Tyler, The Creator returns with hard-hitting beats and lyrics
Tyler, The Creator released his 8th studio album, CHROMAKOPIA, on October 28th. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed at number one for another two weeks.
”St. Chroma” 10/10
“St. Chroma” was both the first track on the album and the first snippet that Tyler, The Creator released. We first heard a snippet of it on Oct 16 when he, seemingly out of the blue, released a short music video which also served as an announcement for the album. The track is a perfect introduction to the album, kicking off with narration by Tyler’s mother (a recurring feature on the album) and a group chanting the title of the album, “CHROMAKOPIA” with marching sounds. After about a minute and a half, Daniel Caesar starts to sing in the background, leading to a massive switch up and beat drop to set the tone that the album’s songs could be smoother R&B type songs or harder rap songs. This reveals Tyler’s current state as unsure of his state as an artist. Tyler said, “I just need this time to myself to figure me out/Do I keep the light on or do I gracefully bow out?” Just in the opening track, Tyler is being very honest with his audience which is a theme that continues throughout the album.
”Rah Tah Tah” 10/10
Following the tone set by “St. Chroma”, “Rah Tah Tah” is a classic Tyler rap beat with multiple layers of heavy production, synths and sound effects. In this song, Tyler is rapping about his wealth and desire for privacy in a witty and comedic way on top of a top-tier Tyler style beat full of random little clicks and clacks that tie the track together beautifully.
”Noid” 9/10
“Noid” is a perfect switch-up from “Rah Tah Tah”’s chaotic beat to a slower beat but still in Tyler’s signature synth-heavy production style. This track features very heavy-sounding production that is reminiscent of “WHATS GOOD” from Tyler’s 2019 album “IGOR.” “Noid” was the only full-length song that Tyler released before the album, which came out on Oct. 21. This was a full week before the album was released and it was an excellent choice for a single because it teased the tone of the album so well. The song is about Okonma’s paranoia due to his fame and how he feels like “Someone’s keeping watch” and makes references to being interrupted while eating for a picture that he doesn’t want to take. The music video adds to the feelings expressed in the song by giving visual representations of his paranoia. The best instance of this is when a fan holding their phone out and the shot rapidly switches between her holding a phone and a gun.
”Darling, I” 10/10
“Darling, I” once again had a tone switch. While keeping the slower vibe of “Noid”, it abandons the heavy production and opts for a smoother sound similar to “WUSYANAME” off of Tyler’s 2021 album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST”. “Darling, I” features vocals from “Teezo Touchdown” and is about Tyler’s experience with his love life. He said at one point that “Nobody can fulfill me like this music s*** does/So I’ll be lonely with these Grammys when it’s all said and done”. The song is about Tyler dealing with the complications of desiring romance while also being occupied with his music career and how at the end of the day he’s going to choose his music career but he can’t help falling in love even though he knows it won’t fulfill him in the end. Owen Huntley ‘27 said, “I like the beat and the vocals”.
”Hey Jane” 10/10
“Hey Jane” keeps things slow but abandons the kind of sound Darling, I had and ends up a lot simpler without a lot of the rhythmic features of “Darling, I.” This song tells the story of an unexpected pregnancy and switches perspectives halfway through the song from Tyler to his partner. While he is no stranger to dealing with very personal topics in his songs, this song takes it to a new level. Telling both sides of a brutally honest conversation on top of a beautiful beat.
”I Killed You” 9/10
“I Killed You” drops the slow vibe that “Darling, I” and “Hey Jane” had and kicks up the tempo. Not quite as much as “Rah Tah Tah”, but it still has the now signature Chromakopia switch-up. This track’s lyrics explore the complicated feelings that the community Tyler grew up in has about their hair. In a setting that often doesn’t like natural hairstyles, many choose to “kill it” by cutting it all off. This shows the struggle between being yourself and fitting in with what others expect.
