photo credit: Ethan Eichmann
On Oct. 28, the artist Tyler, The Creator released his seventh studio album entitled “Chromakopia.” After taking a deep listen to this LP, it is certainly one of the most mind-blowing albums ever created.
The opening track to this album is called “St. Chroma,” which features lyrics about how Tyler has risen to fame and how he breaks past expectations in music. This theme of breaking expectations has been very prevalent throughout his career, as all of his albums have had a somewhat surreal undertone. This song also features backup lyrics from Daniel Caesar, according to genius.com. Overall, this song is an 8.5/10, hearing it for the first time is such a unique experience.
The next song is titled “Rah Tah Tah,” which in a way is almost a parody of today’s gangster rap, but also features lyrics that deal with his unusual rise to fame like “St. Chroma.” In the song he presents himself as the center of attention, and it is overall a very aggressive song. He mentions in the song that he is just acting tough, though. This song is also an 8.5/10, the beat is very well crafted and it’s a great song to play in the car.
The third song is called “Noid,” which is short for paranoid. This song is about how due to his fame, he can’t trust anyone because a lot of people try to take advantage of him. The music video also features people who represent the different types of fans he has coming up to him in the street and harassing him.
This song also features vocals from Willow, who is the daughter of Will Smith, according to genius.com. This song is a 9/10. The lyrics and the beat helped make this song sound like it was written from the perspective of someone who is dealing with paranoia and anxiety. The music video also takes inspiration from Kanye West’s “Runaway” music video.
The fourth song and a personal favorite song is “Darling, I.” This song is about having loyalty issues in a relationship. He wants to fall in love and get married to his girlfriend, but he keeps falling in love with other people. The fact that he has to be committed and stay with her forever is frightening to him. This song also features a verse from Teezo Touchdown, according to genius.com. This is a 9.5/10; Teezo Touchdown’s verse was phenomenal.
The fifth song is called “Hey Jane,” which is more like a conversation between Tyler and said girlfriend when she became pregnant. He is trying to comfort her while she gradually becomes more and more overwhelmed by the news. It is mostly about the mixture of excitement and panic in this type of situation. This is a 7/10; it doesn’t really stand out like the other songs.
The sixth song is called “I Killed You.” Despite the title, this song isn’t about killing someone. This song is about how black people are sometimes made to feel insecure about their hair. He killed his hair by trying to cut it, straighten it, comb it, oil it, and many more things in order to fit in since he was raised in a majority white neighborhood in California. This song also features Childish Gambino in the outro, according to genius.com. This song is a 9/10. The beat and the melody in the background is very unique, as it contains a mixture of bongos, a synth piano, and jazz samples.
The seventh song is called “Judge Judy.” This song is about how he came to meet his late lover from “Hey Jane” who passed away from health problems she never told him about. It is also about how he would never judge her for things she has done in the past and in turn she would not judge him. This song also features Childish Gambino in the outro, according to genius.com. This song is an 8/10. The lyrics are intense, and the song is very well crafted.
The eighth song is titled “Sticky.” It is about rejecting others’ judgment and expectations and sticking up for yourself. Tyler continues his themes of denying social standards and being his own person. This song features lyrics from Glorilla, Lil Wayne and Sexyy Red, according to genius.com. This is a 7/10. The best part of this song is the Lil Wayne verse.
The ninth and the most complicated song is called “Take Your Mask Off.” In this song Tyler confronts his paranoia by calling out his fear of violence. He throws shade at people who think it’s cool to be a gangster because they don’t know the life and death consequences from it. He uses this song to call out people who choose to throw their lives away just because they want to look tough. This also features lyrics from Daniel Caesar, according to genius.com. Overall, it is a 9/10. Tyler again confronts social expectations and peer pressure flawlessly.
The 10th song is called “Tomorrow.” This is about getting older and watching other people’s lives change around you. In the song he raps about how his mom is getting older and all of his friends are starting families. Throughout the song he is pressured to “Give it up,” meaning to give up his career in order to settle down and start a family. Tyler argues that he still has time, and he’ll worry about it tomorrow. This is an overall 9/10. This song is definitely one of the most well-crafted on the album.
The 11th song is titled “Mother.” This song continues themes of peer pressure. This song feels like an apology to his mother for having to put up with him trying to impress his gangster friends. It is also an apology to himself for forcing his true personality to hide while he tries to put on a gangster persona. This is an 8/10 song.
The 12th song is called “Thought I Was Dead.” Tyler makes fun of the long break he took between releasing this album and his previous one. The lyrics also have callbacks to his album “IGOR,” which is unusual because these two albums are almost nothing alike. It also features Schoolboy Q and Santigold, according to genius.com. This song is an 8.5/10.
The 13th song is called “Like Him.” Throughout his life, Tyler’s father has been completely absent. In fact, Tyler has not even met his father once. When his mother says that he looks like him and has his mannerisms, it fills him with sorrow because he’s been looking for him for a long time. This song is a 9/10.
The 14th song is titled “Balloon.” Tyler raps about how he is self sufficient, contrary to his attitude in the previous song. It seems like he is trying to fill the void of his absent father by making music, meaning he can never settle down. This song features Doechii and Luke, according to genius.com. Overall, it is a 7/10. Doechii’s lyrics in her verse are subpar.
The 15th and final song is called “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.” In this song, Tyler shows vulnerability, which is unusual because he usually has a confident persona. He feels like he’s slipping into a cycle where he must make music, or he becomes depressed in a way. To have children and to start a family means to give up what he has now, and that’s why he’s so afraid of doing so. This is a 9.5/10 song. It shows a side of Tyler never seen before in any of his music.
Overall, this may be one of the best projects Tyler has done. The music is consistent, and there are no songs that should be skipped on this album. If there were to be a ranking of his albums, this should be very close to “IGOR” or “Flowerboy.” This is a 9/10 album because Tyler shows a side of him never seen before; it has a consistent positive message, and the ending felt fulfilling.
