In his eighth studio album, Tyler, The Creator makes an electric return to the music scene, debuting Oct. 28 and staying at No. 1 for three consecutive weeks and counting. The rapper and producer dropped “CHROMAKOPIA” as the follow up album to his 2021 release “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” “CHROMAKOPIA” also debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was Tyler’s fastest-selling album to date.
The star, sticking to his alternative style, subverted the norm by releasing the project on a Monday instead of a Friday, which has been known in the record industry as Global Release Day or “New Music Friday” since 2015. In an interview almost a year before the album’s release, Tyler said that music release day should go back to Tuesdays to give listeners more time to actively listen and “dive in” to his music throughout release week.
Tyler kept the artist features hidden prior to the album dropping, building more anticipation for the project when they were finally revealed. Features included Daniel Caesar, GloRilla, Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, Schoolboy Q, Sexyy Red and Teezo Touchdown, with Playboi Carti also making an appearance on the vinyl edition of the album. The star-studded lineup enhances what was already an incredibly crafted and creative album.
Throughout the album, Tyler opens up and explores his past traumas and fears which also shows his confidence as he has gotten older. In the past he has used alter egos or fictional storylines to discuss more hard-hitting themes, but with “CHROMAKOPIA” he simply refers to himself as “T,” getting more comfortable with his audience. The rapper wears a mask on the album’s cover and shows a variety of emotions within different songs as if he is “unmasking” himself and being more authentic.
The project begins with “St. Chroma,” which opens with recordings of Tyler’s mom, Bonita Smith — one of the several times she is featured on the album. Tyler also references his hometown of Hawthorne, California on the track and discusses his rise to fame as a young adult. He ends the first verse with the lyrics, “I’m gon’ make it out, promise I’m gon’ make it out Mama, I’m gon’ make it out … I ain’t never had a doubt inside me.” Tyler experiments with different vocal sounds and builds suspense for the rest of the album with a dramatic opening.
Tyler continues with his confident and aggressive style on the second track “Rah Tah Tah” where he raps about his past relationships and suggests he’s the biggest rapper from Los Angeles after Kendrick Lamar. In contrast, after a seamless transition, the next track “Noid” explores the rapper’s paranoid tendencies and negative feelings toward celebrity culture. On the opening two songs Tyler flexes his expensive cars and lavish lifestyle, but then describes another side of the celebrity lifestyle: the paranoia he has suffered from living in the public eye.
The themes of anxiety and fear continue throughout the album with songs like “Darling, I,” where Tyler expresses his fears about growing up, getting married, settling down and starting a family, and “Tomorrow,” where he fears losing his mother. The topic of fatherhood is addressed again in “Like Him,” where he talks about the nonexistent relationship he has with his father and his fear of being defined by his absence. In “Take Your Mask Off,” Tyler calls attention to people who live inauthentic lifestyles. On this track, Tyler urges his audience to “take their masks off” and be true to themselves with the repetitive lyric, “And I hope you find yourself.”
Another focus of the album is Tyler’s struggle with self-identity as a young Black man and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, which he hid from the public for some time. “I Killed You” is about the rapper trying to not feel shame and ultimately accept who he is. Tyler continues to discuss his sexuality on the track “Judge Judy,” where he recycles lyrics from his song “DOGTOOTH” from “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” Tyler proves his worth as a skilled storyteller and lyricist with this track and “Hey Jane,” where he tells the story of an unplanned pregnancy from two different perspectives.
The album shows the many sides of Tyler across a wide range of emotional moments; he is able to be vulnerable by discussing serious themes while also producing upbeat and energetic songs like “Sticky” and “Thought I was Dead.” The final track “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” recaps the album and closes the chapter of “CHROMAKOPIA,” with Tyler finding acceptance in many aspects of life, such as being himself and opening up to his audience. Remarkably, all 14 songs on the album charted on the U.S. Billboard Top 100.
With “CHROMAKOPIA,” Tyler once again did what he is best at, which is a little bit of everything. He shows off his wide range and musical talent by mixing different genres and unique sounds. With another hit album, Tyler makes a bold statement and shows why he is undoubtedly in the conversation as one of the best rappers of his generation.
