Advice and iPads: Tyler, the Creator returns to his Hawthorne high school alma mater to give back

It’s harmless to accidental Tyler, the Creator caused an “Earfquake” astatine Hawthorne High School connected Friday afternoon.

The graduating people astatine the South Bay High School gathered successful the school’s auditorium for what they thought was a tone rally. Little did they cognize rapper Tyler, the Creator was waiting, acceptable to astonishment them with words of inspiration and iPad Pros.

Surrounded by screaming teenagers and a oversea of signaling phones, the rapper was taken backmost to erstwhile helium was a pupil astatine the schoolhouse from 2005 to 2006. He shared memories of doodling connected his pants, rap battling successful the courtyard and skating down El Segundo Boulevard with dreams of being famous.

“Being from this city, antheral — it’s benignant of similar a weird place, due to the fact that it’s not Inglewood and it’s not Manhattan Beach, it’s conscionable its ain small world. I ever would archer myself, ‘One time I’m truly going to marque it retired of this spot and marque thing of myself,” said the rapper from the halfway stage.

The lawsuit was hosted by with Apple Music, who had named the 34-year-old rapper arsenic its creator of the year. Prior to Tyler’s appearance, the streamer brought unneurotic section vendors similar Crenshaw Juice Co. and Happy Ice, a photograph booth and a DJ for the seniors to enjoy.

Tyler, the Creator speaking to students astatine South Bay High School connected Friday afternoon.

(Apple Music)

After Tyler finished his speech, elder Kennesha Sylester was 1 of the archetypal students to get her iPad. She said that she knew idiosyncratic was coming to astonishment the class, but she had heard a rumor that it would beryllium YouTuber Mr. Beast.

“To beryllium honest, him revisiting the schoolhouse that helium attended shows helium truly cared for the school. Every clip I look [at the iPad] I’m going to deliberation astir however I got it from Tyler, the Creator,” Sylvester said. “I respect him truthful overmuch for however helium expresses himself and truly does immoderate helium wants.”

In airy of Tyler’s hallmark year, helium saw it acceptable to instrumentality to the halls wherever it each began and springiness backmost to the assemblage that raised him. He attended some freshman and sophomore twelvemonth astatine Hawthorne High School earlier founding the quirky hip-hop corporate Odd Future. The radical would beryllium some Tyler’s instauration to the euphony manufacture and his summons to planetary stardom.

Students astatine South Bay High School holding up iPads talented to them by Tyler, the Creator.

(Apple Music)

Now astir 20 years later, he’s 1 of rap’s biggest names. Within a year, helium headlined euphony festivals including Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Osheaga, arsenic good arsenic his ain festival Camp Flog Gnaw. He embarked connected his biggest satellite circuit yet for his eighth workplace album, “Chromakopia.” While helium was connected the road, helium simultaneously released his latest record, “Don’t Tap the Glass” implicit the summer, which yielded 1 of the biggest tracks of his vocation frankincense far, the funky earworm “Sugar connected My Tongue.” Both of these projects person earned him 5 Grammy nominations.

Outside of music, he’s besides established himself successful the realm of manner with some his streetwear brand, Golf Wang, and his luxury marque Le Fleur. This month, he’s besides owed to marque his diagnostic movie debut successful the upcoming “Marty Supreme.”

He near the elder people with 1 past portion of advice: “I cognize it sounds corny sometimes, but fto maine beryllium the example. You could beryllium immoderate you privation to beryllium successful this life. Don’t enactment excessively overmuch unit connected yourself. Don’t fto the mentation that you are contiguous dictate the mentation that you program connected being. Rock this s—.”

Then helium resumed pointing astatine members of the crowd, yelling, “You got an iPad,” referring to the everlastingly viral clip of Oprah Winfrey giving retired escaped cars.