It all starts with Tyler’s mom saying – Bonita Smith – so that he will never extinguish the light that is within him. These words literally picture to us what we will hear later. On this album, Tyler fully devoted himself to his creativity and broke all the conventions that apply to rappers. What’s more, he did it perfectly.
Despite everything, known for his jazz inserts and pop sounds, he has outdone himself on this album. The diversity of individual songs is enormous, but the most fascinating thing is how coherent it all is with each other. The hands join in applause.
Opener “CHROMOCOPY” piece “St. “Chroma” it’s a summary of the path he went through to be able to unfasten his roller skates later in the album – and so it happens. Plus the iconic lines “Can you feel the light inside? Can you feel that fire?” guest sung by Daniela Caesarset us in the right mood for the entire album. It’s really hard to find a better intro.
Then we smoothly move on to what we already know well from Tyler, i.e. more aggressive rap in ““Rah Tah Tah”. Later in the disc we also get: “Thought I Was Dead” with guest participation ScHoolboy Q and intro by Santigold. These are the heavier moments that keep the album bordering on rap.
And all this to then go back to a slower one “Noida” with guest participation Willow. These two things will be repeated constantly: a lot of guests who, more or less, contributed, and a sometimes drastic variety of songs on the album, which I have already mentioned. In “Noid” his mother speaks again, and here we also have a flagship example of Tyler’s brilliant sampling. The way he incorporated the fragment “Nizakupanga Ngozi” Zambian team Ngozi Family from fifty years ago, it is spectacular. I won’t even mention the beatswitch…
What I like most, however, are the slightly soulful moments that echo in the choruses.“Take Your Mask Off” and closing the disc “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”. The first one is, of course, a reference to “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” from the legendary “IGOR”. Daniel Caesar appears among the guests again, his voice perfectly matching “CHROMACOPY”. “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” refers in turn to the previous “Call Me If You Get Lost” and the motif of returning to the family home, which lyrically plays the first violin on this album.
Even though the number of guests can be multiplied (e.g. the song ““Sticky” and guest verses Lil Wayne, sexyEd and GloRilli), the lack of Frank Ocean, the collab with which Tyler’s fans have been waiting since “Flower Boy” from 2017, may leave us unsatisfied. This galaxy of stars is, after all, surprising and I think that reconciling them all on the album so that they do not overwhelm the host – Tyler, is impressive.
When a mysterious video with the words “CHROMACOPY” appeared on Tyler’s social media in mid-October, everyone knew what was coming. In true Kendrick Lamar fashion, Tyler released the entire album two weeks later. However, it must be admitted that Tyler, the Creator made his comeback in brilliant style.
I will repeat it once again, “CHROMAKOPIA” is a complete album, going beyond all limits and difficult to pigeonhole. Tyler the Creator has made history once again.
Tyler, the Creator “CHROMAKOPIA”, Columbia Records