Tyler, the Creator drops dance-inspired album ‘Don’t Tap the Glass’

Grammy-winning rapper Tyler, the Creator has released his ninth studio album “Don’t Tap the Glass” first teased at his show at the Barclay center on July 18.

The 10-track, 28-minute album arrived on July 21, 2025, at 6 a.m. ET after Tyler posted cryptic references to the date on social media. A large art installation appeared outside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center featuring a Tyler-like figure in a box labeled “DON’T TAP THE GLASS,” while digital signage promoted the website DontTapTheGlass.com.

New Album Features Dance-Focused Sound and Hip-Hop Samples

Tyler, the Creator self-produced the entire “Don’t Tap the Glass” album, incorporating elements of funk, electro-boogie, and early-2000s rap. The opening track “Big Poe” samples Busta Rhymes’ “Pass the Courvoisier Part II,” while “Don’t Tap That Glass/Tweakin'” references Too $hort’s signature whistle sound.

The album features returning collaborator Daisy World, who previously appeared on Call Me If You Get Lost, contributing ethereal vocals to “Don’t You Worry Baby.” Pharrell Williams’ influence appears in the synth-rock elements of the opening track.

Throughout the project, Tyler maintains his tradition of adopting different personas, with characters delivering commanding instructions rather than personal confessions. However, his characteristic humor emerges on tracks like “Stop Playing With Me,” where he addresses critics while referencing his Converse endorsement deal.

In an album statement, Tyler explained that the project emerged from observations about how social media fear prevents people from dancing, emphasizing that the music requires movement and full-volume playback to be properly understood.

I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public and some said because of the fear of being filmed. 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. I just got back from a ‘listening party’ for this album and man was it one of the greatest nights of my life. 300 people. No phones allowed. No cameras. Just speakers and a sweatbox. Everyone was dancing, moving, expressing, sweating. 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. 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. 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.

The album is now available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. You can catch Tyler, the Creator at Lollapalooza on July 31 in Chicago.