We were surprised to see Tyler, the Creator dropping an album, as he had previously gaslighted us saying that he wouldn’t be releasing any new music this year. He commented “i never said an album was coming i wanna be an actress lmao” on a Steve Lacy IG post only earlier this month. So, when the highly anticipated album finally dropped this Monday, it hit us hard in the face. And with 85 million streams on its opening day, it's the biggest hip-hop debut of the year.
CHROMAKOPIA grounds Tyler as one of the biggest creatives of our generation, through his buildup to the drop, his contradictions both in lyrics and sound, his collaborations with a range of big artists, his excellent production. And “all songs written, produced and arranged by Tyler Okonoma” is a big flex.
The countdown
The promo campaign hinted at this album being a highly conceptual project. A “masterclass in world-building and fan engagement”, as Dissect’s presenter Cole Cuchna put it, the countdown to CHROMAKOPIA’s drop on Monday had us sitting at the edge of our seats – from his new alter ego and the Tyler truck to the daily sneak peeks, the World Tour and the listening party, the buildup to the drop had an excellent and engaging curation.
The lyrics
Its lyrics get prosaic, but overall it’s a personal album. Tyler pushes his pen forward by resolving his own issues and talking about things he’s uncomfortable with – like having a family, not having a father figure, the pressures of fame. Let’s just say he’s edging on a mid-30s life crisis, a human evolution from the indulgence of his mid-20s in CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. The lyrics go through a dichotomy of self-love and self-loathing, Tyler contradicting himself and going through sh*t, and the music follows the patterns of the lyrics; jumping from sound to sound, shifting genres – a multicoloured chaos.
The music production
“Chromakopia” translates to “abundance of colour”, and that’s literally what the album sounds like. Tyler is a lyrical wiz, but what stands out the most is his production. Man just gets it. He’s the best producer out there, no cap. And we’re not the only ones saying it. “It’s the best produced album of the year,” said NFR podcast presenter Anthony D’Aliesio in his first-listen review. The album kicks off with chanting, barking, stamping and ASMR sounds of whisper rapping, demonstrating to us exactly what kind of ride we’re in for. From sampling 1977 Zambian song “Nizakupanga Ngozi” in “NOID” to ‘80s synth vibes in “Take Your Mask Off”, Tyler provides a diverse sound palette, bringing in a range of genres, incorporating electronic, soul, and jazz elements, exploding into heavy bass chaos and fusing in different textures. All very Tyler coded.
And as one of our followers put it, it feels like “this album is [Tyler] making music for himself”, producing sounds that stimulate him. Man put his heart and soul into it, and came out with the hardest production.
The features
Tyler being Tyler, he posted “No features” about the album, and then having an album filled with hidden features – Childish Gambino and Willow doing background vocals, Glorilla, Daniel Caesar, Baby Keem, our new cover star Doechii, Steve Lacy playing guitar – having a treasure hunt of secret gems within the songs.
The community reacts
We asked some Tyler superfans to react to CHROMAKOPIA, watch their reactions below.
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