Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After three years, Tyler the Creator (Tyler Gregory Okonma) is back. New album from singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, fashion designer, and director, Tyler the Creator, dropped his first single release and seventh album “Chromakopia” on Oct. 28.
As a fan, one of my favorite aspects of Tyler’s album is the fact that I, and many others, are able to relate to his music on an emotional basis. Harsh words and noisy instrumentals are what Tyler uses to portray himself and his current mentality.
Tyler the Creator has always been one of the most creative producers. Tyler’s relationship with his parents has been rapped about for years now, but never with more care than on his new album.
As the opening track played the song, “St. Chroma (feat. Daniel Caesar)”, the layer of pianos and vocal harmonies were joined together by his dramatic stomping and chant of “Chromakopia.” Its theatrical and sounds surprisingly good, joined by Daniel Caesar’s background vocals which sound angelic. I fully liked the song, I don’t doubt that I will revisit it again.
The first three songs, “St.Chroma,” “Rah Tah Tah” and “Noid,” are examples of his use of storytelling. These first three songs are to show the start of his career. First, Tyler makes promises to his mother that he’s gonna make it.Then when he does, he becomes self-centered by taking people down. Over time, he starts to lose it and becomes paranoid; it feels like the story of how Tyler the Creator came to be. These first three songs perfectly start the album.
Going deeper into the album the songs “Judge Judy,” “Take Your Mask Off,” “Tomorrow” and “Like Him” definitely get more complicated and deeper.
There are basic messages about accepting others and yourself in Tyler’s songs. I feel a lot of people might ignore the meaning because of how the songs sound, but I hope people really take their time and listen to them.
The song “Take Your Mask Off” it’s all about staying true to yourself which is a basic and relatable message, although the song is anything but basic. What I enjoyed the most was the melody, the song was really catchy and memorable to me.
His use of storytelling and the number of different music genres were aspects of this album that I truly enjoyed. It feels entirely different from his previous albums, making me believe it’s because he always uses a fake identity to tell the story of his albums. However, his new album is meant to show the real Tyler. It helps give a very real and deeply moving thought to all of the songs.
As a lifelong Tyler fan, I was not disappointed. I can say with confidence that it falls under my top favorite albums of his. “Chromakopia” really expresses all of what makes Tyler unique as an artist.
