Tyler, the Creator’s recent release,”Chromakopia,” is changing the face of rap culture.
“Chromakopia” released on October 28, 2024, contains 14 tracks, and features artists like Doechii, Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Sexxy Red, Daniel Caesar, and more. Tyler’s music career started with his first song, “Reverse,” released in 2004. He now has eight albums and two Grammy awards, both for Best Rap Album.
Tyler Gregory Okonma, known professionally as “Tyler, the Creator,” was born on March 6, 1991, in Hawthorne, Calif. Okonma, 33, is an American rapper, record producer, director, and fashion designer. He is known for his shameless originality, and quirky antics integrated in his rapping and dance moves.
Ava Howard, a senior day student from Westfield, Mass., and longtime fan of Tyler, admires his individuality.
“He is not afraid to make new sounds. This new album had a high school marching band feel to it, in a good way,” said Ava.
Ava is referring to the album’s lead-off track, “St. Chroma,” featuring Daniel Caeser, along with “Sticky,” featuring GloRilla, Sexxy Red and Lil Wayne. Both songs include background vocals accompanied by drums, trumpets, bells and clapping.
“He composes all his music by himself, which is probably why it takes so long,” she added. “I think that, in doing that, there’s probably a sense of self-discovery there that other artists may not be doing. Although it takes him a long time, that creativity is what makes his music matter.”
Ava acknowledges the way that Tyler intertwines deep themes and topics into his music.
“When you’re listening, you don’t always expect that sudden relatability, especially on such a heavy topic,” she said. “I think that all music is a form of art, and people express their emotions through art. If another person can take that, and grapple with what they’re going through and be like, ‘I’m not alone,’ I think that’s great.”
“Chromakopia” includes a track titled, “Like Him,” featuring Lola Young. The song is about Tyler accepting his father’s absence, and the way Tyler’s mother always tells Tyler how much he looks like his father. The lyrics explore Tyler’s ultimate conclusion that despite looking like his father, he is a different person. This theme is reoccurring, as it appears in one of his previous songs, “Answer,” on his album, “Wolf”.
Chromakopia” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Kora Brissett is a sophomore boarder from Sunderland, Mass. Like Ava, Kora has been a longstanding fan of Tyler, the Creator.
“’Chromakopia,’ I feel, is very powerful. [In] ‘Thought I Was Dead,’ he’s speaking on a bunch of different issues,” she said. “I think it gives people an experience to go through while they’re listening to the album and absorbing the sounds, the stories, and whatnot.”
Kora likens “Chromakopia” to Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking album “DAMN.” Both rappers, she feels, delve deep into personal history for lyrics, especially about fathers. “DAMN,” is the fourth album released by Kendrick Lamar. Since its release in April 2017, the album has won 11 awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2018.
Jacob Waah, a senior day student from Holyoke, Mass., feels that he can enjoy Tyler’s albums the more he listens to them.
“Every Tyler album I’ve ever listened to gets better over time. ‘Call Me If You Get Lost,’ is my favorite right now,” he said.
“Call Me If You Get Lost,” is Tyler, the Creator’s seventh album, released in June 2021. In 2022, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
Jacob recognizes one of the main reasons why Tyler, the Creator is so well respected is because, “Tyler is a very lyrical artist, and he has many dimensions he can explore. He’s versatile. [He] can make a rap song, a party song, a song that you might cry to, all in one album. I think that’s why I personally like him.”
