Review | Tyler, The Creator delivers heavily anticipated album ‘Chromakopia’ to incredible acclaim

Tyler, The Creator added yet another stellar project to his star-studded discography with the release of “Chromakopia,” his most recent album.

Tyler, The Creator first came onto the music scene with the founding of his collective, Odd Future, in 2007. The group famously included Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean and gained the artists a cult-like following. Tyler’s first two albums, “Goblin” and “Wolf,” elevated him to mainstream status, breaking out with his controversial lyrics.

His next album, “Flower Boy,” marked a shift in Tyler’s style as he began to experiment more with jazz, funk and everything in between. “Igor” and “Call Me If You Get Lost,” Tyler’s most recent projects, both won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, accounting for his two wins out of five nominations. 

Tyler is best known for his combination of multiple music styles and complex harmonies. Once associated with a more violent rap sound, his recent works have been presented as deep concept albums that are rooted in indie fusion. He blends these sounds in “Chromakopia” as if we are following his musical journey, watching him develop his personality throughout the album. He mixes all of his eras into a melting pot of hip-hop, jazz, R&B and soul. I found the combination of all his sounds one of the best parts of the album.

The central theme of the album is Tyler’s relationship with his mom, shown through multiple snippets of conversations. Mostly, they consist of his mom speaking and giving Tyler advice in some form. Tyler directly taps into these emotions on “Like Him”, a track about his absent father, in which it’s revealed that his mother intentionally kept his father out of his life. Tyler never holds back in his songs, often confronting difficult issues in his lyrics.

Tyler also vividly explores his sexuality in many of his songs. In “Judge Judy,” Tyler and Childish Gambino rap about various sex scenes with different women. “Hey Jane” is the story of Tyler and a woman, told in the wake of a pregnancy. Some of his musical influences can be seen in these tracks, particularly in the form of taking inspiration from André 3000 and Kanye West. 

“Darling, I” was one of the most popular songs upon release, and it was commended for its sound similar to Tyler’s hit song, “EARFQUAKE.” Tyler sings of his struggles with commitment and monogamy, constantly looking for different things in different people. Teezo Touchdown, an upcoming rapper well-known for collaborations with Drake and Travis Scott, delivers solid background vocals on this track in a lovable R&B sound. 

One of the defining characteristics of “Chromakopia” is its continuity — transitions piece different tracks together seamlessly. From “Rah Tah Tah” into “Noid”, Tyler jolts the listener awake with an explosion of sound, his choruses about paranoia completely changing styles. On “Judge Judy,” a sexual scene fades into the whistle for the “Sticky” intro, crescendoing into the upbeat collab with rappers GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne. This made the album incredibly enjoyable to listen to, and I found myself always feeling surprised by the beat switch from song to song. 

All of “Chromakopia” is produced, arranged and composed by Tyler. While no features were officially listed at release, the album includes vocals from a variety of artists, in a spread similar to Tyler’s varying styles. Daniel Caesar delivers an irresistible smoothness with features on “St. Chroma” and “Take Your Mask Off.” Childish Gambino appears on back-to-back tracks in “I Killed You” and “Judge Judy,” two extremely groovy songs reminiscent of “Igor.” Lola Young, Doechii and LaToiya Williams are also credited with features, adding incredible layers to the album’s vocals. 

Instantly upon release, fans already started to find details hidden deep in “Chromakopia.” As the chorus to “Like Him” fades out, a single “Huh!” pops out, an ad-lib distinctly used by rapper Baby Keem. Gambino shouts out Tyler’s 2023 hit “DOGTOOTH” on “Judge Judy,” repeating the lyric, “She could ride my face, I don’t want nothing in return.” Intricate details and references are a cornerstone of Tyler’s writing, which he presents with stunning musicality.

Tyler, The Creator delivered his album in the most in-character way possible. In just under two weeks, he created unimaginable hype, mainly by prioritizing the fan experience. The intro track, “St. Chroma,” was teased on Oct. 16, and the album release was confirmed the next day. The only single, “Noid,” was released five days later. He only teased one more track before release, “Thought I Was Dead,” which featured artists Schoolboy Q and Santigold. The album was finally released at an unusual time, 6 a.m. on a Monday morning. 

In addition to Tyler’s updates on Instagram, “Chromakopia” trucks and shipping containers were spotted in cities all across the country, including Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles. To cap off the album rollout, Tyler held a “Chromakopia” listening event at the brand new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles Sunday night, right before the album’s release.

Despite the suspense over the album, one rain cloud still loomed. Fans heavily anticipated one more song from the duo of Frank Ocean and Tyler that took the world by storm more than 10 years ago. Many were convinced that this was maybe the start of Ocean’s return from the shadows, but release day came and went. No Frank Ocean feature, and no sign of the R&B legend. 

“Chromakopia” gained the biggest hip-hop album debut of 2024 with over 85 million first-day streams.