Tyler, the Creator, has been around since 2004 and has been climbing the ranks ever since. He has had a significant impact on the rap and R&B world. His intros are captivating, and he uses different types of instruments to bring different melodies to the albums and songs he releases.
In his newest album, Chromakopia CHROMAKOPIA, he is more real, authentic, and transparent about his life and growing up. He talks about black people’s hair and some real-life experiences he has been going through over the past couple of years. He is getting older and maturing as a person and an artist. The word ‘CHORMAKOPIA’ is something that we do not know about or understand because it is Tyler. The album title could mean an abundance of color since both ‘chroma’ and ‘kopia’are are Greek words that mean color and abundance. He could pay homage to his African American heritage and culture, which is rich in diversity and full of life. However, the album gives us many different perspectives on how he sees obstacles and how life is. He wears a mask on the album cover and in the video teasers he gave us before the album was released. He said, “Everything that he says in this album is true, so he had to wear a mask to protect himself from everything.”
He has many different features on this album, and every one of them fits the songs they are in and helps develop the story he is trying to portray. Some top features were Daniel Caesar, ScHoolboy Q, Childish Gambino, and Lil Wayne. These are very respected rappers, and I understood what Tyler was trying to hit on in this album. Each of these artist didn’t just fit the song that they were in, but they had their own message that they were portraying in their music. What was also unique about this album is that he had a part in every song and how all the instruments worked, and he produced almost all the songs besides St. Chromia.
Some of my favorite songs on the album are “Tomorrow,” Take Your Mask Off (feat. Daniel Caesar & Latoiya Williams), and Thought I Was Dead (feat. ScHoolboy Q & Santigold). These songs have a deeper meaning, and you must listen to them a couple of times to entirely understand what he is talking about. “I Killed You” was about black people’s hair, but you might not pick up on that the first time. Do not listen while doing something else; listen to the entire song and pay attention to the message he is trying to convey in his rap.
This is one of Tyler’s better albums, but not his best, in my opinion. Igor had everything that you could think of. He went from an upbeat tempo to a more slowed-down and lyrical one, and all his features in that album made it one of the best of the 2010s.
I would still give this album an 8.7/10. This type of music isn’t for everyone and will only reach a specific audience. So take a listen for yourself and see if you will enjoy it and want to start listening to it when you just want to sit back and relax.
