Tyler, the creator, is one of the most recognizable names in hip-hop and pop culture these days because he lives up to his name. He creates. He creates and innovates all the forms of art in which he is involved, whether it be music, visual arts, or fashion. He is always cresting and finding new ways to improve his craft and showcase where he is at in his life at that moment. Again, he has created an interesting new piece of music art that invokes a lot of feeling in the listener. Whether that feeling is love, anxiety, fear, or family, he has created a sonically pleasing album that will leave you thinking differently about certain aspects of life. The lyrics and the concepts being told on this album are phenomenal. He is really helping to reshape what hip hop and rap can be when you get away from all the glits and glamour it has become and go back to its roots, and that means telling genuine stories. The album is narrated by his mother, who interjects insightful and thought-provoking messages. We as the listeners go on a journey with our protagonist as you go through tough and relatable situations in life. Going through the joys of love like on “darling, i” or the stress of an unplanned pregnancy like on “hey jane” or on "tomorrow,” where he talks about whether to have kids or not. I particularly liked how on “Justice Judy," he is talking about not being judgmental and not worrying about a woman's body count and just loving her for who she is. The stories being told here are such a refreshing new perspective coming from a male perceiver in hip hop. Then there is the music itself. The music created here has a very unorthodox feel to it while at the same time having a cozy feel to it as well. A song like “noid” has a lot of styles in it, but they all sound so new and refreshing that it kind of flows well together. The use of real instruments and unusual ones makes the songs more memorable and unique in the current landscape of music. The use of woodblocks, horns, bongos, or finger snaps just gives the album a nice stripped-down feeling that is very calming. Songs like “Rah Tah Tah” have a cool chill beat to it, or “Darling, i” reminds me of a Neptunes style beat with all the popping noises, or like on “Take Your Mask Off,” they utilize the bass so well it gives it a nice smooth feeling. Then you have the whimsical 80s synth-style song “Ballon.”. Each song feels carefully crafted to be different and to truly invoke a different feeling from each song. Tyler's vocal performances have so much range on here; from good rapping flow to softer singing, it shows that he is capable of so much and is not afraid to show it. He is able to channel his inner Al Green on “like him” to give a great vocal performance, or on "tomorrow,” he is able to do some soft vocals over a nice acoustic guitar that is just fantastic. The way he utilizes the backing vocals/chants on the intro song “St. Chroma” helps create an atmosphere with those tribal sounds. He is not only bringing his game here; the guest vocals bring so much to the table, whether it be Teezo Touchdown matching the flow of the song going with her high-pitched vocals to give a delight performance or the collaborative and hypnotic vocals with “sticky” or super monotone but mesmerizing vocals of schoolboy q on “Thought I Was Dead." Everything on this album is so unusual yet so fascinating that you can't help but want to take the journey with St. Chroma all over again as soon as the album is over.
Tyler, The Creator - CHROMAKOPIA Review
Rah Tah Tah
Darling, I
Hey Jane
Tomorrow
Thought I Was Dead