”Judge Judy” 10/10
“Judge Judy” slows things down again and adopts a simple beat similar to “Hey Jane”’s. This song tells the story of Tyler meeting a girl and hitting it off, when she suddenly cuts communication and leaves Tyler. But after some time, he gets a letter from the woman explaining that she had cancer and knew that she didn’t have long and that she has passed but enjoyed their time together and is wishing her the best.
”Sticky” 10/10
“Sticky” kicks the energy right back up with a really fun-sounding song. This song has a simple beat and features GloRilla, Lil Wayne and Sexxy Red. This song doesn’t really tell as much of a story but is just a great song. Every artist featured on this song’s verses are about their own self-worth and how they are ready for the haters in a truly fun way that doesn’t feel like bragging or flaunting. As the song goes on, more layers get added on and advance the intricacy of the track, which elevates the listening experience. Blake Harris ‘26 said, “I love Sexxy Red.”
“Take Your Mask Off” 10/10
“Take Your Mask Off” slows the album down again with another synth-and-background-vocals heavy sound. In this song, Tyler criticizes archetypes of people wearing “masks”. They include a gangster who has face tattoos and guns but is really an actor who wants to fit in and be cool, a preacher who hides his queerness, a single mother who is tired of being one, and ultimately himself. He urges all of the people the verses are aimed at to “take their masks off” and be themselves.
“Tomorrow” 8/10
While “Tomorrow” is my lowest-rated song off of CHROMAKOPIA, the fact that this is the lowest-rated shows how good this album is. It stays in the slow tempo of “Take Your Mask Off” but drops the Synth heavy soundscape and goes for a more bass and string-sounding instrumental. In this song, Tyler talks about the potential of him putting his music career aside and starting a family to fulfill his mom’s desire for a grandchild from him.
“Thought I Was Dead” 10/10
“Thought I Was Dead” was teased two days before the album’s release with a short music video and only featured Tyler’s verse on the song. It cranks the energy back up and has the iconic Tyler song with bells, tuba, and random little sound effects. In this song, Tyler says “You thought I was dead”, suggesting that his audience thought he was “dead” or done with music due to him changing his release schedule and having a break of 3 years instead of the usual 2 in between CHROMAKOPIA and his last album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. This song features Santigold, who provides background vocals throughout the whole track, and ScHoolboy Q, who has a verse that continues a theme of the album saying that he really has M’s (millions of dollars) and is still successful even though he is over 35 years old.
“Like Him” 10/10
“Like Him” returns to the slow and synth-heavy sound that has been so prominent throughout the album. In this song, Tyler talks about how his mom says he looks like his dad. This is a complicated feeling for him to deal with because his dad wasn’t around. He says it’s like “Chasing a ghost” because he “doesn’t know who he is”. The last third of this song has an extra synth-heavy sound and is probably my highlight of the entire album. Lola Young is featured on “Like Him” and performs background vocals throughout. At the end of the song, Tyler learns that his mother was the one who made the decision for his father to not be present in his life.
“Balloon” 10/10
“Balloon” ditches the slow vibe that “Like Him” has and is a really fun and fast-paced song. This song has Tyler talking about his work ethic and unique perspective on life. Doechii has a verse on the track and continues to make this song feel super fun. Daniel Caesar also has some vocals on Balloon that tie it together as a strong song where the three artists on it all excel at their specific jobs to make another 10/10 track.
“I Hope You Find Your Way Home” 10/10
“I Hope You Find Your Way Home” returns to a similar sound to “Like Him”. “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” is a beautiful conclusion to the album, he hopes his listeners “find their way home” providing a similar message to “Take Your Mask Off” where he told them to “take their mask off”. Tyler wants his audience to be themselves and be “home”or where their true self will be comfortable and accepted.
CHROMAKOPIA has truly proved itself to be a deep and introspective album for Tyler similar to Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 release, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. CHROMAKOPIA has earned its place on my personal Tyler ranking as my second favorite album by Tyler, right behind his 2019 release, IGOR. My final rating for the album is a 9.5/10 and my favorite tracks are “Darling, I”, “Take Your Mask Off” and “Like Him”.
