Tyler, The Creator handed out iPads and inspiration at Hawthorne High School in California, surprising 371 seniors with tech gifts instead of attending the usual celebrity-packed celebration for being named Apple Music’s 2025 Artist of the Year.
The Grammy-winning rapper skipped the red carpet and champagne to return to the same hallways where he once skated as a teenager with big dreams. On December 12, what students thought was a regular school rally quickly turned into a once-in-a-lifetime moment when Tyler walked on stage.
“They wanted to throw some crazy party, dinners and all that,” he told the crowd, according to the LA Sentinel_._ “I was like, no, no, no. Forget the dinner. I could eat at home. What I wanted to do was come back here.”
Instead of flashing lights and industry speeches, Tyler delivered Apple iPads and Apple Pencils to the entire senior class, along with a dose of real talk about his roots and the road to success.
Tyler reflected on growing up in Hawthorne, a city wedged between Inglewood and Manhattan Beach, but often overlooked in the conversation.
“Being from this city, man, it’s kind of a weird place,” he said. “It’s not Inglewood, it’s not Manhattan Beach. It’s just its own little world. And I always told myself, one day I’m really gonna make it out of this place and make something of myself, because that was not the norm for Hawthorne High. That just was not heard of.”
Tyler’s visit came weeks after Apple Music announced he racked up more than 4.5 billion minutes of streaming between November 2024 and October 2025.
His album Chromakopia broke his personal records for first-day and first-week streams on the platform. He also dropped Don’t Tap the Glass mid-tour, a surprise, stripped-down rap project that reached No. 1 in over 55 countries.
During the school event, students rotated through hands-on stations featuring Apple’s creative tools, such as GarageBand, Image Playground, and Apple Intelligence. The event was powered by Free Lunch, a creative agency led by Tyler’s longtime collaborator Tim Hinshaw. Crenshaw Juice kept the crowd refreshed.
Tyler is set to receive Apple Music’s physical award, a custom Apple silicon wafer encased in glass and aluminum, later this year.
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