Throughout his 10-plus year career, Tyler Okonma–known by his stage name Tyler, the Creator–has always shown sides of himself in his music, with each album playing a role in his evolution, both as a person and a musician. He expressed teenage angst through buzzing beats on his grim debut, Goblin. He showed thoughts of lovelessness and the lovelorn on the soulful Flower Boy and his complex masterpiece IGOR while also giving us a peek into his fast, luxurious lifestyle on Call Me If You Get Lost. However, in his most recent effort, CHROMAKOPIA, he’s honestly given us his most revealing autobiography yet. CHROMAKOPIA is a fun yet emotional mess that gives us a raw view into one of rap’s most notorious nonconformists.
Pros
As I stated earlier, CHROMAKOPIA is a fun project, perhaps Tyler’s most fun to date.. “Darling, I,” is a colorful, bouncy 90s-esque R&B summer jam with gorgeous vocals supplemented by fellow rap star Teezo Touchdown. “Sticky” sticks with listeners with its stomping drums, chaotic horns, and some pretty funny verses from Sexxyy Red and Lil Wayne. “Thought I Was Dead” also adds some energy to the album, as the song’s aggressive verses delivered by both Tyler and ScHoolboy Q, along with some stabbing synths and disorienting horns, are guaranteed to get your blood pumping.
Yet deep within the album, there’s still an emotional core resonant. The sweet, orchestral “Take Your Mask Off” is a very beautiful ballad, as Tyler reveals his personal issues through the eyes of multiple characters, with each one revealing more about Tyler. The climactic “Like Him” is yet another song discussing his father’s absence, similar to one of his older songs, “Answer.” However, unlike “Answer,” “Like Him” reels you in with its soothing piano intro before blowing you away with ornate choral arrangements and sweet synths that get louder and louder until they abruptly cut before leading into a softer section with a spoken word conversation provided by Tyler’s mother, resulting in one of Tyler’s most cinematic and best songs to date.
Cons
However, the album’s chaotic structure, in my opinion, can really mess up some of Tyler’s most career-defining moments. The album’s tracklist often switches between emotions and styles, resulting in moments of pure joy being weighed down by moments of pure emotion and vice versa. This could often happen in songs, too, as the second track, “Noid,” a statement on celebrity overexposure and obsession, switches from a distorted psych-rock banger to a softer piano section to a more marching, upbeat rap section. It’s a good song with great lyrics, but the transitions can make the listening experience a bit jarring.
Also, like all Tyler albums, he experiments with different styles of music, adding sounds to his already ambitious style. However, like all experiments, not all of the results come out correctly. “I Killed You” has a freaky folk beat that even samples the famous nursery rhyme “Wheels on the Bus” in the beginning. It does a good job of making you uncomfortable, but it unfortunately doesn’t result in a memorable song overall. And although “Balloon” does have a hilarious verse from Doechii and shining moments, vocally, from both Tyler, the Creator and other guest star Daniel Caesar, its short length and abrupt ending make the song feel more like a rough draft rather than an actual song.
Conclusion
Still, however, CHROMAKOPIA is yet another win for Tyler, the Creator as he continues to cement his place as one of rap’s most intriguing rebels. Even if its messy structure and oddball experiments can throw off the core thesis and tone of the album, it still retains an often emotional yet often fun listening experience that delivers some of Tyler’s best moments. An album that, like its predecessors IGOR and Flower Boy, will have people flooding back to its most glorious moments for years to come. I’d give this album an 8.3/10.