Chromakopia is Tyler, the Creator’s eighth studio album, which was released on October 28, 2024. This album was very different from the past few albums Tyler has released, as it combines aspects of jazz, melodic rap, and soul. There are features from many well known artists such as Doechii, Childish Gambino, Lil Wayne, and many snippets of advice from Tyler’s mother, Bonita Smith. It consistently combines many different aspects of his artistry throughout his last seven albums such as the braggadocious lyrics of Call Me If You Get Lost, the romance of Igor and the resentful nature of Wolf.
I have been a fan of Tyler since the album Igor was released in 2019. His creative nature and passion for storytelling has very much shown in this brand new album.
Throughout the album, Tyler looks introspectively at subjects throughout his life such as the paranoia of being a celebrity (“Noid”), fleeting romance (“Judge Judy”), or just looking upon the past to learn for the present (“Like Him”). These fourteen tracks have ignited the world, gaining 85 million streams on its first day on Spotify, making the album the biggest hip-hop debut of 2024. With a world tour with Lil Yachty and Paris Texas kicked off on February 4th, it’s only timely to release my rankings of the tracks from the megahit album, Chromakopia.
- Hey Jane
This track takes the listener through a story of an unplanned pregnancy. While showing impressive perspectives from Tyler and the woman’s point of view, the four minute timing and downbeat melody brings down the excited nature of the previous track “Darling, I” and doesn’t set up well for the furor of the next track, “I Killed You.”
- Tomorrow
A touching song, “Tomorrow” makes one think of change and how the future will affect us. The acoustic guitar line along with synths and such a sensitive topic does not make for a good combination that’s fitting for the album. This is noticeable to listeners, especially considering the song’s placement in between “Take Your Mask Off” and “Thought I Was Dead.”
- I Hope You Find Your Way Home
The final song of the album continues the story of “Hey Jane”, where Tyler speaks on how he isn’t ready to have a child. Although I wish this amazing album ended with a bang, this ended with an “eh” that I wasn’t entirely happy about. The soothing beat and synth, however, does carry this song higher up the list than its predecessors.
- I Killed You
This song goes through the struggles of the relationship that Black people have with their hair with societal norms and standards. Bongos lead the drum line with punchy lyrics and a vibe that reminisces to Tyler’s third studio album, Wolf. The ending vocals that lead into “Judge Judy” give the song a lasting sweetness. However great it is, it still doesn’t seem like it was needed for the progression of the album.
- Judge Judy
A passionate romance ending in tragedy makes any who relate feel emotional with this track. Childish Gambino’s vocals take this track to another level with an ethereal feeling. The story makes the song so impactful and full of exhilaration along with sorrow. This emotional rollercoaster of a song is a welcomed addition to a wonderful album.
- Take Your Mask Off
Honest, forgiving and revealing. This is what “Take Your Mask Off” is all about. It looks into the lives of different people who Tyler hopes “find themselves” by being who they truly are. This is just another track that shows Tyler’s amazing storytelling and lyricism.
- Sticky
By far the most popular song on the album, becoming famous across social media, has been “Sticky.” It has been covered by HBCUs’ (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) marching bands across the country and shows no signs of slowing down in popularity. With powerful brass instruments leading the song and features from Lil Wayne, GloRilla and Sexxy Red, “Sticky” has truly taken off by being a fantastic hype song with a distinct theme of self-praising alongside its fair share of satirical lyrics.
- Balloon
The second to last song in Chromakopia does not disappoint with a hype song that has the tied best collaboration on the album, Doechii. It’s another amazing track filled with brags and confidence while playful synths lead the song. All I can say about this song is the prominent lyric throughout the track, “don’t stop.”
- Thought I Was Dead
“Thought I Was Dead” is a perfect manifesto of Tyler’s inner thoughts towards other musical artists. With an amazing, tied for best, feature from ScHoolboy Q, this song is very satisfactory to the standards other songs have set throughout the beginning of the album. The beats and trumpet line are incredible and deserve so much hype for its contribution to the album.
- Darling, I
“Darling, I” is an intriguing song about life and love in a modern age. Tyler has an amazing flow but caring lyrics as he goes through his thought process on dating. This song easily reminds longtime listeners of the album Call Me If You Get Lost with its sweet tones and theme.
- Rah Tah Tah
With a hardcore beat and braggadocious lyrics, “Rah Tah Tah” is an amazing second song to introduce a great album. The lyrics continue to be clever and humorous with some elements of seriousness, with even a reference saying Tyler is the biggest rapper after Kendrick Lamar. After this album, I definitely believe that lyric.
- Like Him
This song relates how Tyler feels about his relationship with his absent father. Many can relate to this experience and those who don’t can still feel his pain through amazing lyricism. The piano leading the song with these powerful lyrics makes it all the more beautiful and thoughtful. This song hits you where it hurts and that makes it in the top three songs of Chromakopia.
- St. Chroma
The very first song on the album describes passion and love for what you do, for Tyler, it’s music. Many can easily relate to this song which makes it all the better for those listeners. Daniel Caesar is a very welcome feature on this track with his soft yet powerful vocals. This song exemplifies the spirit of doing what you love simply because you love it. I think that message alone makes this very high on the rankings, let alone the stomping percussion and introduction of a new alter ego.
- Noid
My number one ranking is the bass heavy, realism based, “Noid.” Drums and samples from the song “Nizakupanga Ngozi” by Zambian band Ngozi Family fit it being the most unique track on the album. Whispers and sirens in the background of the song make the atmosphere all the more creepy for the subject matter of being paranoid. This track also shows off Tyler’s vocal talent with an amazing flow. I’ll never be able to say enough about the beautiful composition of this song.
In conclusion, I adored this album in its entirety and haven’t been able to get enough of it since its release. The storytelling and artistry that has gone into this album continues to astonish me. I think this has been one of the best albums Tyler, the Creator has released to date and I’m very happy to have had the privilege of taking you through it.
