‘I Hope You Take Your Mask Off’: Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Chromakopia’ Tells All

Tyler the Creator performing at the Brooklyn Army Terminal./Serena Edwards

By Serena Edwards

 

   On Oct. 28, Tyler, the Creator–the Grammy-winning rapper and producer–released his eighth album, “CHROMAKOPIA.” The album has fourteen songs featuring artists such as Doechii, Lola Young, Daniel Caesar, Teezo Touchdown, and many more. The album has hit number one in the United States and has taken over the top five spots on the charts. Though underestimated in the past by his rap peers, Chromakopia stands as a testament that Tyler is a true rap artist, tackling important social–and even personal–issues. 

Tyler, the Creator has self-produced all of his albums and is known for his outgoing, yet quirky, performances and personality. “Chromakopia” had many visuals for the promotion of the album’s release. It featured the singles “st chroma,” “NOID,” and “THOUGHT I WAS DEAD” to get the audience excited for the release.” The promotion videos for the album set the tone for the energy of the album.

   In 2020 and 2022, he won a Grammy for “Best Rap Album.” Many felt he didn’t deserve the win because he didn’t perform how the “normal” rapper would. During his tours, he had a dynamic stage set, including dancers walking disorderly while Tyler made exaggerated facial expressions.

   Tyler, the Creator has been making music for thirteen years. However, he has only been recognized for his three latest albums. Oftentimes, Tyler would be overlooked by his counterparts because of his unique approach to rap. His albums talk about experiences that are relatable contrary to other rappers; he is realistic and doesn’t paint a fantasy of how others would like to live. This made him stand out and caused him to be pushed out of the rap categories and into other categories that didn’t fit his music genre.

   The album “Chromakopia” touched on multiple topics such as sexuality, the absence of a father figure, and growing up. The narrative driving the album is one of growth. For most of his life, Tyler had to wear a mask when it came to his experiences and who he was as a person. Turning thirty changed his mindset on a lot of the perspectives he previously had in his life. The first half of his album has more upbeat music, representing who Tyler had to portray to society, but the tone shifts after the song “Take your mask off.” The rest of the songs discuss the negative experiences he had in his 20s and how those shaped him. 

   The song “Like Him” touched on Tyler always being compared to his father, though his father was never present in his life. Listeners later find out that this was due to his mother’s decision to keep the father out of Tyler’s life. This is a monumental moment, in interviews and his previous song “Answer,” he had initially thought it was his father’s decision. 

Vanguard Chromakopia Graphic./Courtesy of chromakopia.com generator

   “Take your mask off” talks about putting on a persona and fighting with who you truly are. One of the lyrics states, “They had you thinking God would hate you, so you covered it up.” This lyric talks about Tyler’s sexuality and how he had to act straight for many years until he accepted who he was and came out, which is also exemplified in the lyric, “Gotta hide how you live and what you really enjoy.” This song resonated with a lot of the fanbase because of how raw and true it was.

  “Like Him” is being used as a TikTok trend for Gen-Z to show the similarities between them and their astray father. The song, which went viral due to the social media trend, has been viewed with a sense of relatability and coping with the absence of a missing father.

  To celebrate the release of the album, Tyler held pop-up shows across the U.S. for five dollars. He has since played at shows in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Boston. On Nov. 2, he posted on his Instagram story that he was going to be performing a pop-up concert at Brooklyn Army Terminal; The Vanguard attended Tyler’s Nov. 5 pop-up. Fans entered the Terminal and were greeted with food trucks, as well as a miniature statue of the artist. Tyler came out on top of a bright green, elevator cargo box. The performance lasted only 30 minutes, but Tyler performed his entire album save for one song. 

  Throughout the performance, he took time to talk to his fans, thanking them for listening to the album and sticking with him for the 13 years that he’s been making music. Tyler is set to go on tour next year and has four New York City dates, two at Madison Square Garden as well as Barclays Center. One thing is for sure: even as Tyler is becoming increasingly popular, he has remained true to his roots. 

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