Tyler, The Creator’s Parents: The Artist Was Raised by Mom When His Dad Left Their Family

Rapper Tyler the Creator created a piece of history for himself when he was awarded the Grammy Award for the best Rap Album of the year at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020. Tyler shared the moment and spotlight with his mother, who joined him on stage shortly after the brilliant news.

Tyler the Creator, born Tyler Gregory Okanma on March 6, 1991, is a native of California, where he was born in Hawthorne. A single parent raised the rapper after his father deserted them. However, his mother continued to look after him. And even with the lack of stability in childhood, he is grateful to his mother.

His mother was with him on stage, and her emotional reaction received a lot of attention from fans who enjoyed the special mother-son occasion. This interaction also aroused a sense of curiosity amongst some fans as to how Tyler was raised.

Tyler, the Creator’s Dad, Abandoned Him at a Young Age

Tyler has said in numerous interviews that he has never met his father as he left very early in his life. Although not entirely sure, it is believed that Tyler’s father’s name is Walter Whitman. The only other thing that is known about his identity is that he is of Nigerian and Igbo descent.

Tyler has shown that he is proud of his African roots through his father, but that did not translate to him being proud of his father. In fact, he has expressed resentment towards his father in some of his songs, including in “Inglorious,” where he talked about how he would like at school whenever there were father-son activities.

However, he also considers it a blessing and curse situation as he thinks he would not be a rapper if his father had been around. In an interview with Larry King, he mentioned that he “would have went the normal college route like a lot of other people” if his father had been around.

Tyler’s Relationship with His Mother Differs Greatly

Unlike Tyler’s father, his mother, Bonita Smith, has never left his side. Smith raised her son almost everywhere in southern California. The nomadic lifestyle resulted in Tyler, the Creator, attending appropriately twelve different schools throughout his school days.

However, despite all the hard times that came with being a single parent, Tyler acknowledges that his mother did an excellent job raising him. She would protect him when he was bullied, which helped him gain confidence and gave him the strength to exist; now, she is a mother to a Grammy Award-winning artist.

Tyler, The Creator and Bonita Smith accept the Best Rap Album award at THE 62ND ANNUAL GRAMMY® AWARDS the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on January 26, 2020 | Source: Getty Images

Smith also supported her son’s passion for music from the very start. When Tyler became an established artist, he featured his mother on a preview of his 2021 album, “Call Me If You Get Lost.” In the skit, Smith talks about how she would not let anyone mess with her son and was always ready to fight for him.

Ultimately, although Tyler is sometimes saddened by not having to grow up with a father, he is grateful that his mother was able to cover a lot of that gap and provide for him. The rapper is close with his mother, and they have developed a strong bond over the years, something he could not experience with his father.

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