Tyler, The Creator Delves Into A Unique Sound In New Album "CHROMAKOPIA"

It's the big 2024 and we've finally got our hands on a brand-new album by Tyler, The Creator who has made a splash within the last decade creating genre defining pieces of work. Getting his start from the blog era of Hip Hop with the fresh new rise of social media releasing his infamous Bastard mixtape that garnered notoriety from his vulgar and over-the-top cutthroat lyrics accompanies with production that was curated only by Tyler. Yes, the mixtape gained traction because of its vulgarness but we have to remember that Tyler managed to build a world within the context of Bastard with unique uses of instrumentation and distinctive story telling Tyler is now known for. Fast forward to this moment and we see Tyler see immense success from his artistry but has also seen him experimenting with new sounds and constantly evolving his music in more ways than one.

Tyler has a knack for creating characters with every album he releases starting from Goblin to his brand-new release CHROMAKOPIA. The first thing we notice about this particular character and theme featured in CHROMAKOPIA is the juxtaposition that opposes his last album "CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST" which was more of a feel-good vacation trip for SIR BAUDELAIRE. This is especially the case with the intro track for CMIYGL titled "SIR BAUDELAIRE" where the production is much smoother and more elevated in terms of its mood. When we listen to St, Chroma there is a clear difference and tonal shift featuring marching footsteps and Tyler whispering throughout the first half of the track before a burst of an instrumental ensemble that really makes your hair raise with excitement with these swelling synths and rustic drums.

Every song that plays out after in the album feels like reconciliation for Tyler with the song "Darling, I" not believing in monogamous relationships exclaiming that there are too many options and preference to only stick to one person within a relationship but Tyler finds a contradiction to his own belief saying

"I like a long time, I'm on my own time

I love this girl though, I hit the gold mine

I'm thinkin' new crib, I'm thinkin' two kids

Until I get infatuated with a new bitch"

Tyler doesn't believe in monogamous relationships but finds himself caught in this trap of contradictions when he meets this girl but then inevitably escapes that trap when he gets "infatuated with a new bitch". The whole song is Tyler telling us that relationships don't just come down to sex but also experiences and meaningful dialogues that are essential to human interactions.

transitioning to the next song titled Hey Jane and this track is probably the most personal album from CHROMAKOPIA because of Tyler’s ability to properly tell a story. This song has the pleasure of showing us two different perspectives of this proclaimed relationship. The first half of the song is in the perspective of Tyler meeting Jane for the first time, having to relate to past experiences but inevitably fooling around a bit too early with Jane. Tyler is petrified and feels like he betrayed his mother's words that were said in the beginning of the track “Always, always, always wear a condom”. We can concur that Tyler evidently went through a terrifying pregnancy scare which is all too familiar for men but Tyler doesn’t tackle this subject from one perspective. Which leads me to the second half of the track that has Jane talking within her own perspective and to say that it was some heavy storytelling is an understatement. After Jane explains to Tyler that she doesn’t want to get rid of the child she says

“But I don't need to stress, I can do this alone

My mom did it, your mom did it, this ain't a pride thing

This a more "I prefer to have peace of mind" thing

I got my own bread, I don't need you to buy things

'Cause my needs don't include your money and status”

This line hits home for Tyler because he too had to deal with the indirect consequences of his father leaving him at an early age in his life and feeling resentment towards him. It makes sense why this terrified Tyler. The title for this song is also named after a NYC company that provides abortion services by the same name which gives the song much more meaningful context.

https://www.heyjane.com/

Another song that displays Tylers strong aspect of telling a story is Judge Judy which is probably the catchiest song on this album. A very smooth instrumental that has many layers on top of each other from these smooth almost 80s style synths to acoustic sounding drums. It's really reminiscent of being on a Caribbean island sipping nice fruity cocktails by the beach. When we look into the lyrical side of this song it's a very explicit love ballad that has Tyler going into vulgar detail about his sexual experience with Judy but not vulgar in the way Tylers early albums were vulgar. When I say vulgar I more so mean it's a more detailed journey into Tylers sexual experiences that are more personal.

CHOMAKOPIA is the album where he really takes his mask off but plays with the irony that this character has a mask on to presumably hide his flaws from individuals. The song "Take Your Mask Off" gives us a glimpse into Tylers insecurities and flaws. A good amount of people was trying to figure out who he was talking about but this song is simply about exposing thugs for acting tough or certain individuals like preachers hiding their queerness in order to not offend their God. He also mentions hard working moms that provide for their kids but wish to be free from stress.

You would start all over if we keepin' it real

Current life is full but you ain't feelin' fulfilled

Fantasize about the dreams you left on the shelf

Can't even get alone time to think of killin' yourself, let's talk about it

Tyler has always been an advocate for doing what you really want to do and to explore outside of your comfort zone to liberate yourself. This song is that idea personified and fits the album cover perfectly despite the mask being on the cover.

This album is probably the most structurally sound project in Tylers entire discography production wise. Tyler manages to make a sound that goes beyond Hip Hop creating something that currently isn't being heard in the industry. Tyler tweeted his favorite moments from the album but I want to point out my personal favorites.

at 3:00 in "Like Him" everything goes quiet before the song hits you with these really nice synth chords and brings the entire song's instrumental back together at the end.

On verse 4 of Rah Tah Tah Tyler says: "Never tell them ni**as (or those women) where you breathe" The way he says "or those women" was hilarious because of how low the volume was and how calm he said it gave me a laugh

The chorus for NOID always stuck with me because of how abrasive it almost feels with the sample coming from Ngozi Family from their 1977 album 45,000 Volts according to Genius.

The entire instrumental of "Darling, I" is really reminiscent of a beat Pharrell Williams would use in an early 2000s RNB song.

GloRillas opening verse in Sticky gives me goosebumps with the banging instrumental and the whistle that plays throughout adds character to the track. We also can't forget the Lil Wayne verse that is short but ever so satisfying.

Schoolboy Qs and Tylers verse on Thought I was Dead is special because of how high octane they both sound in the track and Tylers flow is especially great.

It's important to point out that it would be a disservice to compare this album with anything Tyler has made in the past. It's disingenuous to say that this album "is a mixture of WOLF and Flower Boy" because it undermines the individual artistry Tyler put into CHROMAKOPIA. CHROMAKOPIA is CHROMAKOPIA because of how different it sounds from the rest of his albums. That sentiment should not only apply to CHROMAKOPIA but should also apply to the rest of his discography. Every album has its own story and theme which is able to provide us with a different experience every time you listen to a different album from Tyler. CHROMAKOPIA marks an important time in Tylers life where he is transitioning from having a care free mindset to having more meaningful life experiences that are essential to the everyday person. The complexities of unplanned parenthood and playing a persona to hide the deepest insecurities a person can have in order to avoid judgement. This album feels like Tyler coming to peace with past and current flaws he faces and is not afraid of showcasing his growing pains in his projects and vulnerability is essential to the art of creation.