(Image via stereogum.com)
Volunteer Writer: Samantha McCarthy
Email: smccarthy12@umassd.edu
Tyler The Creator, born Tyler Okonma, has announced the release of his eighth studio album, CHROMAKOPIA, which was released Monday, October 28th at 6 AM EST.
CHROMAKOPIA’s rollout began on the 16th with Okonma uploading a teaser video to social media titled ‘ST. CHROMA.’
The video features him stomping through an open area of gravel, a single-file line of men in suits following. Okonma directs them inside a storage box that reads CHROMAKOPIA on the side. At the end of the snippet, we see Okonma, or perhaps his new alter ego, St. Chroma, pressing a button, causing the storage box to explode.
The entire video is in black and white but switches to color the moment the storage unit is sent to flames. Paired with the video, Okonma’s short, whispering verses with Daniel Caesar’s featured vocals set the tone for the album.
The caption of the video reads, ‘8.’
The next day, Okonma officially announced the release date of his eighth studio album, CHROMAKOPIA. A website for the album was provided shortly after, with a map tracking two promotional trucks traveling to different cities around the United States.
A few days later, Okonma released a second snippet from the album titled ‘NOID.’ Again, the video follows his possible new alter ego, St. Chroma, as he faces paranoia and runs away from those watching him.
The video is cinematic, experimenting with black and white and colorful contrasts, similar to the ‘ST. CHROMA’ video.
The video is cinematic, experimenting with black and white and colorful contrasts, similar to the ‘ST. CHROMA’ video. Sampled in the guitar-filled, triumphing chorus is ‘Nizakupanga Ngozi’ by Ngozi Family, a Zambian musical group that was popular throughout the 70s and 80s.
The full version of the song was released later in the day, with an additional two minutes of the song being added from the music video.
‘NOID’ is thought to reference the paranoia that comes with being a celebrity, as Okonma says in the song, “No cameras out, please, I wanna eat in peace,” and later says, “Privacy? Huh, yeah, right, I got a better shot in the NBA.”
With this, Okonma is bringing awareness to the constant pressure that is pushed on celebrities to meet fans or disclose information about their private lives and families, which is often accessible in a society reliant on social media.
The artist has discussed the matter of privacy towards celebrities in past interviews.
“The internet’s crazy. These kids hack everything…they wanna know who your sister is, what you ate for dinner, mind your f— business. Go the f— outside and listen to the damn art or the music. Because of the internet, people don’t know personal boundaries anymore, and it’s normalized,” Okonma told Rolling Stone in an interview in August.
But, as Okonma has emerged from the music industry with a large following, it can be difficult to go places or accomplish things without recognition.
With the release of these new teasers, he has received 20.1 million views combined since their release dates.
The vinyl copy of CHROMAKOPIA was announced on Tuesday, the 22nd, with fans looking forward to getting their favorite artist’s newest album pressed onto a bright green record. The video displayed him dancing to various snippets from the album as the record played on a table next to him.
“This is the best vinyl announcement I’ve seen in a minute, and [I] always love Tyler for putting out vinyl, even before it was the trendy thing again,” user @FearMonarch commented.
While this can be considered an extensive album rollout to be put out within a few days, it did not stop here. The next morning, he announced the CHROMAKOPIA world tour, which will run from February to September 2025 and take place across the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Okonma will be touring alongside rapper Lil Yachty and alternative hip-hop duo Paris Texas.
Finally, the last teaser for CHROMAKOPIA was posted Saturday the 26th and is titled ‘THOUGHT I WAS DEAD.’ The song played in the video is a harsh bass-filled beat, with Okonma taking on a new flow of rap that has not been seen in his work thus far.
The California-born artist has not released a full-length album since Call Me If You Get Lost (CMIYGL) (2021) and the deluxe version, Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale (2023).
Fans across the world are looking forward to this new LP, as it is speculated to be a heavily experimental album with its diversity seen throughout the promotional videos.
“I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and play this album. Tyler is going crazy in this one,” user @KillaCam501 commented on the YouTube video for ‘THOUGHT I WAS DEAD.’
Since he released his debut studio album Goblin in 2011, he has been on a consistent streak of releasing an album every two years. This album breaks that pattern, as Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale was considered an album release in 2023.
Tyler The Creator, has received critical acclaim for much of his work, especially his more recent albums, Flower Boy (2017), IGOR (2019), and CMIYGL (2021).
He has also received various awards throughout his career, arguably the most significant being a BET Award for album of the year for CMIYGL and Grammy Awards for best rap album for both IGOR and CMIYGL.
Tyler The Creator has made a significant impact on the world of rap, hip-hop, and R&B, and fans are looking forward to a new side of his music and persona.
A listening event for the album took place at 9 PM PST on the 27th at the Inuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
“This is how you do an album rollout,” commented user @JahTalksMusic.