By now, music lovers have grown accustomed to their favorite artists unleashing new music at midnight ET on Friday. Ever the trendsetter, Tyler, The Creator is here to shake that up before 2024 closes, starting the week off with a bang by dropping his highly anticipated Chromakopia LP on Monday, Oct. 28. As Vulture notes, fans of the California-born artist haven’t been expecting new music since his headlining performances at Coachella back in the spring, at which time Tyler announced he had no new music planned for the year.
Nevertheless, his 14-track effort, Chromakopia is here, and while the exact feature listing isn’t available on Spotify yet, it’s been confirmed that The Creator connected with some of the most creative names in music to complete his masterpiece. He may have had help with lyrics on some titles, but the album was produced almost entirely by Tyler alone, save for the opening track – “St. Chroma” – which Inflo helped with.
Frank Ocean Didn’t Make the Tracklist, but Canadian Daniel Caesar Appears on Several Songs
Besides Inflo’s help with the beat, Tyler, The Creator also had help from Canadian vocalist Daniel Caesar on “St. Chroma,” which introduces us to the project’s main themes. Online, theorists think the OFWGKTA leader could be referencing Chroma the Great from Norton Juster’s classic children’s story, “The Phantom Tollbooth,” which would align with the monochromatic color scheme in the “St. Chroma” visual.
As Caesar’s voice rings out, “Can you feel the light?” things begin to brighten in the final seconds, hinting at what’s to come over the following songs. Other confirmed appearances from the Freudian hitmaker on Chromakopia include vocals on “Take Your Mask Off” (written by The Creator, Greg Cook and K. Thomas) as well as a writing credit for “Tomorrow,” which he doesn’t sing on. Longtime listeners of Tyler were surprised that longtime friend Frank Ocean didn’t make an appearance on the LP, but many are just as satisfied with Caesar’s contributions.
Femcees Like Doechii, GloRilla and Sexyy Red All Came Through To Help Tyler
The past few years in particular have been big for female rap, and Tyler, The Creator made sure to recruit some of our favorite ladies for Chromakopia. Top Dawg Entertainment superstar Doechii shows out on “Balloon,” penning the track with help from Harry Wayne Casey, James Brown, Luke, Rick Finch and Rob Base. Elsewhere, Sexyy Red and GloRilla came through with bars for arguably the most infectious song on the tracklist, “Sticky,” which also boasts a Lil Wayne verse. “Standin’ like ovation on business occupation / Drippin’ condensation, gotta whisper conversations,” the Young Money boss rhymes near the end of the collab.
ScHoolboy Q, Childish Gambino and Teezo Touchdown Also Shine on ‘Chromakopia’
After growing up on the West Coast, Tyler still has plenty of California love in his heart. Two artists that hail from the same area, ScHoolboy Q and Childish Gambino, hit the studio with the Igor artist for “Thought I Was Dead” and “I Killed You” respectively. Elsewhere, the Community actor has been credited with vocals on “Judge Judy,” another particularly catchy track from Chromakopia. Finally, after finding success on Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator and Teezo Touchdown linked up again, this time for “Darling I,” which credits Barry White as a writer.
Have you listened to the new album yet? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
