Speaking on the album cover, Tyler, the Creator said, “It’s so honest that I think I had to wear a mask of my own face to get some of that sh*t out.” Photo courtesy of Variety.
ALEX MCCARTY | STAFF REPORTER | armccarty@butler.edu
After three years of fan anticipation, Tyler, The Creator finally released his newest album, “Chromakopia”. His eighth studio album was announced two weeks ago on Oct. 17 and released on Monday, Oct. 28. This tactic of releasing an album so closely to the announcement is in line with how Tyler has traditionally released his music in the past, but that is where the traditions end.
Unlike every other album Tyler has made, “Chromakopia” was released in the fall instead of the spring or early summer. It also defied the practice in which every 10th song on his albums has been a two-part track with a slash in the title. It is still primarily a rap album, but Tyler incorporates R&B and jazz elements to create an album that combines the sounds from his prior three projects.
Pre-release
On Oct. 16, Tyler announced the release of “Chromakopia” with a video titled “St. Chroma”. The teaser showcased him wearing an ominous new mask and haircut and included a snippet from the song of the same name. What followed was a string of consistent announcements, including the release of tour dates and vinyl prints of the album.
Alongside these posts, Tyler also released a single called “Noid” and another snippet of the song “Thought I Was Dead”. All three of these tracks and music videos depicted Tyler moving in a darker and more confrontational direction, reminiscent of his attitude on his earlier albums such as “Goblin” and “Wolf”. However, his growth as a rapper and an emotionally mature person shines through his music.
The day before the album’s release, Tyler hosted a listening party at the Intuit Dome in California. Tyler didn’t actively perform at the event, but he still showed up to lip-sync the record and engage with the audience.
Concept and themes
Every album from Tyler has resulted in a new era and his latest is no exception. He has chosen a darker and more intimate persona with “Chromakopia”. The album’s concept is illustrated by Tyler’s mother’s narration across a majority of the songs, as she tells Tyler and the audience a variety of important lessons that connect to the topics of each track.
Most songs see Tyler confronting his inner struggles as he matures and grows older. He tries to balance his music career with the looming presence of the future, which becomes harder as feelings of paranoia and guilt set in. His love life is also a significant topic, as several tracks delve into his struggles with commitment and the prospect of raising a child with somebody. Other themes include family trauma and how it has shaped his decisions, as well as the braggadocious rapping that has become a staple of his music.
Senior dance performance major Aerin Abad resonated with these themes and messages on the album.
“I think he approached it really well,” Abad said. “I think he did it in an interesting way … [where] you can still relate it to your own life. [For] me right now as a college student, I’m not thinking about any of that stuff, but it’s interesting to hear about how people are in the industry.”
These topics combine to arguably create Tyler’s most personal album to date. Some hip-hop fans on social media have compared “Chromakopia” to similarly reflective rap albums like Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers,” which also features revealing lyrics and song topics confronting the artist’s deepest insecurities.
Highlights from the album
“Chromakopia” debuted with over 85 million first-day streams on Spotify, making it the biggest debut for a rap album in 2024. This success seems to be a big win for Tyler. However, certain songs like “Noid” showcase the damaging effects of this attention. The main single from the album showcases Tyler’s paranoia and fear about his fame. It utilizes hard guitar riffs and soaring group vocals to illustrate his intense anxiety, which compliments his rapping in which he urges people to leave him alone.
“St. Chroma” has a similarly dark tone. It opens with Tyler’s mom telling him, “You are the light. It’s not on you, it’s in you.” This idea of the light is repeated throughout the track in the chorus and verses. The song includes marching feet as a backdrop to the rest of the song, which eventually builds into a swirl of pianos and roaring bass. Daniel Caesar is featured on the track and his beautiful harmonies on the hook contrast sharply with Tyler’s rapid flows and the aggressive beat drop at the halfway point.
Other highlights of “Chromakopia” include the songs “Sticky” and “Thought I Was Dead”, which are some of the hardest-hitting and most energetic cuts on the project. Both songs feature big names in the hip-hop genre like Sexyy Red and ScHoolboy Q.
Sam Glavash, a senior actuarial science and statistics major, addressed the contrast between the loudest and quietest moments on the record.
“Throughout the album, there are songs where he is super braggadocious,” Glavash said. “Then you get the song right after [such as] ‘Tomorrow’. I feel like those hard-hitting songs are more like how a younger Tyler would react to certain things.”
On the contrary, “Hey Jane” features Tyler as he addresses his thoughts on having a child when his partner gets a pregnancy scare. He admits he is worried about his free lifestyle being stripped away by the prospect of fatherhood. Fans have noticed that the track’s title corresponds to a company in New York that provides abortion services. This sentiment matches up with a line on the final song on the album “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”, in which Tyler says, “Almost had a mini-me, I wasn’t ready. And she wanted it with me, I’m talking heavy. Then we had to guarantee, ain’t no confetti.”
Sophomore computer science major Brandon Franczak delved into one of his favorite songs on “Chromakopia” and how it summarized the record’s best qualities.
“I think ‘Take Your Mask Off’ should be the title track of the album,” Franczak said. “It overall represents what the album stands for; telling stories, being introspective [and] being jazzy but still having a lot of hip hop elements in it. I think it all just comes together very well.”
“Chromakopia” sold 297,000 copies worldwide within its first week, making it Tyler’s most successful album drop ever. He already has an international tour scheduled for next year and is showing no signs of slowing down. As it stands, “Chromakopia” is another win for Tyler, The Creator and a beautifully introspective look at him as an artist and a person.
“Chromakopia” is available now on streaming services and physically at retail stores.
