CHROMAKOPIA Album Review/Discussion

Tyler, the Creator, is back with his seventh studio album and possibly a new alter ego.

CHROMAKOPIA is probably not my favorite of Tyler’s lineup, but he is taking some of the best parts of his previous workings and putting them all into his new album. Before even hearing the new album, I heard whispering of one of the most hype sentiments one could hear of a new Tyler album, which is, “It has heavy Cherry Bomb Vibes.” For those who don’t know, Cherry Bomb is personally one of my favorite albums from Tyler, and I will die on the hill saying it’s one of his most underrated. With the eminence success of Flower Boy then quickly being trailed by many’s favorites IGOR, Cherry Bomb was very influential to his later work and one that I always find myself going back to. It brings me immense sadness to see the new trend of “time passing with Tyler’s albums,” and everyone always starts with Flower Boy, which is probably when they first became fans. Which, disclaimer, that's fine, my heart just weeps for such an incredible and underrated album.

The new album does have big Cherry Bomb vibes but with the visuals of IGOR, in my opinion. I know the internet is mourning the loss of a potential Frank Ocean feature, but I do think the ones that were included on the album were incredible. I would like to shed a fabulous spotlight on all the women who were featured, as they very much took every song to the next level. A big stand out for me was Sticky, featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne. At first, I did not think it would be my vibe, as I wish the beat had come in sooner, but when it did finally come in, it easily became a stand-out for me on the album. Another person I was incredibly surprised to see on the album was Lola Young. She was the perfect addition to the song Like Him, which I predict will be the most talked about on the album.

Like Him, it is such an important topic of conversation not only for those who have grown up without a parent in their life, more specifically their father, or even those of us who’ve been long-time Tyler the Creator fans. Tyler rapped about his complex and absent relationship with his father, which was such an incredible and vulnerable standpoint that connected him with a lot of his young fans at the time. Now that he and his audience have grown up, you begin to see things in a different light or are even exposed to certain things you wouldn’t have known when you were younger. I’ve seen a lot of discourse about how many people hit a moment in their life when they start to realize that things may not have been as black and white as they perceived them to be when they were younger, and many things in life have nuance, and we as humans are incredibly flawed. Listening to Tyler be so incredibly vulnerable about this conflict just is a prime example of why his fans are so devout and will show up for him constantly as he provides a space that is real and connects with his fans in the grey areas of navigating life.

The album is strong and, as I said, pulls many of the strongest things from many different areas of his career. The album does feel like the next step up for the artist as he is constantly on the up and up and shows that life experience and time are the perfect recipe for making the best music as an artist. I cannot wait to see how Tyler’s stardom further rises as he grows as an artist. While CHROMAKOPIA is not my favorite of Tyler's discography, it is an incredible album that I predict will be monumental in his career.