Released on Monday, October 28th, Tyler The Creator, a popular rap and hip-hop artist, riled up old and new fans. Many speculated that Frank Ocean, a popular pop/R&B music artist who hasn’t released music in several years, would be featured on the album. Sadly, he was not one of the thirteen features, but this album is still one hundred percent worth a listen.
Normally, artists release music on the weekends, but Tyler explains why he chose to release the album on a Monday morning in an interview with Nardwaur. The typical midnight release wasn’t adequate for the spunky artist, who wanted to attract more listeners. The target audience was those who work and attend school.
The album is a thrilling storyteller. Each song shares a personal part of his life, including home invasions, pregnancy scares, and reflections on his relationship with his father, who was not present during his childhood. Some noteworthy songs on the album include St. Chroma, Sticky, and Noid. These three tracks are the most popular on the album; however, some honorable mentions include Like Him featuring Lola Young and Balloon featuring Doechii.
The first track, St. Chroma opens with Tyler’s mom’s voice which made me want to know more. It felt like she was about to tell a great story about perseverance and hardships when she told the listeners to “dim your light for nobody.” The screams in the beginning verses make the song hauntingly beautiful and the lyrics “I’m gon make it promise I’m gon make it out” and “I just need this time to myself to figure me out out, do I keep the light on or do I gracefully bow out?” speak greatly on Tyler’s personal growth. Tyler released a snippet of St. Chroma in a music video featuring the vocals of popular R&B artist Daniel Ceasar to hype up the album’s full release. Caesar adds stylistic and legato solos overlaying the main melody adding a contrasting tone to the already intense and dystopian song. Starting in a march tempo or duple meter (the proper musical term) isn’t typical for a rap song, nonetheless, it enhances that dystopian feel. The song progresses with more instrumentals and vocals that continuously build on one another until about halfway through the song when the beat finally drops and everything blends perfectly. With beats that make you want to headbang and chilling voices that send shivers down your spine, St. Chroma is the perfect song to add to your hype playlist.
The third track Noid, released as the lead single, is about Tyler’s paranoia as a celebrity. In the beginning, unique synth rhythms sound like laser beams and female vocals sing the word “paranoid” repeatedly. The transition into a much darker tone begins after the first ten seconds of the song with only a drum set and guitar being used, which emphasizes the lyrics. The sampled verse from a Zambian group from the 1980s adds depth and sophistication to this song that’s uncommon in other songs of his. I recommend listening to this song with headphones because the song uses bilateral aspects, for example, the lyrics “left shoulder, right shoulder, left shoulder, look” play in your left and right ear when Tyler sings about the left and right shoulder. This technique was executed perfectly and makes you feel like someone is saying left shoulder right shoulder into your ears. Towards the song’s end, the instrumentals feel airy and euphoric. Different synthesizers are used to create a mellow sound that you can feel in your chest. Although the sound is more mellow, the lyrics “someone’s keeping watch I feel them on my shoulder” and “someone’s in my shadow” develop the paranoia he’s feeling as the song progresses. This song is great and worth a spot on one of your playlists.
The eighth track, Sticky, is unique from start to finish. According to Tyler, the song was arranged so a marching band could use it in sporting events. Tyler posted on X in response to Jackson State’s arrangement of the song, where he felt proud of the impact Sticky has left on people so far.
The song features trumpets, trombones, drums, tubas, flutes, oboes, saxophones, and three vocalists whose vocals imitate a cheerleader’s voice. Enhancing the song’s diversity, Sticky features GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne who insert their spunk and flare. The song’s upbeat and intense tone makes you feel like you’re at a rivalry football game. When the female vocalists sing “it’s gettin’ sticky” continuously in between each verse in the song to hype up the listeners, it gets stuck in your head and becomes a tune that you start singing out loud accidentally. I can wholeheartedly say that Sticky is going to be sticking on my hype playlist this year.
Overall, this album has a lot of depth in both the instrumental production and lyrics. Although it is not as big as his previous albums IGOR and CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, it still captures the essence of who Tyler The Creator is as an artist, producer, and lyricist. I recommend checking this album out. Even if you don’t enjoy Tyler’s music, I believe there is at least one song on this album for everyone.