What makes good music? What separates the revolutionaries from the one-hit wonders? 

I find it important to dissect what we seek to answer these questions. 

Whose judgment is the right one? Is the experienced listener’s opinion more valuable than a casual listener’s?

When it’s all said and done, does music bring about greater unity or division?

A new era of Tyler, the Creator has ushered in both skeptics and fans with his eighth studio album, Chromakopia. 

I am infamous for being overly critical of almost every record I listen to the first time through. All of my current favorites didn’t resonate on my first listen. 

Music takes a while to grow on me it always has. 

This project was no different. On my first listen, I felt underwhelmed and mentally braced myself for the harsh reality of a shallow, less-than-interesting journey. 

Yet, the end product surprised me. 

Before discussing the music, I think it’s important to acknowledge the nuance in the criticism, specifically of the listening experience.  

Tyler is known for releasing music every other year, and his most recent album, Chromakopia, broke that pattern. 

This was his first yearly release since his Goblin debut in 2011. 

The rapid announcement and release made it feel like there was no time to process the new concept before it was already sitting in our laps. 

That’s one thing about Chromakopia that warped my listening experience.

It was so unexpected that it felt surreal, more like a fan edit than an official release.

Recently, Donald Glover did something similar. Known in the music industry as Childish Gambino, Glover released both “Atavista” and the soundtrack “Bando Stone and the New World” this past year. 

He hadn’t released anything since his 2016 project, “Awaken, My Love.” 

These incredible new records represented an end to his career under the alias Childish Gambino and served as a goodbye to his fans. 

This is not to say that anyone is expecting Tyler to quit music in a similar way. 

If anything, Tyler’s latest album represents a new era of music and creative direction with his fresh persona, use of color, and feature choice. 

While some saw the hasty release as a genius marketing move, others believed it was a signifier that Chromakopia would be lazy and unproductive. 

This created a collective uneasiness before Chromakopia was even released. 

But really, what are we searching for with modern music? This worldwide expectation of new music goes beyond just catchy lyrics or mellow beats. 

Fundamentally, this is a good addition to his musical catalog.

Chromakopia is a warped familiarity, mixing Tyler’s past music with a dynamic new sound.

My main criticism about Chromakopia is that Tyler wasn’t pushing himself creatively. 

We know he can, we’ve seen him break musical barriers, making a name for himself as a standout artist. 

Even my 80s-loving mother will hum along to hits like Earfquake. 

Chromakopia’s tracks are certainly more relatable to a wider audience. Tyler, the Creator is leaning into his own universal experiences and rejecting the immature shock value that was incorporated in his earlier music. 

He is no longer yelling into a microphone or eating a cockroach online in order to get his sound out there. 

Tyler, the Creator has built an audience that listens to whatever he puts out, which allows for more experimentation and development. 

Although the album has relatable themes and messaging, critics have acknowledged this relatability as a reflection of surface-level inspiration. 

To me, Chromakopia was not Tyler’s best. There are some elements that feel rudimentary and misplaced. 

For example, Judge Judy is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard.

It’s unsure of itself, mellow but intense without any substance. The beat is fast and lazy; it’s a sound that’s been done over and over again. 

But here’s the thing: we deserve relatable music that gives listeners feelings of unity and connection. 

Relatability does not make something basic and thus lower quality. How do we determine whether someone is lacking inspiration or if we are lacking the ability to relate? 

This is the most real we’ve seen, or rather heard, Tyler, the Creator, in his career so far. He wears his metaphorical and physical mask to illustrate his commitment to authenticity, even through a veil.

One heartfelt addition to the album is his mother’s spoken features. 

Her contributions to the project make you feel as though you’re listening in on a private conversation as she narrates his misery and his struggle, highlighting a disconnect between his life and the people in it. 

“You are the light.”

His mother’s introduction kicks off the first song. Over time, her words devolve into warnings, advice, and counsel. 

Her last contribution in “Like Him” is a confession, an apology, and a vulnerable moment from a woman who has led the listening experience with her charisma.

The quiet shame in this moment contrasts the voice that had served as the listener’s anchor in an experimental and existential venture. 

And yet, this flavor of vulnerability is a major theme. The concept of blatant truth. In this way, this album is a vulnerable decision for both Tyler and his mother. 

Once Tyler’s mother is honest, she is freed from her metaphorical obligation to the project. That is his mother’s last addition to the album. 

The truth. 

This leads into the last track, Balloon, featuring Doechii. It is cheerful, upbeat, and angelic.

To me, Balloon represents the freedom of truly being known. It is the bravery to live authentically. 

In Chromakopia, Tyler looks into the face of shame, truth, and the audacity to live.

As an artist, Tyler, the Creator is under pressure to change his aesthetic with every new project.

Every ‘role’ or ‘character’ that he adopts shows a complete change in creative direction, from Goblin to Flowerboy to Igor to Chromakopia, there aren’t many rappers who change everything about themselves with every new release. 

Chromakopia is a new level of authenticity from an artist who made a name for himself by acting out of the norm. 

This vulnerability is under a greater level of observation as Tyler, The Creator seeks to not only be honest but to convince his audience that he is capable of this originality. 

This album may not be my favorite of Tyler, the Creator’s work. There are several songs that aren’t quite up to the standards of his past work. 

Yet, there’s something infectious about it. 

It’s optimistic and well done, even if it’s not exactly what fans and critics were anticipating with the new release of the album. 

Overall, Chromakopia did exactly what it came to do. It was a serious, but heartfelt deep dive into the personal side of a well-known and beloved music artist.