In a culture obsessed with virality, Tyler, The Creator, has been waving a different flag stitched with exclusivity and personal taste. In a recent interview with The Cut, the Grammy-winning musician and influencer defended gatekeeping in plain language, particularly regarding businesses, restaurants, and fashion. Not everything is meant to be shared with the internet, especially not his favorite hidden gems.
“Love gatekeeping,” Tyler said matter-of-factly. And he means it. The appeal, for him, of finding an intimate and authentic meal or a unique brand of clothing is that intimacy and authenticity, a feeling he said dissipates once the algorithmic demands of TikTok have transformed it into a trend. Tyler told me that the idea isn’t to be stingy but to safeguard that which you love from turning into another pit stop in someone else’s clout chase.
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“When people are like, Where’d you get that from? We good,” he said, acknowledging that some things lose their magic when they hit the big time. You may not even be that fire. It’s a jab and a gem of truth in one, but not everyone needs access to everything. On a personal note, joy is often best kept to oneself. Though Tyler quickly acknowledged that policing music can feel a little weird, he’s drawn a line at lifestyle, restaurants getting overrun, brands losing their soul, and spaces that once felt sacred now being swallowed by internet hype.
For him, it’s not about spoiling other people’s fun but about maintaining the integrity of things in a culture that has turned the joy of discovery into the paradox of Instagrammed immediacy. Of course, the internet did not let this hot take float by them without comment. Critics called him selfish or out of touch. Tyler’s point hits home with anyone who’s seen their favorite local haunts morph into selfie factories by going viral. Tyler’s defense of gatekeeping is about guarding what it means to have one’s own culture in a world where everything is fair game. The proper flex is not knowing and keeping your mouth shut.
