“It’s not on you, it’s in you/Don’t you ever in your motherf*cking life dim your light for nobody,” Tyler, the Creator’s mother, Bonita Smith said in the opening lines of “St. Chroma” — the first track in Tyler’s newest full length record,“CHROMAKOPIA.” From that point onward, drums, synths, piano and Tyler’s vocals kick in. Chantings of the word “Chromakopia, Chromakopia” over and over again wash over the production and we soon see the picture that Tyler is painting for us.
The rollout to “CHROMAKOPIA” was swift yet calculated. Tyler dropped a teaser for the opening track to his new LP approximately 10 days before the record was set to release. After two other teasers, including one single titled “Noid,” Tyler, the Creator dropped “CHROMAKOPIA” on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. The Monday release definitely turned some heads, but Tyler has justified this sentiment, stating in an interview with Nardwaur in 2023 that listeners would enjoy the music better during “that commute to work, or that commute to school…”
Tyler has always been an interesting artist to watch because of the constant development and elevation of his music style. Going originally from horrorcore, to nerdy alternative rap, to crunchy neo-soul and now this refined west-coast progressive hip-hop, Tyler always made the case for pushing the boundaries of what an artist can sound like.
Let’s get to the music: How does “CHROMAKOPIA” sound compared to the rest of Tyler’s albums? If “Flower Boy” was Tyler’s rebirth, and “IGOR” was Tyler’s psychedelic opus then “CHROMAKOPIA” is a more mature version of both, even with some of the braggadocious lines of “Call Me If You Get Lost.”
Tracks like “Rat Tah Tah,” “Sticky” and “Thought I Was Dead” all incorporate some of this energy, but others like “Hey Jane” and “Judge Judy” use more soul instrumentation while still maintaining a hip-hop core. One of the centerpieces for the album, “Noid,” features some of Tyler’s sharpest production choices and smartest raps.
“Nervous system is shook, way before nineteen (Paranoid, yeah)/LA’ll do that to you, where you from, ni**a? Who ya?/Satellites (Satellite), screenshots (Noid)/Paparazzi (Noid), NDAs (Noid)/Privacy? Huh, yeah right, I got a better shot in the NBA,” Tyler raps on the third track, “Noid.”
A big theme on the record is the spotlight that celebrities find themselves in. Often people in the spotlight get overwhelmed or are not true to themselves while in the public eye. On “Take Your Mask Off,” Tyler raps about this problem specifically.
“Your beats ain’t placin’, them songs ain’t slappin’, your raps ain’t rankin’/Your stage presence don’t even be in they conversation, go home/You ain’t gotta hide from the truth/Tell your family why you such a recluse/Tell your spirit why you feelin’ it’s a wrap in the booth,” Tyler raps on the ninth track.
With Tyler’s newfound clarity on some of these common issues plaguing himself and other celebrities like him, one would think he has got it all figured out, however, there is always room for improvement for Tyler. This is present on not only the evolution of his records, but during the evolution of the album’s sound.
The abrasive sounds of the early tracks are replaced with a calmer, more soulful sound in the middle, then near the end of the record, everything sonically coalesces. The beats at the end of the album are harsh yet have bright points that don’t feel overwhelming. This all comes together at the last track, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.”
New revelations that came to light, including the speculation that Tyler has at least one kid, are an important part of the record, however, if you can see past all the drama and the BS surrounding these parts of the album — just like Tyler does — you can be a better and more true version of yourself.
This release is all in preparation for Tyler’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival — the 10th annual one in fact — which is happening at Dodger Stadium, Nov. 16 and Nov. 17. This music festival has been Tyler’s yearly tradition since 2014 and features André 3000, Playboi Carti, Erykah Badu and many others.
