Tyler, the Creator, a well-known artist among adolescents, released his seventh album, Chromakopia, in 2024, which made fans ecstatic. When it was first announced that Tyler would be releasing a new album, it immediately started gaining popularity. A snippet of the song “St. Chroma” was released, and people were obsessed. The short clip that accompanied the snippet sparked theories about features. Some theories suggested that long-lost artist Frank Ocean would be featured on the album. About two days before the album was released, Tyler stated that there were no features on the album.
This statement from Tyler disappointed many fans, especially because of their hope for Frank Ocean to be included. Fans began to lose interest leading up to the album’s release on October 28, 2024. Once it was released, fans were disappointed. There were no features that people were expecting, and very few songs were of great quality. Favorite songs, “Like Him,” “St. Chroma,” and “Noid,” are, in my opinion, the best on the album. They’re so unique, and specifically, “Like Him” has a deeper meaning than just a song. It delves into Tyler’s experience growing up without his father, revealing that finally, in his 30s, he was told that his father wanted to be a part of his life, but his mother had shut him out.
Most people have rated this album quite low; for example, albumoftheyear.org rated it a 52 out of 100, and pitchfork.com gave it a 7.6 out of 10. Overall, this album was decent. It wasn’t what we expected, but it was still impactful nonetheless. On social media, people have said that the album was disappointing and not what they expected. If you had asked me what I thought about the album when it was first released, I would have told you it wasn’t that great. If you were to ask me now, after giving it a second listen, I’d tell you it’s amazing.
I think when I listened to it for the first time, I wasn’t really focusing on the beat or lyrics and was influenced by the opinions of others. Now, after relistening, I think the album is amazing. I believe the album has a theme of personal identity and finding out how to fit into society. I can see these themes in the songs “Noid” and “Like Him.” In “Noid,” Tyler talks about the feeling of paranoia in public spaces, and again in “Like Him,” he speaks about navigating life without a father figure.
In the end, despite all the opinions about Chromakopia, Tyler doesn’t seem to care about what people are saying. He sees the album as an achievement that depicts his complexity and growth throughout his entire life.
