Theo Gerson ’27
After the cliffhanger in Sorry Not Sorry, a music video when Tyler, The Creator killed all his past personas, fans began to wonder what would be next for the rapper. Followers of his music were excited when a teaser titled St. Chroma was released by Tyler on October 16th. The clip showed a masked Tyler, The Creator in a dark green military outfit (now known as his new character, St. Chroma). This character also appeared as an easter egg in his Sorry Not Sorry music video, who’s beginning saw a figure in a dark green outfit opening a door.
During the teaser, St. Chroma was marching with other mysterious soldiers. Fans began to theorize that these other soldiers were different artists featured in Tyler’s possible new album. Daniel Caesar and Frank Ocean were among the two most speculated artists. The teaser also included the word “Chromakopia” multiple times, which fans quickly realized was a teaser alluding to his next, highly anticipated album. Only one day later, Chromakopia the album was officially announced, and set to release in two weeks. During the waiting period, Tyler would tease the three songs; St. Chroma, Noid, and Thought I was Dead.
On October 28th, the full Chromakopia album dropped. The completed album has 14 songs and is a total of 53 minutes long. The exclusive Chromakopia vinyl has two extra songs- Mother and a remixed version of Thought I Was Dead, featuring Playboi Carti. Spotify describes the album as exploring themes about aging and fatherhood.
Tyler had his mother’s voice in multiple songs as well. For example, the very start of St. Chroma, the album’s title song, begins with his mother’s voice, “You are the light. It’s not on you, it’s in you.” This line exemplifies the role Tyler’s mother played in his life. Growing up in a single-parent household, she was his main source of guidance.
Fans were also extremely happy to see, as predicted, various artists featured in the album, including favorites such as Daniel Caesar, Doechii, Childish Gambino, GloRilla, Lil Wayne, Lola Young, and Sexyy Red. Frank Ocean fans, though, were disappointed to learn that he was not featured on the album, especially since he and Tyler are extremely close friends. Many had hoped Chromakopia would bring him back onto the music scene. As you may know, Frank Ocean’s most recent album was released eight years ago in 2016 and his last single was in 2020. Ocean has been off the grid these past four years due to Covid-19 and the sudden and tragic passing of his brother in a car crash.
I personally thought Chromakopia was one of the best albums to be released in 2024. I have been a fan of Tyler’s for five years now and I feel that this was his best album yet. The main reason I enjoy it so much is because of the diverse range of genres that it spanned, including hip-hop, rap, R&B, and jazz. Some tracks in Chromakopia even had a genre switch in the middle of the song. For example, in St. Chroma and Noid, the tempo quickly changes from calm to crazy beats. This transition was extremely interesting to hear and I love the creativity Tyler displays.
As for some of my favorite songs, I enjoyed Rah Tah Tah because of its simplicity and lyrics. I also enjoyed songs like St. Chroma, Noid, Thought I Was Dead, and Take Your Mask Off. But my favorite song on that album had to have been Darling, I. Darling, I is the fifth track of the album and features Teezo Touchdown. This is my favorite song from the album because it reminds me of past Tyler, The Creator songs like, See You Again.Chromakopia, in my opinion, is Tyler’s best album yet apart from Flower Boy. It has no skips and is a great-quality album. I highly recommend this album to anyone and I hope you check it out!