Is Tyler, the Creator going to change his stage name?

Sometimes artists need to freshen things up and Tyler, the Creator is no different, judging by new comments.

In an interview with Fast Company (see below), the rapper discussed the origins of his stage name (his real name is Tyler Okonma). He revealed that Tyler, the Creator came from an old MySpace page he made back when he was 13 that he used to showcase his drawings 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,” Tyler recalled. “It’s really dumb but it stuck with me so it just works,” he added.

Tyler noted that he might consider changing his stage name in the future. “But my full name, Tyler Okonma, in all caps just looks really cool,” he continued. “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.”

There would be precedent for such a change: Tyler has been using his real name in the credits for his recent music videos. He also revealed in a post dedicated to the late designer Virgil Abloh that a “few years back I started using more of my African last name OKONMA because of how regal Virgil’s felt.”

However, as noted by Buzzfeed, the rapper took to social media to clarify his stage name comments. “I never said I was changing my name, are you stupid? Yes,” he wrote in a series of tweets were later deleted. He further explained that he “will embrace (his) last name” in the future but won’t be leaving behind his stage name completely.

For more on this topic, follow the Hip Hop Observer.