Days after headlining the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Tyler, The Creator announced his seventh studio album, Chromakopia. The follow-up to 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost, an album centered around gratitude and the power of blessings, Chromakopia paints a striking portrait of a star plagued by insecurity and uncertainty.
Tyler accomplishes this the same way he always has — by donning an alter ego and tapping into an unrivaled network of surprise guest features. The opening track, “St. Chroma,” features Daniel Caesar in a near-perfect blend of alternative rap and neo-soul. Childish Gambino lends vocals to two tracks on the first half of the album, “I Killed You” and “Judge Judy.” Though many of his contemporaries have shunned the new wave of mainstream female rappers, Tyler welcomes them with open arms, especially on tracks “Balloon” with Doechii and “Sticky,” a stadium anthem featuring verses from Sexyy Red and GloRilla.
Tyler’s mother, Bonita Smith, guides him and listeners through the album’s 14 tracks, offering moments of guidance in spoken word. “Watch your surroundings,” she urges Tyler on “Noid.” On track nine, “Take Your Mask Off,” she says, “You don’t have to put on no costume / you don’t ever have to lie to kick it.” The song comes midway through the album’s runtime and serves as the thematic heart of Chromakopia, with a repeating chorus of “I hope you find yourself / And I hope you take your mask off.” Over the song’s four verses, Tyler takes his spotlight and aims it clearly at hypermasculine attention-seekers, corrupt religious elites and finally at himself.
Despite Tyler’s self-awareness, the album at times feels half-baked. With a runtime of 53 minutes, Chromakopia raises many important questions about the realities of fame and success, as well as the pressures of masculinity and monogamy without actually answering any of them. The album proves both sonically and lyrically similar to his past work, and the grievances Tyler voices are nothing new. In songs like “Darling, I” and “Noid,” he echoes the isolated and self-deprecating tone of past tracks like “911 / Mr. Lonely” and “Puppet.”
Tyler’s natural charisma and genuine passion for the craft shine through on Chromakopia. He only asks listeners to reflect with him, not on him. As Tyler’s mother says at the beginning of the album, “You are the light / It’s not on you, it’s in you / Don’t you ever in your motherfucking life dim your light for nobody.”
4 masks to take off out of 5
