The “Two Year Rule” is a principle that has haunted popular musicians for several years. The unwritten rule stipulates that an artist must wait two years after releasing a project before beginning to release their next. There are few artists who follow the law as closely as Tyler Okonma, better known as Tyler, the Creator. Among his first six studio albums and a 2023 deluxe release, there is a two year gap between each. Just last month, for the first time in his career, Okonma finally broke the rule, and released “CHROMAKOPIA,” a brand new project, on Oct. 28. Thankfully, the quicker release is not representative of lower quality.
The album, with 14 songs, is full of symbolism and nods to Okonma’s previous work. One particularly significant piece is the release date. “CHROMAKOPIA” was released on the 37th birthday of Okonma’s fellow artist and friend, Frank Ocean. Ocean was a member of “Odd Future,” a now broken-up band that Okonma led. Like Okonma, Ocean has been praised for his experimental and emotional writing and production. Despite his success both in Odd Future and as a solo artist, Ocean has not showcased a song since the Christmas of 2021, which has led fans to wonder what he is doing now and how his relationships with his more active bandmates are. He was one of many artists that were speculated to be on the album, yet were absent, as well as Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. Although the Oct. 28 release date confirms nothing, it does call for speculation. Despite not being present on any song in the project, fans have said that Ocean’s style of singing is emulated by other artists on tracks like “St. Chroma (feat. Daniel Caesar)” and “Judge Judy.” It has not been stated by Okonma or any featured artists whether the similarities are intentional or not.
As for the songs themselves, they have an immense range in theme from track to track. This is reflective of the title of the album, “CHROMAKOPIA.” The made-up word, based on its Greek and Latin origins, essentially means “many colors” or “abundance of colors.” This is representative of the tonal variety between each track. “Like Him (feat. Lola Young),” for example, explores Okonma’s complicated feelings about his absent father and the similarities between the two that his mother often points out. “Sticky (feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne)” focuses more on the kinds of things Okonma rapped about in his earliest songs, such as crime and partying. The abundance of colors is not a gradient, though. “Balloon,” among the album’s simpler songs, is placed just before the sentimental finale and just after the aforementioned “Like Him.”
This seemingly random placement of tracks is indicative of another large concept of the album. The songs essentially represent Okonma’s pain and grief, and then covering those feelings up with partying and excitement. This is also shown in the music videos where the sudden transition from slow, introspective pieces to party anthems is paired with a switch from black and white to color. This form of coping is why Okonma wears a symbolic mask, hiding his insecurities and sadness, on the album cover, music videos and live shows.
Beyond the lyrical content of the songs, the quality of the music itself is not lacking either. Each song gets its message across effectively, while also serving as a great track to listen to. Tyler, The Creator’s seventh album, “CHROMAKOPIA” is a boast of musical skill and improvement from the young artist, capturing at least one element from each of his previous projects and combining them into a unique experience. No two songs on the album feel the same as each other. “Noid,” a track about Okonma feeling paranoid about being in the public eye, is among the songs representative of the side of himself that he hides. It is fast paced and frantic, while “Like Him” is slow and soulful. Even “Darling, I (feat. Teezo Touchdown),” in which Okonma is apologetic for his tendency to fall in love, or “I Hope You Find Your Way Home,” the final track of the album which includes an emotional voicemail from his mother, have rapping segments and adlibs such as “This that fire.”
Truly, Tyler Okonma is one of the most unique artists of the current generation. With projects ranging from crude, unapologetic albums like “Goblin” to Grammy-winning albums with intriguing plots like “Igor,” Tyler, The Creator has built a career for himself that creates nearly impossibly high expectations among fans. And, doubtless, those expectations were more than met with “CHROMAKOPIA.” Breaking a rule like the “Two Year Rule” is never simple for an artist like Okonma because it has had such an influence on his career. With his newest album, however, he has made it look easy. Blending elements from each era of Tyler, The Creator’s career, “CHROMAKOPIA” is a magnificent project that I would recommend to anybody with even the slightest interest in listening.
