On Oct. 28, Tyler, the Creator dropped his highly anticipated eighth studio album, Chromakopia. Although Tyler is known to be a very real lyricist in the past, he says that this album is his most honest yet. “It’s so honest, that I think had to wear a mask of my own face to get some of that sh*t out,” Tyler admits to his fans. 

“St. Chroma” featuring Daniel Caesar starts the album off. The track starts with one of many uplifting messages from Tyler’s mother. “You are the light. It’s not on you, it’s in you,” she says over no beat. The song has an ominous and eerie feel to it until his mother’s message is later reiterated when Caesar sings on the chorus “Can you feel the light inside? Can you feel that fire?” The song suddenly shifts into a more brightening and angelic sound, which perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album.

Next is “Rah Tah Tah,” a much more energetic track where Tyler is really boosting up his own ego.  He switches up the tonality, saying things like “I could never ride no hellcat, that sh*t don’t cost enough.” The song ends with a flawless transition to the next track.

In “Noid,” Tyler touches on things like the dangers of parasocial relationships and his paranoia around things like paparazzi, invasive fans, and putting his trust in people. “Someone’s keeping watch. I can feel it,” he raps. The track immerses you into a world of trust issues and constantly looking over your shoulder. You can even hear the artist WILLOW featured on some background vocals. She is one of the many unofficial features that Chromakopia contains.

“Darling I” featuring Teezo Touchdown features Tyler talking about his feelings with monogamy and fear of being tied down in a relationship. “Nobody could fulfill me like this music sh*t does, so I’ll be lonely with these Grammys when all is said and done.” It’s a touching and relatable track and the layered background vocals by Teezo Touchdown only add to the richness of the song. 

“Hey Jane” is the fifth track with two completely different points of view. Tyler tells a story about a pregnancy scare from both his side and the women’s side. In this track he shows off his lyricism skills by being able to perfectly deliver his fears about such a sensitive topic while equally portraying the women’s doubts. “But, hey, Jane who am I to b*tch and complain? You gotta deal with all the mental and physical change, all the heaviest emotions, all the physical pain just to give the kid the man last name?”

“I Killed You” addresses the discrimination around black identity. He often uses hair as a metaphor and repeats the phrase “I Killed You”  to show how people “kill” the ties to their identity all in effort to be more accepted. “Feel ashamed, so we straighten you out without a doubt. B*tch I killed you.” He talks about how easily your identity can get stripped away as you get pushed further and further away from your heritage. Childish Gambino has a short but powerful feature at the end, repeating “just as beautiful,” keeping an uplifting end to the track.  This song is a perfect embodiment of some of the struggles black men and women deal with everyday. 

“Judge Judy” has a flow never before heard from Tyler. The song starts as a melodic and cheerful track about Tyler and a partner not judging but instead enjoying and accepting each other’s quirks. Childish Gambino is again featured on this track. His voice perfectly blends with Tyler’s making the track beautifully melodic. By the end of the song Tyler receives an unexpected letter from his partner. “ This past year has been rough, it spreaded to my head. I knew it when we met, if you’re reading this 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.” The song ends with the listener learning to not be judgemental because things could change in an instant.

“Sticky” featuring GloRilla, Lil Wayne, and Sexyy Red  features some of the most popular current day rap artists. One of the things that makes “Sticky” stand out is its feature of what sounds like a group chant of girls which keeps the energy up throughout the song. The chaotic use of the chants mixed with the intense trumpets keeps the listener intrigued and hyped the entire track. 

“Take Your Mask Off” featuring Daniel Caesar and LaToiya Williams is a big transition from the last upbeat track to one that’s more synth-driven. He talks about how people put on a front and try to be or act like someone they’re not. The chorus repeats “And I hope you find yourself and I hope you take your mask off”. 

“Tomorrow” is a short but powerfully relatable song. Tyler talks about the pressure of time and feeling like he needs to settle down. He talks about seeing everyone his age with children and how he feels like he’s behind. “They sharin’ pictures of these moments, sh*t is really cute and all I got is photos of my ‘Rari and some silly suits.”

“Thought I Was Dead” featuring ScHoolboy Q and Santigold is an immediately enticing track starting with a chant, keeping up what seems to be a theme in Chromakopia. The track is another high energy and confident song with a verse from Schoolboy Q, which blends perfectly with the energy of the hard-hitting beat. 

“Like Him” featuring Lola Young  is a track that stood out as we’ve heard Tyler talk about his relationship with his father several times, but none in a way that felt as vulnerable as this. “Mama, I’m chasing a ghost. Do I look like him?” 

“Ballon” featuring Doechii is quite the transition from the last more upsetting track. The very unique and upbeat song features Doechii, which adds even more of a fresh and funny sound. “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” is the final track of Chromakopia. It’s almost like a continuation of “Hey Jane” and it feels like a perfect conclusion for the album with a beautiful ending with a synth beat. “Almost had a mini me, I wasn’t ready. And she wanted it with me, I’m talking heavy.” This album is one of Tyler’s best. It’s a side of him that we’ve never seen before and has left listeners excited to see what more this project will bring.

(Chromakopia is Tyler’s third consecutive #1 album on the billboard 200)