(Image via dadadamusic.com)

Volunteer Writer: Samantha McCarthy

Email: smccarthy12@umassd.edu

“You are the light. It’s not on you, it’s in you. Don’t you ever in your motherf— life dim your light for nobody.”

These are the opening words spoken by Bonita Smith, the mother of Tyler, The Creator (born Tyler Okonma), on his eighth studio album CHROMAKOPIA, released Monday, October 28th. 

Since his 2021 album Call Me If You Get Lost, fans (myself included) have been anxiously waiting for a new project. 

Since the release of CHROMAKOPIA, opinions, at least on social media, have been mixed. 

Scrolling through Instagram, I’ve seen countless amounts of people saying things like this album was “disappointing” or “not what I [they] expected.”

Now, I know this is a biased take since I’m a fan of his music, but I feel as though the public has not been giving CHROMAKOPIA the chance it deserves. Even now, after listening to the album at least 20 times (I have a lot of free time), there are still new things I notice every time, like a new vocal layering or drum sequence, that keep me hooked for the next listen. 

I had the opportunity to attend the “30 Minutes of CHROMAKOPIA” show at the Lovejoy Wharf outside of the Converse store in Boston. I doubted I was going to be able to get tickets, but my friend up in Boston was able to, so I ditched class and floored it because I was not missing this. 

This was an absolutely unbelievable experience that made me love and appreciate CHROMAKOPIA even more. It was such an intimate event (there were maybe a few hundred people there from what I could see), and it made me value the effort put into creating an album and visuals to accompany it. 

There are many moments and lyrics on every song that I have found that make CHROMAKOPIA come together to be the piece of art it is. 

The opening track, ‘St. Chroma,’ militant-sounding stomps act as a background to Okonma’s harsh, whispering voice, telling the audience to listen closer to what he has to say. 

“I ain’t ever had a doubt inside me / And if I ever told you that I did I’m f— lying,” are the last words Okonma murmurs before the instrumental transitions into a triumphant, gospel-like sound as Daniel Caesar vocalizes the question, “Can you feel the light inside? Can you feel that fire?” 

Caesar’s vocals on this track are my favorite part. His voice meshes really well with the instrumental. 

As this moment in the song progresses, the synthesizers begin to raise the frequency of the song and create a sense of tension that is eventually broken with the jarring transition into a rough, bass-filled, alarm-sounding beat. 

‘St. Chroma’ appropriately sets the tone for the album, combining Okonma’s iconic synth-riddled sounds with lighter, melodic instrumentals accompanied by his gravelly voice. 

‘Rah Tah Tah’ takes a hard turn from the melodic harmonies on ‘St. Chroma’ with a high-pitched flute and woodblock drums. Okonma raps over this beat, talking about his success, specifically monetary. 

One of my favorite lines from CHROMAKOPIA is on this song. He says, “Ha-ha-ha-ha, when I double-park the LaF’,” referring to LaFerrari, a luxury car that Okonma has referred to throughout his music for years. This double entendre talking about physically laughing and luxurious cars is the type of creativity I love to hear in songs. 

The end of ‘Rah Tah Tah’ transitions into one of the most popular (and one of my favorites) on the album, ‘Noid.’ This track follows Okonma as he faces the risks that come with being famous: paparazzi, crazy fans, and the lack of a personal life. 

‘Noid’ samples iconic Zambian rock band Ngozi Family’s ‘Nizakupanga Ngozi,’ giving the song a panicked feel as the original song is sped up and pitched up. This song also features vocals from WILLOW, a hip-hop/R&B artist. 

I believe this is one of the strongest tracks on this album, as it blends Okonma’s talents of rapping, singing, and producing into a song that conveys a complex message. Additionally, the visuals that accompany this song are excellent. 

“Whatever you do, don’t ever tell no b—- you love her,” are words again spoken by Smith, introducing the fourth song on CHROMAKOPIA, ‘Darling, I.’ 

Okonma discusses the struggle to find love on this ballad-sounding track as he sees something special in seemingly everyone he meets. 

He tells this narrative through his luxury car collection, saying, “I drive my Bimmer in the summer when I’m ready to drift / LaFerrari handle better, and it’s pretty as s—,” and, “Love ‘em all for different reasons at the same damn time.”

‘Darling, I’ has a lighthearted, vocally-centered sound, making it something I have not been able to stop listening to. With harmonized singing from Teezo Touchdown, rapper and singer, it makes it something worth a listen. 

The fifth song on CHROMAKOPIA boasts a more serious narrative- accidental pregnancies and dealing with pregnancy in an unstable relationship. 

