A Boy Is a Gun

"A Boy Is a Gun"
Song by Tyler, the Creator
from the album Igor
ReleasedMay 17, 2019
Genre
Length3:30
LabelColumbia
Songwriters
ProducerTyler Okonma
Music video
"A Boy Is a Gun" on YouTube

"A Boy Is a Gun" (stylized as "A BOY IS A GUN*") is a song by American rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator from his sixth album Igor. The song was written by Tyler, the Creator with multiple producers. Released on May 17, 2019, beside the other songs in the album, it charted in the Billboard Hot 100, the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and the Canadian Hot 100. The song also gained a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and a gold certification from Music Canada. An accompanying music video directed by Tyler himself is centered around Igor–Tyler's alter ego. Igor is interested in a love interest, while the latter is disinterested.

Background and composition

Since day one, I’ve always wanted to make the prettiest shit that’s borderline boring,
or the hardest fucking shit, And I’ve been trying to mix those together since my first album.

— Tyler Okonma,

The song is inspired by the 1971 French western film Une Aventure de Billy le Kid, also known as "A Girl is a Gun". "A girl is a gun" was popularized by a clothing brand, Pleasure, which printed the phrase in shirts. The phrase was further popularized when Playboi Carti wore it in his single "Magnolia". The video style is inspired by another movie, 2017's Call Me by Your Name, of which Tyler is a fan. The track samples from "Bound", by the Ponderosa Twins Plus One, with vocals from Solange Knowles. Tyler has history with the sample, co-producing "Bound 1", which was ultimately reworked and released as "Bound 2" by Kanye West.

Promotion

In the days leading up to the song's release, Tyler, the Creator released a short promotional video in which his Igor character slowly climbs up a ladder seemingly reaching infinitely into the sky, as a slightly distorted version of the song plays in the background. At the video's end, Igor calmly falls off the ladder.

Music video and lyrics

The director of the music video is listed as Wolf Haley in the credits, which is an alias of Tyler Okonma. The video follows Igor, Tyler's alter ego throughout a mansion and its grounds, walking around the balcony, ending up in a bathtub. He interacts with an apparent male love interest throughout, though the man appears "disinterested" in him. After, Igor appears to have a mental breakdown, throwing clothes and running across the lawn. The final scene is of Igor's lover leaving in a limo with his girlfriend. Igor runs out after him, but misses him and puts his head on the ground as he cries.

Critical reception

The song received relatively positive reviews from critics, with American magazine Pitchfork stating that the song was where Tyler is at his "most creative", with the end stating that the song ended unnaturally. Furthermore, the song was praised for its varied tone and tempo, reflecting the "volatility" of Tyler's feelings. The song was described containing "minimalist, looping, eyes-to-the-sky aesthetic" by the music website Sputnikmusic. British website NME stated that the song "puts its own majestic spin" on the Ponderosa Twins Plus One track, Bound.

Personnel

Music

Video

Charts

Chart performance for "A Boy Is a Gun"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)56
Australian Urban (ARIA)19
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)75
Latvia (LaIPA) 17
Lithuania (AGATA) 28
Portugal (AFP)73
UK Audio Streaming (Official Charts)78
US Billboard Hot 10074
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)36

Certifications

Certifications for "A Boy Is a Gun"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) Gold 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) Gold 15,000‡
United States (RIAA) Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (2019-09-16). "Tyler, the Creator Searches for Answers in 'A Boy Is a Gun' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  2. ↑ Morris, Ashley (2019-09-17). "Tyler, The Creator Releases Stunning Visual for "A BOY IS A GUN*"". EUPHORIA. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  3. ↑ "How Tyler, The Creator's "A BOY IS A GUN" Flips A Feminist Idiom". Genius. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  4. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator Navigates A Love Triangle In The "A Boy Is A Gun" Video". Genius. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  5. 1 2 3 "Tyler, The Creator's "A BOY IS A GUN" Samples Ponderosa Twins Plus One's "Bound"". Genius. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  6. ↑ Tyler, The Creator (2019-05-13). a boy is a gun*. Retrieved 2026-08-07 – via YouTube.
  7. 1 2 Reed, Ryan (2019-09-16). "Tyler, the Creator Channels Igor Alter-Ego in 'A Boy Is a Gun' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Tyler, The Creator Becomes IGOR for New "A BOY IS A GUN*" Video -". mxdwn Music. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  9. ↑ Strauss, Matthew. "Tyler, the Creator: Igor". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  10. ↑ "Review: Tyler, the Creator - IGOR | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  11. ↑ Moore, Sam (2019-05-20). "Tyler, The Creator – 'IGOR' review". NME. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  12. ↑ Kim, Michelle Hyun (2019-09-16). "Watch Tyler, the Creator's New "A BOY IS A GUN*" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  13. ↑ "The ARIA Report, Issue 1525". ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The ARIA Report, Issue 1525". ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 21. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LaIPA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 24, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Tyler, the Creator – A Boy Is a Gun". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Official Audio Streaming Chart on 24/5/2019 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – A Boy Is a Gun". Music Canada. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  23. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – A Boy Is a Gun". Radioscope. Retrieved September 22, 2025. Type A Boy Is a Gun in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  24. ↑ "American single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – A Boy Is a Gun*". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 23, 2024.