Ryah Reviews: Chromakopia by Tyler, the Creator

Tyler, the Creator, debuted his eighth studio album on October 28, 2024. Packed with unique features and an overarching storyline, CHROMAKOPIA (intentionally stylized in all caps) brings a lot of new and old fans to the table for the artist.

Born Tyler Okonma, Tyler, the Creator began making music over a decade ago, while he was still in high school. In the early days, he was known for dark and controversial lyrics, but eventually progressed into being a master of the art of music. Unique beats, powerful lyrics, and a distinctive performance style, Tyler’s unmatched in his corner of the industry.
He showcases raw vulnerability, a complicated past, and pure openness in his music, exploring things like; sexuality, violence, and growing up with an absent father through his unique storytelling and lyrical choices.
CHROMAKOPIA is no exception to these parameters. Uniquely, this album is narrated by Okonma’s mother, Bonita Smith. Notably the only present parent in his life, his mother’s narration serves as advice a mother typically gives a son over his formative years. Things like always using protection during intercourse, never letting anyone ‘dim your light’ and most importantly, keeping to yourself when you’re around people you don’t know, or in Tyler’s case, when you’re in the public eye.
Another factor of this project that really makes it stand out is the speed between announcement and release. He announced the album on October 17th, and it was released just 11 days later. Usually, album releases tend to have a larger waiting period between announcment and actual music coming out. This built anticipation faster for Okonma, though, because of his highly dedicated fan base.
On top of the quick release, the album was released with no hint of who featured on the album as additional vocals, producers, or ANYTHING. No hints were given, other than a short clip posted announcing the album, which had several masked people following Okonma into a shipping crate labeled with the album title.
The album includes features from the likes of many artists, such as Daniel Cesar, Glo-Rilla, Sexxy Red, Lil Wayne, Lola Young, Doechii, and many, many more. Many artists provided backing vocals and aren’t outright labelled as features at all. The album is truly, indeniably, a work of art, and it’s easy to believe the rumor that it’s been in the works for years.
When it comes to the tracklist, the songs tell a cohesive story from start to finish, even if it doesn’t always seem like that on the surface. Intentional transitions between songs (“Rah Tah Tah” and “Noid”), similar subject matter (several lyrics and an entire song labelled “Like him”, which regard Okonma’s absent father), and overall an astonishing amount of instrumental composition, the album is a masterclass in storytelling.
I could be biased, but I truly believe this album could arguably hold my vote for album of the year. Even though Spotify Wrapped came out just over a month after the album’s release, nearly every track can be found somewhere among my top 100 songs of 2024.
It’s worth the listen, even if you feel that rap isn’t your cup of tea. Listen here on Spotify.