A Review of CHROMAKOPIA by Tyler, The Creator
Welcome to CHROMAKOPIA Fall. This project, the 8th studio album from rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Tyler, the Creator has already made quite the impact, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 and marking the largest first-week sales of Tyler’s career thus far. This album coming off the back of Brat summer oddly feels fitting, as the primary themes Tyler touches down on include his conflicting feelings on starting a family and struggles with fame, similar to Charli xcx’s hit album earlier this year.
However, the Charli x Tyler comparisons end here, as CHROMAKOPIA is a completely different beast of an album, at 14 tracks and 53 minutes of runtime, with a wide variety of featured artists, all of whom were initially hidden from the tracklist. Generally, the sonics of this album are incredibly rich and textured, a very clear continuation of the extravagant West Coast hip-hop of Call Me If You Get Lost combined with the eclectic, melodic, lo-fi slant of IGOR. Across the tracklist, listeners will hear explosive and rhythmic beats, rock guitar riffs, summary synths, heavenly vocal passages, and much much more.
The album begins with “St. Chroma” (also the highest charting song of Tyler’s career thus far), the first verse of which is whisper-rapped by Tyler, setting an unsettling tone that carries through the entire album, reinforced by the equally eerie album cover, which features Tyler in a suit and mask with his hand outstretched. After a little bit of Daniel Caesar vocals, the instrumental shifts into more rhythmic territory, with Tyler rapping about his childhood, artistry, and his self-confidence feeling like a mask, topics he will later circle back on.
“Rah Tah Tah” is the first true-blue banger of the album, complete with a revving subbase, eerie synths, and piercing high-hats. Lyrically, much of the track features flexing from Tyler about money and relationships, however, given the sum of the core themes of the album established on the track prior, all of it feels like a mask, Tyler trying and failing to convince himself that material objects fulfill him. However, this track lends itself to more casual listening as well, as the flows and chorus of the track are some of the catchiest on the album.
The album’s lead single, “Noid” follows this, the title of which is the second half of the word ‘paranoid.’ The structure of this track is a bit disjointed, as Tyler’s verses are interrupted by synth and vocal flourishes and samples in the nyanja language, however, the lyrics touch down on Tyler’s anxieties with fame. The sentiment of the track is well captured in its music video, specifically a scene where actress Ayo Adebiri approaches the camera (presumably Tyler) in a frantic state hoping for a picture, but when the camera cuts her phone is replaced with a cup of beer and then gun.
Teezo Touchdown is probably the only feature fans expected going into CHROMAKOPIA, as he’s had quite the blowup in the years since he was featured on Call Me If You Get Lost. He appeared on the following “Darling, I” one of the most melodic tracks on the album, with some great piano chords and a groovin’ beat. The track kicks off with some spoken-word vocals from Tyler’s mother, who is featured prominently across the album, here warning her son not to fall in love. The rest of the song builds on this theme, as Tyler wrestles with the desire to start a family, but at the same time still wants to focus on his career and does not think he can be with just one romantic partner.
“Hey Jane” builds on all of this, and is arguably one of the most conceptual songs of Tyler’s career, as the song imagines him confessing his feelings to a girl who he’s gotten pregnant. Much of the anxieties Tyler shares on “Darling, I” are present here, as well as his genuine fear that he is not in the space to be a good father. Tyler also raps from the perspective of this girl, Jane, who shares that she is conflicted about having a child as well due to her past experiences, but believes she is perfectly capable of raising the child herself. This adds quite a bit of dimension and conceptually to the track, and it's a moment on the album where it's hard to believe that this is the same Tyler that made Goblin back in the day.
The following “I Killed You” is a more chill and acoustic moment on the album, which lyrically deals with themes of Blackness and lineage, a thematic extension of the track prior. Next is “Judge Judy” which has a lyrical nod to Tyler’s 2023 single “Dogtooth,” the lyrics “she could ride my face I don’t want nothing in return,” which is a great line in both songs. The track itself lyrically is an anti-kink shaming anthem, and even ends off with synth arpeggios played against sexual moans.
The biggest banger of the album follows, “Sticky,” the beat of which feels like it's being hammered out by a bunch of rowdy teens at a lunch table, complete with whistles and horns. The track features short but impactful verses from Glorilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne, all of whom add to the unhinged energy being created here. Tyler’s verses are as confident and sexual as ever, the “It's getting sticky” refrain makes for the catchiest on the album.
“Take Your Mask Off” serves as a groovy cooldown from the track prior, but thematically proves to be one of the most important tracks on the album, as the addressee of the track could be interpreted as Tyler himself. This removal of a mask is reminiscent of the album’s earlier themes and cover, as lyrically Tyler owns up his dislike of gang violence, the discrimination and fear he experiences as a bisexual man, and many personal insecurities.
The following “Tomorrow” kicks off with a vocal snippet from Tyler’s mom again, where she asks for a grandkid from him, adding an external pressure to his fears about starting a family. This song is another lowkey moment on the album, featuring lovely string arrangements and a flute outro, and lyrically reads like a reaffirmation for Tyler himself.
Transitioning into the final leg of the album, “Thought I Was Dead” featuring ScHoolboy Q and Santigold reinforces the sonics of the previous “Sticky,” with horns and catchy refrains, and a great beat to boot. The album then comes to a climax with the Lola Young-assisted “Like Him” where Tyler’s mother kicks the song off stating that Tyler heavily resembles his father, and ends it by owning up to how she prevented him from being in Tyler’s life. The song in between is beautifully haunting, as Tyler grapples with these facts and the ways in which not having a father present in his life fuels many of the insecurities he raps about on the album. All of this occurs on top of spacious electric guitars and faintly textured but powerful rhythms.
The explosive “Balloon” serves as a fantastic uplifting moment after such a dark song, with its bouncy and summary keys and very divisive Doechii feature. She’s gotten backlash for the bar “I air this bitch out like a queef” but it really only adds to the unhinged energy of the track that Tyler’s verses also contain. The album’s final song “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” features intense rapping from Tyler over serene pianos, and ties up many of the themes the album presents as Tyler lyrically accepts his desire to start a family, believing he does have the positive qualities it would take. The album ends with another vocal snippet from Tyler’s mother, who shares how proud of him she is for all that he’s accomplished.
Overall, while not as explosive as Call Me If You Get Lost or linear in its story is IGOR, CHROMAKOPIA serves as Tyler, The Creator’s most personal album to date, as the vulnerability he displays in sharing his insecurities on his career and personhood is certainly commendable. This album also reinforces the incredibly high level of quality Tyler’s projects have had since artistically reinventing himself on 2017’s Flower Boy, and ensures that his next project, wherever it may drop, will be one to watch.