The post Tyler, the Creator Turns His Struggle into a Dazzling Display on CHROMAKOPIA appeared first on Consequence.

Tyler, the Creator’s solo catalog chronicles quite a journey. Starting out as something of a shock-rap troll – he was banned from performing in certain countries, used an image of some salacious pants as album art and embraced the sharpest side of his humor – the enigmatic rapper has spent the second half of his career spent living proves how creative and surprisingly sensitive he really is. It’s like saying, “I can take this shit seriously and do it better than all of you.” His new album CHROMAKOPIA proves that he can really do it.

If IGOR was Tyler’s high-concept experiment and Call me if you’re lost was the more accessible reintroduction of Tyler, the Man, CHROMAKOPIA falls somewhere in the middle. Produced entirely by Tyler himself, the album embraces the sonic wildness of his 2019 character study while offering verses as vulnerable as those found on songs like “Wilshire.” He may be wearing a mask in the album artwork, but the artist spends the album’s 53 minutes doing everything in his power to take it off.

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After the braggadocios, the whispering intro “St. Chroma’, Tyler then explores different corners of his psyche: the lust that drives him, his fear of an uncertain future and the origins of his feelings and behavior. With such a focus on his identity, it’s no surprise that the fundamental inspiration for the album was the advice his mother would give to a disinterested Tyler as a child and young adult.

“Now that I’m 33, all these things are like, ‘Oh, that’s what she was fucking talking about,’” Tyler said during the CHROMAKOPIA listening party. “’Oh, I’m not the man I was when I was twenty. Oh shit, people are getting older, people are having kids and families.” All I have is a new Ferrari, which feels a bit strange. I have gray hairs on my chest. Life is life.”

The motherly presence is palpable throughout the tracklist, as female voices offer wisdom such as: “Never in your damn life dim your light for no one,” “Whatever you do, never tell a bitch you love her.” ‘ and ‘Always, always, always wear a condom.’ On “Tomorrow” she begs for a grandchild, and on “Like Him” ​​she is in awe of how much Tyler resembles his father. You know, mom stuff that sounds corny to a 20 year old and profound to a 33 year old.

On the accompanying tracks, Tyler grapples with such advice through storytelling and introspection, exploring his fears and trauma along the way. He deals with the paranoia that comes with fame on the rock-infused single “Noid,” details an apparent pregnancy scare he endured on the emotional, ultra-vulnerable “Hey Jane,” and tells stories about people living false lives on “Take Take off your mask.” The latter even features a pointed final verse that reads like a diss track against himself, revealing his deepest self-doubts and insecurities.

However, it’s not all answers and experiences with clear lessons, as the rapper’s wilder, lustful side is just as present on CHROMAKOPIA. While the softer songs present sex as a consequential act of love and attraction, the more boisterous songs revel in its excess and seduction.

The rapper admits his inability to maintain a monogamous relationship on the bouncy, almost ironically romantic “Darling, I,” while “Judge Judy” serves as a sensual anti-kink anthem. ‘Rah Tah Tah’ is loud, evil and sinful, while ‘Sticky’ is as cheerful and sex-obsessed as CHROMAKOPIA complete with a percussive, club-ready beat and guest verses from GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne. (Side note: prepare to hear, “Find a mop, it’s getting sticky in this bitch” quite a lot. This one is a hit.)

Merged together, these two sides of CHROMAKOPIA present the dichotomy of Tyler, the Creator. He’s self-aware enough to know how he navigates life and love, but he’s also introspective enough to wonder if he’s always doing the right thing. As a result, sometimes we get the amped-up, self-feeling version of Tyler, and other times we get the reflective, post-nut clarity. He could be a “bona fide face-seater” on one song and then ponder the consequences of growing up without a father a few cuts later.

Meanwhile, Tyler, the producer, is pulling out all the stops: there are hard-hitting, low-fi flirty bangers (“I Killed You”, “Thought I Was Dead”), contemplative, melodic cooldowns (“Hey Jane”, “Tomorrow”) , and swelling, theatrical numbers (“Like Him,” “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”). As eccentric and broad as the sound is – with everything from 808s to bleating trumpets to distorted guitars – not a single beat feels out of place has the artist successfully prepared his audience for the unexpected, or perhaps he is just so goodbut whatever the mood of a given version, it is unmistakably the product of Tyler, the creator.

This all culminates in the final set of songs. ‘Like Him’ delves deeper into Tyler’s fatherhood and upbringing, with an especially nuanced, empathetic perspective on the subject, before ‘Balloon’ injects a much-needed sense of hope into the world of CHROMAKOPIA. The final song, ‘I Hope You Find Your Way Home’, says it all in the chorus of the same name. Seemingly addressing himself as much as anyone who needs it, Tyler concludes with a plea to live truthfully, honestly, and for yourself – a feat that Tyler seems to have come to achieve.

“Really, I’m proud of you,” says a tearful female voice as the song’s piano line matches the emotion. ‘For example, you never cease to amaze me; there are no words for how i feel. Do your thing, just stay, keep shining.

Then, as the song fades, the chant of “Chromakopia” returns, taking Tyler and the listeners back to the beginning, suggesting that growth isn’t a one-time process – it’s a constant cycle. Tyler may not yet know how to deal with watching the people around him settle down and start a family while he sits alone in his new Ferrari, but at least he’s starting to understand that his journey doesn’t coincide with that of someone else has to compare. He’s maturing in his own way, and he’ll do whatever he can to take off his mask while he does so.

Tyler, the Creator turns his battle into a dazzling display on CHROMAKOPIA
Jonas Krueger

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