Tyler, The Creator fuses the old and new in ‘CHROMAKOPIA’

Talking with Zane Lowe about his album IGOR back in 2019, Tyler, The Creator said, “I’ve always wanted to make the prettiest stuff that’s borderline boring, or the hardest stuff, and I’ve been trying to mix those together since my first album.” Tyler states this out of modesty for his work, but in reality, it is entirely accurate. IGOR is the first solo rap artist to rank number one on the billboard charts, where it is self-made and self-produced. To Tyler however, this means nothing, as it is not about the records he breaks, but the music that he breaks them with.

The famed Los Angeles rapper and singer’s brand new album CHROMAKOPIA, which dropped on October 28th, is his first since 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost, and it sets the tone for what the 33-year-old artist wants his discography to truly be. When examining his music over the years, the similarities and differences in each record are astonishing. For example, songs such as “EARFQUAKE” and “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU” on the album IGOR flash ideas of idealistic love vs idealistic heartbreak, providing an 80’s pop melody (his favorite era) that Tyler appreciates so much. In Flower Boy however, the artist wanted to represent his skills outside of rapping, proving what else he can do so well. He hones in on the usage of chords in the album, as well as his ability to incorporate elements of jazz into his songs. This new album has a bit of everything, as Tyler sharpened his skills further and put his heart and soul into this newest work, as well as his ability to collaborate. In this new record, Tyler unveils a multitude of features, from Lil Wayne, Sexxy Red, Daniel Caesar, Childish Gambino (unlike IGOR, he listed the features on its debut release on all streaming platforms).

CHROMAKOPIA is already considered to have multiple fan favorites, but not necessarily because it is Tyler’s new music, but because it feels like an evolved version of previous albums. He takes his established strengths, and mixes them with new ideas, into an entirely different version of Tyler.

The album opens up with “St. Chroma,” which features Toronto singer Daniel Caesar. This song begins with a heavy drum roll, mixed with whispered singing and effects that builds into a beautiful pitch with a fantastic background chorus. The song then flips, going into more of a drill beat, emphasizing the diversity the album offers the public and how hype Tyler, The Creator can really get.

In the song “Like Him,” we hear Lola Young’s euphoric voice alongside a chorus and samples. Sampling and arrangements are things that Tyler takes pride in, as he’s inspired by some of the best to do it, such as Frank Ocean and Drake. As he said in that interview with Zane Lowe, jazz is a genre that Tyler has always wanted to incorporate into his records, and he didn’t miss out on the opportunity to do it again in this album. In multiple tracks, jazz-influenced arrangements are incorporated, along with a plethora of instruments like drums, electric and bass guitar, keyboards, and more. By adding this, Tyler creates an immaculate melody and vibe that he consistently achieves in his work.

Songs such as “Judge Judy,”  “Darling, I,”  and “Tomorrow” flash their similarities to the R&B / soul that Tyler is known for, specifically his album Flower Boy from 2017, where his biggest hits such as “See You Again” and “911 / Mr. Lonely” are considered some of the best R&B / soul songs of this era.

Drifting away from the R&B theme, is the harder beat and stronger rapping in songs such as “Sticky,” “Thought I was Dead,” and “Rah Tah Tah.” These songs showcase Tyler’s skill on the mic, mixed with the talents in his lyrics and flow. The song “Sticky” features GloRilla, Sexxy Red and Lil Wayne, has the most features out of any song on the album, and already has over 16 million streams on Spotify. These songs show the similarities in IGOR and Flower Boy, where songs like “Who Dat Boy” and “New Magic Wand” project the powerful, heavier base and rapping that Tyler kills on stage.

Throughout each song, a diversity of fluid music, mixed with hand drums, heavier beats, a variety of different sounds, and intricate lyrics all are expertly crafted. In the song “Hey Jane” the emphasis is on an unplanned pregnancy, and managing the ups and downs that come with it. Tyler says: “Look, Jane, it’s your choice at the end of the day, Just know I’ll support either way, no pressure.”

In the song “Noid”, one of the most eccentric songs on the album, Tyler talks about his own safety, and his procedures he goes through out of paranoia. “I can’t even buy a home in private, Home invasions got my brother dyin’, Notice every car that’s drivin’ by, I think my neighbors want me dead.” From rhyming, to usage of imagery and metaphors, Tyler never fails to exceed expectations with his skills. His descriptions of danger and fear feel so incredibly real because of his talents and storytelling abilities.

Even though Tyler has one of the strongest catalogs in hip-hop and R&B, this is one of Tyler’s best, most intricate projects to date. It’s a record that you can listen to several times and uncover new aspects that you missed before, and it’s a record that showcases his strengths in top form. Listen to CHROMAKOPIA below via YouTube, or find it on all streaming services and read on to find out the details of Tyler, The Creator’s 2025 tour in support of CHROMAKOPIA, which comes to Wells Fargo Center on July 5th.

Tour Dates
* = Direct support from Lil Yachty
^ = Opening support from Paris Texas

North America Tour Dates
2/4 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center *^
2/6 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum *^
2/8 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center *^
2/11 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena *^
2/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena *^
2/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena *^
2/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena *^
2/23 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center *^
2/24 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena *^
2/26 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center *^
2/28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *^
3/2 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena *^
3/5 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center *^
3/7 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena *^
3/9 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego *^
3/12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center *^
3/15 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center *^
3/17 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center *^
3/19 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center *^
3/21 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *^
3/22 – Orlando, FL @ Kia Center ^
3/24 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center ^
3/26 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center *^
3/28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena *^
3/29 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center *^
4/1 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena *^
6/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center *^
6/28 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse *^
6/30 – Chicago, IL @ United Center *^
7/3 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena *^
7/5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *^
7/8 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden *^
7/11 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena *^
7/12 – Raleigh, NC @ Lenovo Center *^
7/14 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *^
7/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center *^
7/22 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *^
7/24 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *^
7/27 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center *^

UK/EU Tour Dates
4/25 – Antwerp, BE @ Sportpaleis *^
4/27 – Paris, FR @ Accor Arena *^
4/30 – Milan, IT @ Unipol Forum *^
5/1 – Zurich, CH @ Hallenstadion *^
5/2 – Frankfurt, DE @ Festhalle *^
5/4 – Cologne, DE @ LANXESS Arena *^
5/6 – Oslo, NO @ Oslo Spektrum *^
5/7 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena *^
5/9 – Prague, CZ @ O2 arena *^
5/10 – Krakow, PL @ TAURON Arena Krakow *^
5/12 – Berlin, DE @ Uber Arena *^
5/14 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome *^
5/17 – Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena Birmingham *^
5/19 – London, UK @ The O2 *^
5/21 – London, UK @ The O2 *^
5/24 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena *^
5/27 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live *^
5/30 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro *^

AU/NZ Tour Dates
8/18 – Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena *^
8/22 – Melbourne, VIC, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena *^
8/23 – Melbourne, VIC, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena *^
8/26 – Sydney, NSW, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena *^
8/27 – Sydney, NSW, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena *^
8/30 – Brisbane, QLD, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre *^
9/4 – Perth, WA, Australia @ RAC Arena *^