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Tyler, The Creator’s Fresh New Sound

Evan Fisher
FOLLOW. Check out Tyler, the Creator as he styles himself to match his most recent project donning a green mask and unique hairstyle. Listen to the new era of Tyler’s ever changing sound with his latest record, Chromakopia. Photo courtesy of Google.
FOLLOW. Check out Tyler, the Creator as he styles himself to match his most recent project donning a green mask and unique hairstyle. Listen to the new era of Tyler’s ever changing sound with his latest record, Chromakopia. Photo courtesy of Google.

Modern hip-hop icon Tyler, The Creator has finally released another instant classic after the 3 year wait since his 2021 release Call Me If You Get Lost. The new album, Chromakopia, feels almost like a combination of elements from his last few releases but is still a fresh approach which further progresses Tyler’s sound. Ever since the start of Tyler’s career, one of his strengths has always been his evolving production skills that advance through each release. The same can be said for his clever lyricism.

The album’s concept follows the advice Tyler’s mother, Bonita Smith, would give to him when he was young and how the advice starts to become more useful the older he gets. Smith even narrates a number of tracks on the album. His past three albums Flower Boy, Igor and Call Me if You Get Lost all are pretty clear and cohesive in their theming, concept and messages, but this most recent record is a bit less tight on those fronts.. One of the most beautiful songs on the album, the introduction “St. Chroma”, begins as something of a marching chant then unfolds into an emotionally moving cacophony as Daniel Caesar’s guest vocals perfectly complement the production and persisting marching. The immediate contrast of the hype beat and braggadocious lyrics on the following track, “Rah Tah Tah” foreshadows the vast landscape of emotions and styles featured on the rest of the album.

Speaking of features, the album contains an impressive feature list. The list of credited features includes the aforementioned Daniel Caesar, Sexyy Red, Santigold, Lola Young, ScHoolboy Q, Lil Wayne, Teezo Touchdown, GloRilla and Doechii. The last two of which have recently become grammy nominees. Every artist accompanies their respective tracks very well. Doechii’s comical lyrics and powerful delivery on the fun, bouncy beat of “Balloon” make up one of my favorite moments on the entire record and the posse cut with Sexyy Red, GloRilla and Lil Wayne on “Sticky” is yet another standout moment on an album filled with stand out moments. “Darling, I”, is quickly proving itself to be a fan favorite, and for good reason. It has a warm sound and a few lyrically similarities that all remind me of Flower Boy. Teezo Touchdown’s feature on the song also adds to its charm. The best track in my opinion, though, has to be “Like Him” because of the raw emotional intensity crossed with the soulful singing. The vulnerable subject matter where Tyler faces the fact he may never really get to know his father is not only profound but also acts as something of a callback to some of his earlier songs. “Like Him” feels almost as if it could be a conclusion to the complex sets of emotions Tyler has expressed regarding his relationship with his father. Baby Keem’s hidden feature is also a great touch.

The excellent Zambian rock sample on the lead single “Noid”, the incredible production of “Take Your Mask Off”, and the solemn and melancholic guitar and vocals of “Tomorrow” are all also worth a mention. When comparing it to the rest of Tyler’s discography, there is incredibly strong competition but I believe that Chromakopia beats out a decently large proportion of the other releases (probably top four). It is absolutely worth a listen, and easily a top five album release from a major artist this year.

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