Tyler, The Creator might ditch his “dumb” stage name

Tyler, The Creator has said he might ditch his stage name in the future, adding that “when people get older, you just start changing.”

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In a new interview with Fast Company, the rapper (real name Tyler Okonma) said that his Tyler, The Creator stage name came from a Myspace page he created when he was just 13 for his drawings, photos and beats.

“I started using that one more and random people from Kentucky would be, like, ‘Cool beats, bro!’ And so I just kept the Tyler, The Creator thing going and, you know, I’m 17 in high school, around LA, the name’s getting around, and I kind of just kept it as my stage name,” he said.

He went on to add that “it’s really dumb but it stuck with me so it just works.

“But my full name, Tyler Okonma, in all caps just looks really cool. So you might see more of that, I don’t know, I’m getting older and I think when people get older they start to realise shit, you just start changing,” he continued.

It comes after Okonma started using his real name in the credits for recent music videos.

Last month, in a post dedicated to groundbreaking designer, DJ and Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, Okonma said how a “few years back I started using more of my African last name OKONMA because of how regal Virgil’s felt.

“Everything he did felt like he said, ‘Hey over here, coast is clear’ whenever I questioned things,” he continued. “Virgil was ALWAYS a cheerleader. For everyone. That hand of his opened doors, lead people in and tossed the keys outside for the next person to have. I wish I was able to see him see what his helping hand did for me. I’ll keep pushing and trying things while leaving the door open.“