The eighth studio album by Tyler, the Creator, “Chromakopia,” was released on Oct. 28, 2024 after a sudden, and very abrupt, announcement of it on Oct 17. This was a very pleasant surprise for many, as nowadays it is quite common for artists to release singles between album releases and then drop an album after months of buildup. This was shortly followed by the announcement of his tours, starting on Feb. 4, 2025, with the first stop being at St. Paul, Minnesota.
“Chromakopia” follows the 2021 album “Call Me If You Get Lost,” and “Igor,” the acclaimed masterpiece of his discography released in 2019. While both of these albums are very different, with “Igor” playing more into his singing and having a lot more sentimental songs and “Call Me If You Get Lost” returning him to the rap scene with some of his best work with wordplay and rhythm. “Chromakopia” is completely different from anything he has released before and just shows more of his expertise and knowledge both in the music, performance and overall vision for the album. While mixing styles he has used in the past resulted in a very diverse album, it is clear that “Chromakopia” was still crafted with care and thoughtfulness.
The album features a 14-song track list, with features from artists he has worked with previously, such as Lil Wayne and Schoolboy Q, to surprise features that the audience could not have seen coming on the album, such as Doechii and GloRilla. The features never felt as if they are added just because, and Tyler does a phenomenal job at making them work for the song and blend perfectly with it.
What makes Tyler so different and a standout from other artists is that all the songs in the album are written, produced, and arranged by him. This hands-on approach to his albums makes it feel like a complete work of art and every song feels that it follows the same idea for the album. The same can be seen with his creative vision shown with how he plays with the music videos and characters of his works, with amazing cinematography and play on the colors used on screen.
My favorite songs of the album are “Darling, I,” “Like Him” and “St. Chroma” all for distinct reasons. “Darling, I” comebacks to the soft songs Tyler has been shown in eras like “Flower Boy” and “Igor,” making a sweet and more pop-sounding melody and focusing more on his singing.
“Like Him” is a complete emotional overturn, reminding of other songs like “Answer,” as they both take on the same topics: the abandonment of his dad in his early childhood, but in this new song we see the reality of it and the truth of his mom being the hider of his dad and not allowing him to get near his dad.
Finally, “St. Chroma” is the opener of the album and makes an excellent work at setting the tone for the whole album with an experimentative beat and amazing vocals from Daniel Caesar.
While these are my personal favorite songs, every song is essential to the album and usually each person differs on what is their favorite song of the track list. The album has songs for everyone, with some playing more into the rap side of Tyler such as “Rah Tah Tah” and “Thought I Was Dead” or more chill songs like “Judge Judy” and the previously mentioned “Darling, I.”
“Chromakopia” is now available for streaming on all music services, and I recommend it to anyone reading this article.
