Music is what makes the world go around. It unites everyone regardless of their identity or style. Tyler Okonma, commonly known as Tyler, the Creator is a musician who repeatedly mixes sounds and genres, engaging a diverse audience through hip hop, R&B, rap, funk, and jazz. His latest album CHROMAKOPIA encapsulates the internal conflicts of growing older, uncertainty, and negative drawbacks of fame.
CHROMAKOPIA dropped on October 28th at 6am EST. Tyler tweeted, “YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT WHEN YOU WAKE UP YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF SLEEP FOR SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE THERE WHEN YOU WAKE UP”. Fans far and wide expressed excitement to experience this new era of creativity and artistry. Junior Eli Jordan has been a fan of Tyler since fifth grade, watching Tyler grow as an artist and distinguished figure.
The first two singles that were released are “St. Chroma” and “NOID”. Jordan shared, “The chords and chord progression in “St. Chroma” made it a good opener and set the tone. “NOID” nailed the expectation of the new sound. The sample utilized was so sweet and innovative.”
CHROMAKOPIA is a record that expressively confronts the responsibilities of maturation and climbing up the ranks of fame. Tyler internalizes his strong boyhood to face the looming inevitability of adulthood. The constant tug of war in the lyrics allows the listener to follow the argumentative nature of growing up.
“Each album has a different sound, because each symbolizes a certain point of his life. Seeing him be vulnerable in a different way, not his relationships but the ideas of fame in a negative way is super cool,” stated Jordan. Sonically, every song is buzzing with whirring synths, wailing alarms, innovative chords, and harmonious vocals from artists like Daniel Caesar and Childish Gambino. Even Tyler’s mother states pieces of advice and encouragement like in the intro of “St. Chroma”, “You are the light/It’s not on you, it’s in you/Don’t you ever dim your light for nobody”. This adds a layer of nostalgia and childhood value to each track as the album escalates.
Romance and misdirection of relationships is a common theme in Tyler’s work. In CHROMAKOPIA, a pregnancy scare provokes spiraling complications, including success impacting his ability to parent. Another contrast questioned is the perspective; autobiographical or a masked figure, seen on the cover? “Hey Jane” wholeheartedly demonstrates Tyler’s process of analyzing the situation and determining solutions. “Scared of all they advice, and my intuitions/Scared of not knowin’, but too scared to make decisions”. There is never a dull moment, making the listening experience cinematic.
Bar for bar, word for word, Tyler, the Creator morphs his internal confusion and insecurity into a dynamic and sensory mosaic of passion and self-examination. Despite his increasing significance, Tyler reminds the audience that problems are universal and difficult to resolve without help and reflection.
