Tyler, the Creator Saluted for a Decade of ‘Super-Duper, Awesome S—‘ at Variety’s Hitmakers Event

Receiving the Innovator of the Decade honor at Variety’s Hitmakers event on Saturday gave Tyler, the Creator a welcome opportunity to reflect on his accomplishments over the past 15 years, the artist told the crowd in Hollywood as he accepted his kudos.

When Tyler was first informed that he’d been chosen for the award, he admitted to having been surprised. He reeled off a long list of legendary artists that he considers innovators, from Stevie Wonder to Kanye West to Pharrell to Missy Elliott.

“It made me think like, ‘Yo, I don’t take the time out to look back at what I’ve done, for me, the folks around me, the last 15 years. For me, always looking forward — that’s where I sit comfortable at,” he said. “But damn, it does feel good to hear the last 15 years you’ve been doing super-duper, awesome shit. I’m so grateful y’all have noticed things I’ve done.”

Tyler’s award was presented by André 3000, who hailed his work to help mentor other artists and nurture those who also worked their way up the ranks. He also noted Tyler’s versatility as a musician, entrepreneur and actor, who stars in the upcoming “Marty Supreme” opposite Timothée Chalamet.

“If you can inspire others to want to purely make something, you have done a great deed,” André 3000 said. When working with Tyler, “you can see his excitement, momentum and passion — it’s infectious. He cares about what he’s doing and innovating himself.”

In tandem with the award’s initial announcement, Josh Safdie, writer and director of “Marty Supreme,” said of the honor, “Tyler is a rare artist and creator in that everything he does is completely vertically integrated: There is little to no difference between a song and the larger picture, which is the album, or a bottle of cologne, or a T-shirt, or a music video he’s directing, or in this case, with me, a character that he’s developed.”

Tyler has been an unstoppable force in hip-hop over the past decade, since debuting with his Odd Future crew and releasing his debut studio album, “Bastard,” in 2009. He’s consistently reshaped and remolded rap music in his image, pushing the boundaries of what forms his artistry can take with forays into acting, fashion and beyond.

Last year, he released his eighth studio album, “Chromakopia,” and shortly after embarked on a world tour. While traversing the globe, he began work on his ninth album, “Don’t Tap the Glass,” which was released with little warning in July. Both projects were nominated for the 2026 Grammy Awards, with “Chromakopia” up for album of the year and “Don’t Tap the Glass” contending in best alternative music album.