Tyler, The Creator released his eighth studio album “CHROMAKOPIA” on October 28. The 14-track album has already seen massive commercial and critical success—as it absolutely should. Tyler wrote, produced, and performed all 14 tracks, a difficult feat for any artist.
The album begins with “St. Chroma” (ft. Daniel Caesar), a track that was teased a couple of weeks before its release. “St. Chroma” is a fantastic way to open up the album: its beautiful chorus contrasts with the break of intense instrumentation, making it one of the best songs on the whole project.
Following “St. Chroma,” “Rah Tah Tah” brings back some of the energetic rapping seen on Tyler’s phenomenal 2021 album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” The same could be said about “Thought I Was Dead” (ft. ScHoolboy Q & Santigold), with both songs containing catchy hooks and loud, aggressive instrumentals.
The emotions are strong in “CHROMAKOPIA”. “Hey Jane” illustrates the mixed feelings of an accidental pregnancy. Tyler raps from both his perspective and the woman’s perspective, doing an excellent job portraying the fear, regret, and shock of the situation. “Like Him” (ft. Lola Young), another emotionally impactful track, is about Tyler finding similarities between himself and his father whom he never got to know. The last minute is not only one of the album’s best and most powerful moments but one of the most powerful moments in Tyler’s entire discography.
There are many unique and fun moments on “CHROMAKOPIA,” like the song “Sticky,” an unlikely collaboration between Tyler, Sexyy Red, GloRilla, and Lil Wayne that works surprisingly well. “Balloon” (ft. Doechii), is pure positive energy, and Doechii showcases her bold personality as a rapper.
Lastly, it would be a shame not to mention “Darling, I” (ft. Teezo Touchdown), which has possibly the best and most infectious chorus on “CHROMAKOPIA.”
Despite receiving lots of critical acclaim, some students in the Latin community did not enjoy “CHROMAKOPIA.”
Junior Shane Fifield said,“[I] didn’t like it because it did not have the same allure that albums like “Igor” had. There was also too much going on that didn’t really work.”
Junior Mark Tismensky agreed, “The album was honestly so weird. Everything about it was weird. It was definitely not as good as his other albums.”
I disagree with these claims from my peers. Yes, “CHROMAKOPIA” may be a bit “weird,” but that is what makes it so good. It’s creative, unique, and instrumentally diverse. Tyler’s unique album style is definitely not for everyone. He uses new ideas and sounds in every project, which takes some time for people to get used to, so I’m not surprised that there are people who don’t love the project. However, it’s one of my personal favorite albums of 2024 thus far—which is saying a lot, given how fantastic this year has been for music releases.
I do believe, however, that some of “CHROMAKOPIA”’s highlights fall short of the highest points on some of Tyler’s previous albums. Besides the ending of “Like Him,” nothing on “CHROMAKOPIA” blew me away like “NEW MAGIC WAND” off of “Igor,” or Lil Wayne’s verse on “HOT WIND BLOWS” off of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” With that being said, I still love “CHROMAKOPIA,” and there are hardly any lowlights on this new project. It’s safe to say that Tyler, The Creator is one of the most creative rappers in the world, and he shows no sign of slowing down with “CHROMAKOPIA.”
