On Oct. 28, Tyler, the Creator released his highly anticipated album, “CHROMAKOPIA,” which is his eighth studio album. “CHROMAKOPIA” had its high points, and I enjoyed the album but was left slightly underwhelmed.
As a self-proclaimed rap music enthusiast and fan of the likes of A$AP Rocky and Frank Ocean, I was very excited for this release.
One of the album’s low points was the featured artists it included. In his past releases, Tyler has featured artists such as Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Brent Faiyaz and Playboi Carti. In comparison, the features on “CHROMAKOPIA” were lackluster.
It could be the delusional Frank Ocean fan in me, but I was highly disappointed he was not on the album. Frank Ocean’s latest singles were released in 2020 – “Cayendo” and “Dear April” – and his latest album, “Blonde,” was released in 2016.
Because Ocean is seemingly retired from music, I am not surprised with his absence, but the storm of rumors hinting at a return gave me false hope.
The features included on “CHROMAKOPIA” are Daniel Caesar, Teezo Touchdown, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Lil Wayne, LaToiya Williams, Santigold, ScHoolboy Q, Lola Young, Childish Gambino and Doechii.
I particularly enjoyed Daniel Caesar, Teezo Touchdown, Lil Wayne and Doechii’s verses.
My favorite feature was Daniel Caesar, who filled in for Frank Ocean’s typical role of beautifully sung vocals that complements Tyler’s harsh sound. Caesar was featured on the introduction track, “St. Chroma,” along with Track 9, “Take Your Mask Off.” Daniel Caesar’s angelic verses complemented Tyler’s brash and aggressive flow.
Another feature I enjoyed was Lil Wayne’s verse on the track “Sticky.” I would’ve enjoyed the feature more if it wasn’t suffocated between GloRilla and Sexyy Red’s annoying verses.
“Sticky” was one of my least favorite tracks on the album. I enjoyed Lil Wayne and Tyler’s verses, but was not a fan of Sexyy Red and GloRilla’s parts. It is worth mentioning, though, I enjoyed GloRilla’s verse more than Sexyy Red’s.
An expected strongpoint of the album was its production. Tyler engineered a large portion of the album himself, reinforcing himself as a high-level producer.
Tyler’s production style is crazy, all over the place and makes the album very entertaining to listen to. The beat in “St. Chroma” is a perfect example because it contains so many elements. The song starts with an uplifting feel that is abruptly flipped by an aggressive beat.
The introduction track, “St. Chroma,” was a strong point on the album. The track began with a sample portraying the message of not letting others “dim your light.” The sample was followed by marching sound effects behind quiet vocals, creating an almost inspiring effect.
“St. Chroma” eventually developed angelic vocals from Daniel Caesar, which elegantly intertwined as Tyler began to rap. All the elements provided for a complex song, which I enjoyed.
“St. Chroma” then transitioned seamlessly into the second track, “Rah Tah Tah,” which showcased an aggressive flow from Tyler. I enjoyed the track, but it lacked depth and was slightly one dimensional.
The solid three track run was concluded by “Noid”, which is one of my favorite songs on the album. “Noid” begins with short, repeated electric guitar chords that nicely pair with Tyler’s verse. Another addition, which I absolutely loved, was a sample by the Zambian band, Ngozi Family.
The sample provided an interesting and unique sound compared to the rest of the album, which held me from boredom.
Despite being slightly underwhelmed by the album, the disappointment is only because of the high standard Tyler has set with albums like “Flower Boy” and “IGOR.” For that reason, I rate “CHROMAKOPIA” a 6.5/10.
