Nothing is black & white in Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA.
The black sheep of mainstream rap reveals a more intimate side, keeping his listeners guessing at every turn.
The concept of aging is relatively underrepresented in hip-hop, seeing as most other genres have had decades of headway for their artists to mature and tackle the topic. Aside from the odd gem like JAY-Z’s 4:44 or Danny Brown’s Quaranta, direct introspection regarding age is territory mostly uncharted within the genre. The idea of a rapper staying active and relevant into their 40s or 50s has only recently become possible–let alone viable in a culture that pedestals youth so tremendously. Leave it to the never-conventional Tyler, The Creator to confront this reality in his early 30s with CHROMAKOPIA.
Dealing with grey hairs (“Tomorrow”), family revelations (“Like Him”), and even a pregnancy scare (“Hey Jane” and beyond), Tyler finds himself far removed from the carefree luxury experienced in CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. As he matures, Tyler develops new standards for his fans, lovers, and himself over the course of CHROMAKOPIA’s 14 tracks, which are chock-full of surprising features, extensive bridges, and his signature synth solos. Appropriately, narrations from his mother, Bonita Smith, are laced throughout the album, serving as a catalyst for his reflections, apprehensions, and self-discoveries.
In his midlife awakening, Tyler takes on a disillusioned perspective–long gone are the salad days of Flower Boy, where young love took center stage. Now, love–and everything else–comes with consequences. Throughout the album, a narrative of an unplanned pregnancy between Tyler and a partner informs Tyler’s philosophies and anxieties. Even the seemingly lighthearted summer hit “Darling, I” is lyrically morbid; Tyler is accepting the idea he will never find true love, poising himself to end up “lonely with these Grammys when it's all said and done.” Whether or not this bittersweet reality is worth the success that caused it is for the listener to decide.
Tyler’s writing style reflects this newfound raw–and, at times, uncomfortable–honesty. Songs like “Judge Judy” use simple yet impactful prose, giving instrumentals ample time to breathe and develop. Still, Tyler is sure to choose his words carefully and deliberately, whether he’s chastising parasocial fans on “Noid,” or articulating the empty feeling brought by his father’s absence on the already hailed “Like Him.”
Unlike Tyler’s past few adventures, the intimate themes of the album seem somewhat distant from the precisely crafted aesthetic surrounding it. At most, the spiked hairdo of the titular St. Chroma character is addressed in “I Killed You,” a masterfully written ode to natural hair and African beauty standards. Notably, this is the first album-adjacent character of Tyler’s that sports real hair as opposed to an assortment of hats or costumes. His uncanny mask is a crux of the album, its removal in “Take Your Mask Off” serving as a metaphor for Tyler’s admission of tough personal truths. But as for the military general persona, paired with choreography not unlike that of a dastardly cartoon supervillain? Much remains unanswered, both sonically and content-wise.
CHROMAKOPIA adopts a much more subdued sound that doesn’t intend to capture the explosive energy of the acclaimed IGOR and other past projects. Instead, most of the album features an acoustic palette that spares aggressive beat drops in favor of subversive bridges and orchestral buildups. This is save for a few heavy hitters like “Thought I Was Dead,” which sees Tyler owning his flaws and regaining confidence through a top-notch verse. The production on such higher-octane tracks is reminiscent of Tyler’s older work, with booming trumpets and eccentric percussion crowding the soundscape. These nods to his roots are fitting for an album so personal–the aptly-named closer “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” consolidates this theme well. There is no major reinvention of Tyler’s sound to be found on CHROMAKOPIA; however, his reinvention of self is ever-present and perhaps equally important.
Favorites: “Darling, I,” “I Killed You,” “Tomorrow,” “Like Him”, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”
Least Favorites: “Noid,” “Sticky”
edited by James Kim.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.
