot as a crusader on March 16, 2004. The Imgur post gained 45,093 views.

Image credits: imgur.com

Redditor bonkus also replied with his version on March 16, 2014, making an alien-looking Tyler akin to a Star Trek character. The image was viewed 23,827 times.

Image credits: imgur.com

The mugshot made the rounds across the hip-hop community, and creators have taken the time to reinvent the mugshot in more creative ways.

On April 3, 2014, X user @itsOddFuture reported that a US school prank involved changing the computer lock screens to Tyler The Creator mug shots. That post logged 6,400 likes.

Image credits: @itsOddFuture

Tyler’s Mugshot Resurgence

Years later, the mugshot was still being edited as fan art, like this one posted by Redditor NynjaFlex in 2019 as a parody of Tyler The Creator’s mugshot, similar to the cover of the rapper’s album, “Igor.”  Below are pictures of his “Igor” album cover versus the fan art of his mugshot in the same style.

Image credits: wikipedia.org

Image credits: NynjaFlex

 “Igor” is the American rapper’s fifth studio album, released on May 17, 2019, five years after the mugshot made the rounds. 

Tyler, also known as “Igor,” gained widespread recognition with his album of the same name. The album topped the US Billboard 200, selling 165,000 units, marking the rapper’s first number-one album in the US.

It was featured in numerous year-end lists as one of the best albums 2019, earning Tyler his first Grammy win for Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards (1).

Taylor The Creator on His Famed Mugshot

Tyler, the Creator’s mugshot meme, became such a phenomenon that years later, Tyler addressed what happened from his point of view. In a viral TikTok video by @ThePodcastPro in 2023, the rapper said he was “oblivious” to why the arrest was happening, saying, “I am like, dude, why am I in handcuffs?” The later memes made the rapper laugh as he recalled the ordeal.

@thepodcastpro

Tyler The Creator explaining Mugshot Meme 🤣 #tylerthecreator #mugshot #meme #interview

♬ original sound – ThePodcastPro

Tyler The Creator Appears in Minecraft

Tyler, The Creator memes have become so popular that fans of both the artist and Minecraft began to make skins for their characters, imitating Tyler, the Creator’s mugshot, including allusions to his smile and pink shirt.

Minecraft players started incorporating his signature smile and shirt into their characters through simple pixel art. It’s fascinating how the game replicated memes that imitated real life.

Image credits: therealrookie1227

Tyler The Creator Embracing Limitless Creativity

Tyler Okonma’s iterations, tweaks, and creative milestones further solidified his moniker, “Tyler The Creator.” He chose this name to signify his role as a music and media creator and to reflect his desire for creative control, avoiding limitations imposed by traditional industry expectations.

From music to digital invasions, collaborations, and even his ten-year-old mugshot, which keeps resurrecting, the rapper has proven to be a creative force to be reckoned with.

FAQ

Are Frank Ocean and Tyler The Creator still friends?

At Coachella on April 20, 2024, Hot Me Hip Hop’ Gabriel Bras Nevares reported that Tyler, The Creator, dropped a bomb during his set when he subtly mentioned that Frank Ocean was missing in action (3). 

“Y’all know this song?” Tyler the Creator asked the crowd as the instrumental for his 2011 “Goblin” collab with Frank Ocean, “She,” played in the background. “Oh, sing the song, ‘cause this n***a not coming out. We don’t… We don’t know where that n***a is, so… It’s on y’all. You know it?”

Some say the two collab artists had a falling out, while others say it’s a case of ghosting. But Ocean’s disappearance may also mean the busy artist is taking a well-deserved break from the limelight. 

What does Tyler The Creator eat?

It’s common to think you’ve made it when your daily habits go viral. Tyler The Creator, seemed to achieve this long before his eating habits made the news. A recent popular short shows Tyler eating a sandwich and crying. The video was posted by TikToker @meli and has been viewed 153,200 times and liked 10,000 times (4). 

How Tyler The Creator broke his hand

A while back, Tyler, The Creator, was seen in his photos and videos with his hand bandaged. In a post on X on March 14, 2012, he explained, saying, “Broke My Fucking Hand Punching @JasperDolphin In The Face On My Birthday Haha (5).”

Are Tyler The Creator and Taco still friends?

Travis “Taco” Bennett is still friends with Tyler, The Creator, reports Ellana Quaries in a feature for The Things in 2023 (6). Taco is said to have even appeared in some of Tyler’s music videos. On the other hand, Tyler attended the LA premiere of “You People,” a Netflix comedy where Taco is part of the cast.  

References

1. Erik Hayden. “Tyler, The Creator Arrested After SXSW Riot Incident: Watch.” Billboard, March 15, 2014. | https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/tyler-the-creator-arrested-after-sxsw-riot-incident-5937553/amp/
2. Derick Rossignol. “Tyler The Creator Earned His First No. 1 Album With ‘Igor,’ And He Shared A Heartfelt Reaction.” UPROXX, May 27, 2019. | https://uproxx.com/music/tyler-the-creator-igor-no-1-album-chart-billboard/
3. Gabriel Bras Nevares. “Tyler The Creator Speaks On Frank Ocean’s Elusive Nature During Coachella Set.” Hot New Hip Hop, April 21, 2024. | https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/791046-tyler-creator-coachella-frank-ocean-hip-hop-news
4. @meldlopper. “tyler the creator crying and eating mayonags.” TikTok, March 6, 2023. | https://www.tiktok.com/@meldlopper/video/7207538915715173674?_r=1&_t=8p4wNzHsbX2
5. @tylerthecreator. “Broke My Fucking Hand Punching @JasperDolphin In The Face On My Birthday Haha.” X, March 13, 2012. | https://x.com/tylerthecreator/status/179685929978564608?s=46&t=5OS_eznLAVm0mgYOuqgKLQ
6. Ellana Quaries. “What The Members Of Odd Future Are Up To Today.” The Things, February 5, 2023. | https://www.thethings.com/what-the-members-of-odd-future-are-up-to-today/

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