The deluxe edition to his last record, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, may have made it easy to forget, but it had been almost three years since the last Tyler, The Creator album. Even if you got privy to his absence, right on time, the multi-Grammy winner returned with a bang, announcing his eighth full-length with only about a week’s notice. Now available in full, here’s everything you need to know about Tyler, The Creator and his latest LP, CHROMAKOPIA.
Tyler Heads To The Barracks For This Newest Album Era
Any discussion of CHROMOKOPIA should begin with the sepia-tinted, militaristic aesthetic that Tyler, The Creator leaned into with early singles “THOUGHT I WAS DEAD” and “NOID.” Both making heavy use of chanted background lines, literally stomping percussion and bugle-like horns, the tracks explicate the throwback evolution of Tyler’s signature sound. Put differently, the chromatic keys and formant-shifting effects that crop up in his catalog since Flower Boy, but injecting fresh instrumentation allows the project to stand apart from it all the same.
“NOID,” also delves into what becomes a recurring theme: Tyler’s relationship to fame, and later, how it interfaces with his love life. More than anything, his age propels the record forward, less willing to open his few quiet moments to the public, openly questioning his relationship with music, and taking a hard look at how he’s treated romantic interests.
…And Gets Personal Upon Arrival
To the latter end, the three-track stretch between “Hey Jane,” “I Killed You” and “Judge Judy” are some of the most vulnerable hip-hop cuts you’ll hear all year: “Hey Jane” spinning a narrative where Tyler and an unnamed partner debate whether to keep an unplanned pregnancy. It’s fittingly one of the most stripped-back songs on CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler, The Creator eschewing the maximalist production for introspective keys and bare-bones drum lines. Jump to “Tomorrow” to see how much the concept of parenthood weighs on his mind:
My brodie had another baby, that’s like number two (Number two)
My homegirl, her knot tied, she like thirty-two (Thirty-two)
They sharin’ pictures of these moments, s*** is really cute
And all I got is photos of my ‘Rari and some silly suits (Man)
Understandably, the weightier conceptual cuts aren’t the ones that have made the waves on the charts. The buzziest in that regard is “Sticky,” packing GloRilla, Lil Wayne and show-stealing Sexyy Red features. It’s a full chest-out anthem. The four artists dot ultra-short verses around an infectious chorus; Lil Wayne pops off with trademark word association and metaphors, while GloRilla and Sexyy Red avow “flaunt it if you got it” style bravado. The St. Louis rapper’s inclusion in Tyler’s universe is enough to get a crowd amped up, a sentiment she likely shares: “Sexyy in this b****, Tyler in this b****, we turnt as f***.”
CHROMAKOPIA Again Highlights Tyler, The Creator As A Master Innovator
While the pacing bounces between boisterous and fully confessional, it works to the album’s strength on a few occasions, none more impactful than “Take Your Mask Off.” The song’s title informs multiple narratives, from rappers posturing about a life they never led, to preachers in the vein of Doubt, to trophy wives with a full life without “feelin’ fulfilled.” The preceding song being so energetic almost allows the listener to fall into a false sense of security, the fourth verse where Tyler takes aim at himself for wearing a mask truly sneaking up by its conclusion.
It’s almost difficult to wrap your arms around the full breadth of what Tyler, the Creator offers up on CHROMAKOPIA. Alternating between his most personal record and his most undeniably energetic, the record delivers on the California multi-hyphenate’s Midas Touch that’s nearing its 10th anniversary. From his personal aesthetic change in the wake of the album, the cohesiveness with its visuals, and, of course, the music, no one in hip-hop commits to an era or concept better than Tyler.
Find CHROMAKOPIA now wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, brush up on Vince Staples – Dark Times, another hip-hop AOTY contender.
