“Chromakopia” is Tyler, the Creator’s newest and most personal album. Released on Oct. 28, it is a story about Tyler and his struggles with his current lifestyle, aging, and the uncertainty of the future.
“Noid”
Released on Oct. 21, “Noid” is a single from the album. Inspired by Zamrock, a form of psychedelic rock that came out of certain countries in Africa in the 1970’s, Tyler tells a story on “Noid” about the expectations and parasocial relationships that fans expect from him. In the song he explicitly explains, “You sing along, but you don’t know me.”
This isn’t the first time Tyler has explicitly told his audience that they aren’t friends. However, the delivery in this album is vastly different than that of his previous works. In his last album, “Call Me If You Get Lost,” Tyler is confident and almost arrogant in his delivery; while, in “Chromakopia,” the delivery is more uncertain and self-critical.
Releasing “Noid” first was a way for Tyler to tell his audience that, although his songs commonly come off as personal, they still don’t offer fans a close relationship with the artist. The song says that he wants to be a storyteller – not a friend.
“Hey Jane”
Although Tyler makes it clear what kind of relationship he wants with his audience early on, he is still very open about his emotions throughout the new album.
Songs like “Take Your Mask Off,” “Tomorrow,” and “Hey Jane” express poignant themes of sexuality, isolation, trauma, and parenthood. Throughout these songs, Tyler goes into depth about his own mental decline and the insecurity he feels from not knowing who he exactly is as a person, as well as how his actions have long-lasting effects on other people.
In “Hey Jane,” Tyler talks about growing up without a dad and how that trauma still affects him to this day. He admits to getting a girl pregnant and that the idea of being a father scares him.
While the song makes it clear that Tyler doesn’t want to miss the opportunity of being a parent, it expresses that he also doesn’t want to repeat the cycle of negligent fatherhood that his own father perpetuated. This last theme has been persistent with the artist, evident on songs like “Answer” from his 2013 album, “Wolf.”
“I Hope You Find Your Way Home”
Tyler is an artist that will revisit a theme time and time again, gaining news lessons through new experiences. In “Chromakopia,” he pays homage to previous works and shows maturation with certain themes. In the last song on the album, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home,” he is essentially talking to himself, summarizing how his life has been, both in the music industry and personally.
On this track, Tyler raps “I’m slippin’, I’m slippin’, I’m slippin’, I’m slippin’, I need a hand.”
Although much of the album’s lyrics are self-critical, this last song is about Tyler’s pride in the person he’s become. It says he can rest, and, despite all of the crises he’s experienced, Tyler expresses that he feels he prevailed and was able to be successful.
On this track, Tyler says about himself, “Like, you just never cease to amaze me, like, you just—There’s no words right now how I feel. Do your thing, just keep, keep shinin’”
Features
Although “Chromakopia” is very self-focused, Tyler is not shy from featuring some of his favorite people from the music industry on certain tracks.
From the more lighthearted songs in this album like “Sticky,” he includes Lil’ Wayne, GloRilla and Sexyy Red. “Balloon” features rising rap stat Doechii, and “Judge Judy” features Steve Lacy on guitar.
This album displays a full range of musical icons, talents and expressions. Overall, it is one that you just need to find some time to set aside and really sit with. Not only for the features – but for the underlying meanings in Tyler’s unique lyrics.
