Chromakopia by Tyler, The Creator 

On Monday, October 28th, Tyler, The Creator released his seventh studio album, ‘Chromakopia.’ The release date surprised fans since Tyler seemed to have broken his tradition of dropping an album every two years. Tyler criticized the standard of releasing music on Fridays, describing how it encourages ‘passive listening’ over the weekend, which is why the album came out on a Monday.

With every album Tyler writes, he also creates different alter egos. In 2013, Tyler wrote the characters Wolf and Samuel for his second studio album, Wolf. Tyler’s most famous character, Igor, was created in 2019 for his sixth album, IGOR. For ‘Chromakopia,’ fans and critics believe Tyler took inspiration from Chroma the Great, a character from The Phantom Tollbooth when making his newest character, St. Chroma. The album focuses on St. Chroma, who is introduced in the opening track of the same name, as he experiences and shares Tyler’s fears and anxieties that come with fame and getting older. Essentially, he is in a state of constant confusion or an early midlife crisis.

“It’s so good. My favorite song is Sticky,” said DBHS freshman Alec Jimenez when asked her thoughts on the album. Jimenez also stated that she would rate it a ten out of ten.

Tyler posted the first teaser for CHROMAKOPIA on all social media platforms on October 16th. The next day, he announced the album’s name and release date. Then, just a week before CHROMAKOPIA’s release on October 21st, he dropped the lead single, “Noid.” The album’s eleventh track, “Thought I Was Dead,” was teased on October 26th with a short video. The last teaser was on a promotional video for the album’s limited-edition vinyl, where he included short snippets for three more songs. After listening to these teasers, many fans began to speculate which artists would feature on CHROMAKOPIA. Many theorized we would hear artists Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Brent Faiyaz, Kanye West, and others throughout the album. Although none of those artists are on CHROMAKOPIA, it does feature the talents of Daniel Ceasar, Sexyy Red, Childish Gambino, GloRilla, Doechii, Teezo Touchdown, Lil Wayne, Latoya Williams, Santigold, ScHoolboy Q, and Lola Young.

Tyler, The Creator, has made many changes and broken many unofficial rules while making CHROMAKOPIA, which signifies that he has entered a new, different stage in his life. The album was a pleasant surprise for fans craving new music, exceeding their expectations, and many are already wondering what Tyler will come out with next.

Written by Sabrina Alves | Graphic Designed by Sabrina Alves

Published November 20, 2024 | ePathfinder | Entertainment