Tyler, the Creator occupies a rarefied space within mainstream music as a multi-hyphenated, critically acclaimed hip-hop artist in the mold of idols Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. His bona fides have been well established through a series of carefully constructed projects, but he continues to raise the stakes, ostensibly driven by an inherent need to prove his artistry, his eclecticism, or his relentless urge to push any and all boundaries.
Tyler’s eighth studio album, Chromakopia, is another intentionally messy exploration of tumultuous emotions, this time grappling with the complexities of an early midlife crisis in the public spotlight. The key phrase here is “intentionally messy,” a recurring trait in Tyler’s discography that serves as a convenient shield against criticisms that his lyrical content is, at times, a bit half-baked—such as his painfully simplistic and patronizing perspective on “middle-class” rappers pretending to be from the hood on “Take Your Mask Off.”
As usual, though, the harder that Tyler strains to assert his auteur credentials, the more overworked his compositions become. The album’s penchant for leftfield arrangements and genre switch-ups is intended to be exhilarating rather than exhausting. But when he aims for a straight-up banger, like the pep-rally wannabe “Sticky,” his try-hard sensibilities—layering in a brass section, a slew of truncated guest features delivering barely considered four-bar verses, and an extended outro—overwhelm any sense of excitement.
Similarly, “Noid” incorporates a Zamrock sample and some wild psych-rock guitars with little justification or payoff. The song, like many on Chromakopia, sacrifices catchiness and groove in the name of flexing Tyler’s idiosyncrasies. It feels like showmanship for its own sake.
When Tyler isn’t stretching himself thin or attempting to sound off the cuff, he can still conjure inspired, bravado-filled performances over frantically atonal beats. On “Balloon,” his pen game is sharp and his cadence is relaxed: “Why I can’t settle down? I like options/Why I hate small talk? I like topics.” Despite some of the clunkers littered throughout “Rah Tah Tah” (“Crib so damn big, I need a diaper and a sippy cup”), the hungry, give-no-fucks Tyler of the Goblin era is operating in full force here, his gruff voice traversing the track as if it’s ready to start a brawl.
But while Chromakopia aims for a multifaceted, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers-style self-critique—one that could rationalize the album’s thematic and formal chaos—Tyler remains unwilling to portray himself as anything other than a confused guy trying to figure it all out. There’s an abortion-themed suite of songs, from “Hey Jane” to “Judge Judy,” that, though sincere, approaches the issue in the most sanitized and insular way possible, with Tyler ultimately wondering aloud if he’ll ever settle down and have a family.
Tyler’s career arc—from enfant terrible of the alternative rap scene to respected MC and producer—is inspirational, proving that the limitations that others wish to impose on you are just noise. Yet, he’s also shown time and again that his reach exceeds his grasp. Tyler’s ambitions on Chromakopia are grand, but the album attempts to do a lot while saying little.
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Please never rate music in your life again
You rated the Yeat album higher than this??
To write this album has little to say without speaking about “Like Him” or “I Killed You”… should I be surprised a lot of this didn’t land for “Paul” ?
Best reviewer in the world (no)
I’m a Caucasian white guy telling you that I related in some fashion to every single song on this album. If you can’t grasp that the intentional mess is also the beauty of Rhythm & Poetry, don’t review it. You unfortunately don’t seem to have perspective for individuals’ situations.
Brother whom has written this review is getting calcinated in the replies of said review.
(keeping it formal for the suits who run the magazine)
This a lazy, objectively poor review. You label Judge Judy as an abortion song??? You fail to even bring up the meanings of the tracks “Like Him”, “I Killed You”, and “Tomorrow”?
Feels like this review was written just to get it out in time to catch the hype of the album. Anyone who’s listened to the album more than twice would be able to point out the flaws in this, but I guess that’s too much effort for a 53 min album.
I refuse to believe paul listened to chormakopia