Chromakopia… Does that name ring a bell? Like many, I’m sure you’ve heard this name around you frequently over the past few weeks. Chromokopia is an album produced by Tyler, the Creator on Monday, October 28th, 2024. 

When I first heard that Tyler would be producing a new album, I was very excited, as I’ve been a huge fan of his for a while now, he’s even my favorite song artist. Of course, my initial idea was that it may be related to his more recent works, like CMGL and Igor. Soon after the announcement of this album came Tyler’s first release of a teaser. This song was posted on YouTube on October 16th, titled St. Chroma.

Right off the bat, my first reaction was very positive. The start had an interesting take, featuring Tyler with a mask in the front of a line of individuals with a mysterious musical chant constantly repeating the title of the album. The whispering continues into a more lyrical tone, almost giving a feel of encouragement. The chorus then starts, creating a more mystical kind of feel. Overall, the switching in this song and the way it’s formatted really creates a great start to the album, earning itself a strong 7.5/10 in my eyes..

When it comes to my favorite songs on this album, the first notable one is Darling, I. I think what stood out most to me was the style of singing in this song. It reminds me of his precious album Igor. The instrumentals are great and I love how Tyler seems to keep consistent with his singing styles across his albums and tracks in general. “‘Cause honestly, T is not perfect So how can I get everything from one person?” To me, the meaning of the song, especially this line sort of shows how despite Tyler being imperfect like everyone else, this one person is so perfect in his eyes and sort of fulfills the answers to questions he has, and sees everything in them. This ultimately causes Tyler to fall harder for that person, hence the constant repetition of “keep falling” throughout the song. Overall a great song that definitely deserves the love and appreciation it’s receiving. I think my favorite thing about this track is that it heavily reflects the style of songs on the Igor album. I would give this song a solid 8/10.

Continuing on the path of this album and my favorite songs comes Judge Judy. Once again this song gets a lot of hype and even you may have heard it on a few platforms like Tik Tok. I think this song is a very wonderful piece and may be one of his best. Its beat is absolutely amazing and I’m personally a big fan of songs that tell a story, and this is one of them. This song speaks on the idea of Tyler having an interest in a girl named Judy. Tyler kind of sees himself in Judy, with how troubled she may seem Tyler always finds a way to relate to her and refuses to Judge her for anything she may do. This is shown through a line in this song, “She is just like me – (I can’t Judge).” The end of this song really wraps off the story in a sad manner, and whenever I listen to this ending I can’t help but feel a bit of sorrow. This letter quotes, 

 “ Sorry that I haven’t been communicating much

      This past year has been rough

      It spreaded to my head (yeah, yeah, yeah)

      I knew it when we met, if you’re reading, it’s too late

      I’m on the other side, but I just wanna say

     Thank you for the moments I could grab before I left

     I hope you live your life, your truest self with no regrets

     I wasn’t living right until they told me what was left

     I’m wishing you the best, P.S

    Thank you for not judging, Judy”

This song implies Judy was fighting a battle with a sickness implied to be cancer, but before leaving to the other side she wanted to thank Tyler for staying by her side through all of it and helping her live life without judgment. This song is absolutely wonderful and I would recommend it greatly. This song earns itself a 10/10.

On a lighter note, comes my favorite song on this album with of course a 10/10. This song is Take Your Mask Off. I feel this song doesn’t get as much love and appreciation as it deserves. The song starts with a more bubbly instrumental with a jazz undertone. I feel the song is a motivational song to me, even if it’s not upbeat I feel encouraged and I feel heard when I listen to this song. The chorus states, “I hope you find yourself–I hope you take your mask off.” I think this is what reaches out to me most. The song has a meaning of wanting the listener to stop pretending and find out who they really are and embrace that person they can be. Along with this, it points out the struggles that some individuals have, and I think this helps some of his listeners feel heard by stating certain struggles and bringing attention to them. I love this song and hold it close to my heart. I feel it’s such a great piece and deserves more love, and If you need an eye-opener or some encouragement I definitely recommend this song.

Furthermore, my next desired song is Like Him. Like Darling, I and Judge Judy, there’s a high chance you’ve heard this song on many social media platforms. This song is another fan favorite and is definitely one of my favorites. I think this song has great instrumentals and I think that’s one of the things that stick out most to me. It’s constantly changing and shifting with Tyler’s lyrics and tones. I also love the second half of the song where the entire song practically changes and feels like a more desperate tone and the chorus repeats along with Tyler, “So do I look like him?” It feels like he’s practically begging to know if he looks like him, him being his father.

This brings me to my next point where this song practically changed my view on Tyler’s whole career, and probably changed his entire life. In this song, we hear Tyler’s mom reveal a big secret. “It was my fault not him ’cause he always wanted to be there for you and I’m sorry I was young but he’s always wanted to be a father to you — he’s a good guy.” This obviously refers to the fact that despite what we’ve been told and what Tyler has been told growing up, we all had the idea that Tyler’s dad left him and never wanted to be there for him. This idea is actually what caused Tyler’s career to bloom as his songs were focused on the fact that his dad wasn’t there for him. Hearing from his mom that she has kept this secret for so long and that he really wanted to be there for Tyler his whole life growing up practically changes everything. In the end, this song deserves a very solid 9/10.

This brings me to the end of our album, the closer being I Hope You Find Your Way Home. This song is a wonderful closer and really does wrap up the album perfectly. Along with its once again remarkable instrumentals comes a great song that made me as a listener feel very relieved as the album wrapped up. Tyler once again includes a quote from his mother, this time telling him how proud she is of him and how far he has made it and hopes he continues to be as great as he is, telling him to keep doing his thing. Tyler talks about his achievements in this song and speaks on how he made it through many obstacles and still practically came up on top. This song was such a wonderful piece and a great closer for this album. I love the way the song ends and fades into the reminiscent chant repeating “Chromakopia” just like how it was in St. Chroma, the opener. This kind of creates a repeat for the album, and Tyler has done this previously in his album Igor. Overall this closer gets a 7.5/10.

Chromakopia is yet another amazing creation by Tyler, the Creator. With great teasers, openers, endings, and stories I would overall give the album a 9/10. Despite how some individuals may say the album is overrated, I would say it’s great and for one to enjoy its amazing features you must listen with reason and really dive into these songs. I really love Chromakopia and it has me excited for any future pieces he has in his making. I would definitely recommend this album and would love to hear what you think about it.

What’s your favorite song, and why? Do you think the album is another work of art, or overrated? Tell us what and why in the comments!