‘Hey Jane’ follows Okonma as he deals with an unwanted pregnancy and not knowing how to handle it. This track is reminiscent of his earlier music and does a great job of conveying the message. I won’t say much more.  It’s one of those things you just have to listen to. 

Following ‘Hey Jane’ is ‘I Killed You,’ which brings about another complex message- the importance of embracing hairstyles within the African American community.

‘I Killed You’ pieces together high-pitched horns, soft drums, and vocals from Childish Gambino, creating a catchy beat that transitions into a soft, dreamy outro that captures the essence and beauty of the theme the song discusses. 

‘Judge Judy’ fits Okonma’s storytelling across the album. Throughout the verses, he tells the story of a girl named Judy who struggles with her confidence, telling her he won’t criticize her for who she is. 

The end of Judy’s story is emotional- Okonma reads a letter addressed from her, presumably after Judy has passed away. Those online have theorized who ‘Judy’ could symbolize and what could have happened, but no information has been confirmed.

I firmly believe this is one of the most well-produced songs on CHROMAKOPIA. The slow, melodic guitar paired with vocals from Okonma and Childish Gambino create an absolutely gorgeous listening experience. 

The album takes a complete turn at this point with the transition from ‘Judge Judy’ to ‘Sticky,’ which features rappers GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne, as well as backing vocals from R&B singer Solange. With a whistling, bass-packed beat, this song has started to become the internet’s favorite. 

Returning to the more melodic sound the majority of the record has held, ‘Take Your Mask Off’ is Okonma’s address to those struggling with their sexual identity- “Since a kid, you knew somethin’ was up / Had you thinkin’ God would hate you so you covered it up.”

‘Take Your Mask Off’ holds one of my favorite verses on this album- Okonma’s fourth rap verse towards the end of the song. The chorus is also beautiful with vocals from singers Daniel Caesar and LaToiya Williams. 

Okonma returns to speaking about his fears of getting older, the pressure of having children, and his partial jealousy on the song ‘Tomorrow.’

“My broide had another baby, that’s like number two,” Okonma says, “And all I got is photos of my ‘Rari and some silly suits,” referencing his stage outfits from the tour for his album IGOR, released in 2019. 

‘Thought I Was Dead’ is the 11th song on this record, and it is my absolute favorite. The rough 808-drum beats with exasperated-sounding horns leave me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the chord progression to be filled. 

This track also has a great feature from rapper ScHoolboy Q and artist Santigold, bringing some fantastic harmonies with this subjectively off-putting beat. 

Okonma’s final verse on ‘Thought I Was Dead’ is my favorite segment on CHROMAKOPIA.  

Within this verse, he experiments with changing the pitch of his tone during lines, something he has never done throughout his music. It is reminiscent of how Kendrick Lamar sounds in his hit song, ‘euphoria.’ 

‘Like Him’ is where we see Okonma at his most vulnerable on this record. Throughout the history of his discography, the main topic of his music was the fact that he had never met his father. 

In this song, Okonma discusses the stress of being told he looks like his father but has never met him. He asks the question, “Mama, I’m chasin’ a ghost, / Do I look like him?” This is repeated throughout the song with background vocals from singer Lola Young. 

But, through another interlude-like moment from Okonma’s mother, Smith, we find out that his father had always wanted to be in his life, and the aggression he held towards his father for leaving all these years was unnecessary. 

“It was my fault, not him, ‘cause he always wanted to be there for you,” Smith says. 

The next song absolutely reminds me of when you drive underwater in Mario Kart. The beat is bubbly and is hard to listen to without bopping your head at least a little. 

‘Balloon’ is more synonymous with the attitude Okonma was taking on throughout his 2021 album, Call Me If You Get Lost, as he reflects on his success and accolades. This energy is matched with rapper Doechii’s verse, which brings a strong, empowering, feminine verse. 

Finally, we have reached the end. ‘I Hope You Find Your Way Home’ is a slow, low-synth-filled song with Okonma reflecting on the topics he discussed throughout the 13 previous songs- his upbringing, sexuality, getting older, children, success, and embracing yourself for who you are. 

Okonma tells the audience that he hopes they “find your [their] way home.”

The album finishes with another quote from Smith expressing how proud she is, “Like, you never cease to amaze me,” and later on, “Do your thing, just keep, keep shining.” 

Smith’s voice, which is used throughout the album, shows how significant of a figure she is to Okonma, as much of his recent music is based on his mother’s advice, which he has received throughout the years. 

CHROMAKOPIA ends with a minute and a half instrumental, leaving the listener to digest what they just heard. 

As someone who has been a fan of Okonma and his music for years, I can say this is one of my favorite pieces of work from him, as it truly broadcasts the vulnerabilities that make him human.