Chromakopia is Tyler, The Creator’s eighth studio album. Contrary to most of his other albums, such as IGOR, Flower Boy and Call Me If You Get Lost, he’s not playing a character; Chromakopia is much more of Tyler as himself. This album dives into serious topics and events that Tyler has experienced; Chromakopia is a peek into Tyler’s personal life and shows who he is when the media is not around.
The Positives
“St. Chroma” is the perfect introduction to Chromakopia; it starts with Tyler whispering and marching in the background, slowly building up to his singing, and then quickly, the chorus starts. The chorus flows and continues to build up until the beat drops, and the song heads into the direction opposite of where it started. “St. Chroma” gets me excited to listen to the rest of the album.
Songs like “Hey Jane” and “Judge Judy” showcase Tyler’s ability to tell a story. In “Hey Jane,” Tyler talks about a pregnancy scare he and Jane are going through. The song is split into two parts: his point of view and Jane’s point of view.
Through his point of view, Tyler sings that even though he feels just as scared as Jane, he reassures her; sticking with her no matter what. Jane’s perspective also talks about how scared she is and how she wants to keep the pregnancy a secret. She later discloses that she is not even sure she wants Tyler to be around.
The way Tyler tells these stories is poetic, and many people can relate to Tyler and this situation.
Tyler has always rapped about his father problems and how he hates his father for leaving him and his mother; this dates back to his albums Bastard and Goblin. The track “Like Him” revisits the topic of his father, but in a way we haven’t heard before.
At first, Tyler raps about how much he and his father not only look alike, but even have some of the same mannerisms. Tyler states, “Mama, I’m chasing a ghost” and “I don’t know who he is,” once again stating the fact that Tyler’s dad has never been around, so he doesn’t know who he is, no matter the efforts Tyler has put in to find his dad.
However, the outro of the track explains that despite what Tyler believes, his father has always wanted to be there for him, and that it was his mother’s choice to remove his father from the picture. It is unclear whether this anecdote relates directly to Tyler’s own life or simply continues the story from “Hey Jane.” Regardless, “Like Him” gives the audience more insight into Tyler’s personal life.
The Negatives
Although I think every song on Chromakopia is good, some are better than others. When I think of Chromakopia, I immediately jump to songs like “Like Him,” “Noid” and “Darling, I.” These songs are fantastic, but I believe they take away some of the spotlight from songs like “Rah Tah Tah,” “I Killed You” and “Tomorrow.” These songs are also phenomenal but are overshadowed and not given the popularity they deserve.
There are two songs on Chromakopia that many listeners feel do not fit the general theme of the album. These songs are “Sticky” and “Balloon”. Personally, “Sticky” and “Balloon” are two of my favorite songs on the album. Although they may lack a deeper meaning than songs like “Judge Judy,” they are extremely enjoyable to listen to. I wouldn’t normally jam to “Hey Jane” or “Judge Judy.” However, when it comes to “Sticky” and “Balloon,” I can dance and sing at the top of my lungs and have fun vibing.
Now that I have listened to the album about seven or eight times, I can say that Chromakopia is one of Tyler’s best works. It might even compete with some of his most prominent album’s like Flower Boy. If I had to rank Tyler’s discography it would be:
- IGOR
- Call Me If You Get Lost
- Flower Boy
- Chromakopia
- Wolf
- Cherry Bomb
- Goblin
- Bastard
As I continue to listen to Chromakopia, it may eventually move up higher in my ranking. However, I don’t think it will ever dethrone IGOR. If I had to choose a favorite song from Chromakopia, I’d choose “Darling, I” (Balloon is a close second). It’s a fun song while also relaying a message to the audience. I also think Teezo Touchdown’s feature is beautiful. If you haven’t listened to his debut album How Do You Sleep At Night? Please go give it a listen, it’s incredible.
