Across 2024, anyone who indulges into music has seen excitement over countless albums from artists, especially in the genre of rap, where we’ve seen J. Cole, Kanye West, Future, among others drop across the year. There’s been no lack of music throughout this year, yet some would argue that the work that’s came out this year has been somewhat disappointing by some of these artist’s standards. So during October of 2024, the music world was ecstatic with the thought of what some believed would be the best album to release this year.
On October 17th, Tyler, the Creator, one of rap’s biggest artists, announced that he would be dropping an album, titled Chromakopia, on the morning of Monday, October 28. This was a shock to many, with popular belief being that we wouldn’t see another album until at least 2025.
With the earlier months trending with rap controversy, such as the Kendrick Lamar and Drake dispute, and the summer bringing forth a mass of pop albums, with the most notorious being Charli XCX’s BRAT. Since then, there had been a very quiet period in the music industry, and this announcement brought what many students would consider a much needed spark back to the music community.
Tyler’s album rollout was nothing short of intriguing, in some ways similar to past releases, where he teases certain songs through his personal Instagram account, but also engaging his fans, with interactive elements that kept growing the hype. One way that he kept this interaction with fans was through the green Chromakopia styled trucks that started in Tyler, Texas, and have made their way throughout the nation. Junior Jackson Quealy, an avid listener of Tyler for almost 5 years, is thoroughly enjoying the album. He said that,
“The use of the Chromakopia trucks was brilliant. I think it got people excited about the album, and allowed the community to bond with each other and show how they love Tyler’s music and what he brings to the music industry.”
Quealy’s feelings were shared by sophomore Samuel Bikle, who said that,
“The trucks were a great concept, however people will be people and vandalize them… …but it definitely helped build hype.”
Tyler’s 8th studio album was diversified with all kinds of feelings, from a heartfelt song about his absent father in “Like Him,” to a cheerleader-esque chorus filled with features in “Sticky,” and his feeling of paranoia, from fans and media not respecting his boundaries as a person in “Noid.”
It began with St. Chroma, an angelic intro featuring Daniel Caesar. The song has had speculation around its final product and who the feature exactly was, with it being the first snippet that was released with the announcement of Chromakopia.
Noid was a complete Tyler experience, and I think many can draw comparisons from this song to “GONE GONE / THANK YOU” from Tyler’s 2019 album Igor. Starting slow, the song quickly sets a unsure mood for the listener as Tyler speaks about the paranoia he experiences being such a widely known artist, and the many fears he experiences on the daily and how even daily tasks can bring stress to him due to this feeling of “someone keeping watch.”
Again, the mood shifts heavily, as we’re treated to upbeat feelings in Darling, I. Many overread what this song truly is though, as rather than a typical love song, Tyler instead presents his struggles with loyalty, and him saying, “Darling, I (keep falling in love)” is him speaking about the many he falls in love with rather than him continuously saying this to the same person. Bikle said that this was one of the songs that he “found [himself] looking at the lyrics of the songs and re-listening to many of them for their deeper meanings.
Hey Jane presents the fear of Tyler being a father, and how he balances his own selfish desires on if they should keep the kid with the transparency and understanding that comes with the fact that it’s ultimately not his choice, and parallels both views in his own voice.
Judge Judy is another heartfelt track as Tyler speaks to his feelings towards a girl, Judy, and his experiences with her, before losing her as she passes on, with much speculation as to why up for interpretation. He then speaks to the struggle of sudden grief and the chaos that death creates.
In Take Your Mask Off, Tyler speaks about the personas and fronts that many present to make themselves fit into society, or within their perceived ‘lifestyle.’ He explains how many put on this front to prevent those from seeing their true lifestyle, and the limits they will go just to impress others. Quealy was infatuated with this song, noting his enjoyment to come from “Tyler coming in a claiming approach that makes you feel at ease.”
One of the most popular songs from the album, Like Him, which has already amassed over 110 million streams, speaks to Tyler’s struggle of his absent father throughout his life, and how he’s compared to him without ever seeing him. The song did numbers across social media as well, with many users online being able to relate to the struggle.
Overall, Tyler’s album has quickly become a candidate for the album of the year, and has already done numbers chasing those of albums to release at the beginning. It’s an album that takes us through various emotions, struggles, and yet still manages to give the listener a way to relate to it, making it a remarkable listen for many.
