Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage
Tyler, The Creator builds his IGOR track “A BOY IS A GUN” around a sample of the early ‘70s soul track “Bound” by Ponderosa Twins Plus One. The song was most notably sampled by Kanye West on 2013’s “Bound 2.”
“A BOY IS A GUN” integrates the sample into its verses, as Tyler raps through the arc of a relationship from the initial attraction to a bitter breakup. On the second verse, he calls out his partner’s fickle nature, saying:
Don’t leave, stay right here, yeah, I want you right near
(You started with a mere hello)
You invited me to breakfast, why the fuck your ex here?
Well, let’s see if you ‘round the god around this time next year
Tyler has a history with the Ponderosa Twins sample, as he has said that he co-produced the original version of West’s “Bound 1” alongside Hudson Mohawke and West himself.
Ponderosa Twins released just one album, 1971’s 2+2+1 = Ponderosa Plus One, which was produced by Bobby Massey of The O'Jays. They disbanded in 1975, but in 2015, West settled a lawsuit with their singer, Ricky Spicer, over an unauthorized use of “Bound.”
Though West does not appear on “A BOY IS A GUN,” he does contribute vocals to IGOR on the song “PUPPET.” IGOR also contains samples of songs by DâM-FunK, Bibi Mascel, and Nkono Teles.
Genius examined Tyler’s trend of making every 10th track on his albums a split record, which continues with IGOR’s “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU.”
Read the full lyrics to “A BOY IS A GUN” and the rest of Tyler, the Creator’s discography on Genius now.
