A Boy Is a Gun

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"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

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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, [1]

The song is inspired by the 1971 French western film Une Aventure de Billy le Kid, also known as "A Girl is a Gun".[2] "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".[3] The video style is inspired by another movie, 2017's Call Me by Your Name, for which Tyler is a fan of.[4] The song was sampled from "Bound", by the Ponderosa Twins Plus One, with vocals from Solange Knowles.[5] Tyler has history with the sample, co-producing "Bound 2", by Kanye West.[6]

Promotion

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In addition, a short snippet music video was also directed by Tyler 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. Notably, at the beginning of the video, a lightning bolt is shown flashing in the sky, which could possibly be a reference to the novel that Igor gets its title from: Frankenstein, a story in which electricity is a key symbol, this is likely coincidental. The video, "a boy is a gun*" was released eight months before the full music video.[citation needed]

Music video and lyrics

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The director of the music video is listed as Wolf Haley in the credits, which is an alias of Tyler Okonma. The video features an appearance by Tracee Ellis Ross.[7] The video is centered to Igor, Tyler's alter ego. Igor is placed in a mansion, walking around the balcony, ending up in a bathtub.[8][9] He is spotted to be interested in a love interest, while the love interest is "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.[8]

Critical reception

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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.[10] The song was described containing "minimalist, looping, eyes-to-the-sky aesthetic" by the Music website Sputnikmusic.[11] British website NME stated that the song "puts its own majestic spin" on the Ponderosa Twins Plus One track, Bound.[12]

Personnel

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Music

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Video

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Charts

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Chart performance for "A Boy Is a Gun"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 56
Australian Urban (ARIA)[14] 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 75
Latvia (LaIPA)[16] 17
Lithuania (AGATA)[17] 28
Portugal (AFP)[18] 73
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[19] 78
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 74
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[21] 36

Certifications

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Certifications for "A Boy Is a Gun"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Gold 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] Gold 15,000‡
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  13. ^ "Issue 1525" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  14. ^ "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. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  18. ^ "Tyler, the Creator – A Boy Is a Gun". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  19. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart 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. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  24. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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