Since the release of Tyler, The Creator’s last project CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST in 2021 and the subsequent deluxe version in 2023, fans have been eagerly waiting for another full-fledged album. With only two features since 2021, there’s been vast amounts of speculation regarding when his next project would start to roll out. That speculation stopped abruptly on Oct. 16, 2024, when Tyler dropped a surprise teaser for his eighth studio album. The day after that, he posted the album cover on Instagram along with a release date: Oct. 28. Titled Chromakopia, the countdown to the new Tyler album had officially begun. But where has he been, and how has his career led to this?
Then: The Odd Future Days
As celebrated as Tyler Okonma is today, his beginning in the collective hip-hop group Odd Future was a much more controversial start. The group’s first mixtape, The Odd Future Tape Vol. 1, was released in 2008 with shocking lyrics and production. It was a bold debut from the group that, for better or worse, gathered enough attention to put them on the map.
In 2009, Tyler released his first solo mixtape Bastard under the artist name Tyler, The Creator. It has controversial lyrics throughout, but the trademark creativity and unrelenting candour present on this record led to its eventual inclusion on Rolling Stone’s list of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Two years later, Tyler released his first studio album Goblin, receiving largely positive reviews with music magazine Pitchfork rating it an eight out of ten. To this day, “Yonkers” and “She” remain two of his biggest songs.
2012 was arguably Tyler’s biggest year yet. This year saw the first Camp Flog Gnaw, Tyler’s now yearly music festival, as well as the conception of his clothing company GOLFWANG, which now has stores in Europe and the United States. Odd Future put out their second project The OF Tape Vol. 2 garnering mixed reviews from Anthony Fantano, the internet’s busiest music nerd, giving the album a light 4. Yet regardless of critical reception, no one could deny Tyler’s odd but endearing personality which made him a standout member of the bunch. With Odd Future members Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt focusing on their solo careers, Tyler started doing the same. He was quickly paving his way to dominating the culture one step at a time.
His Solo Breakout
With his solo body of work becoming his sole focus, Tyler began further exploring the idea of having distinct eras with unique personas. In 2013 he released Wolf, which follows a boy attending Camp Flog Gnaw (a fictional summer camp). Wolf highlighted Tyler’s storytelling abilities, a strength he has continued developing throughout his career. While at release it wasn’t received with overwhelming positivity, in recent years it’s had a renaissance in hip-hop circles. Personally, “IFHY,” from the album is one of my favourite songs he’s put out to date.
With Tyler’s albums up to this point all following a similar sound, it was time to shake things up. In 2015 Tyler got explosive with Cherry Bomb. Featuring two mainstream artists Kanye West and Lil Wayne on “Smuckers,” it debuted to divisive reviews with many hating it initially. However, the discussion for the first time shifted away from his shocking lyrics, to his bold production. A shift Tyler is seemingly happy about, saying this era has some of his best instrumental work.
After the impersonal and grungy Cherry Bomb left people conflicted, Tyler once again went left when everyone thought he’d go right. 2017’s Flower Boy was a side of Tyler many didn’t expect, especially following the release of albums like Goblin. Flower Boy reinvented the public’s perception of Tyler as both a musician and person, discussing his sexuality openly and honestly throughout the album. In the song “Garden Shed” he hints at being a gay man for the first time. Tyler’s soft sound and lyrics on Flower Boy reveal a side of Tyler listeners hadn’t heard before and it resonated with audiences. This album continued to build upon his developing legacy with his first Grammy nomination and was recently placed at 92 on Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time list.
A year after Flower Boy, Tyler teamed up with Illumination for The Grinch. Releasing an EP for the movie, Tyler started to become a household name. I still don’t think “Lights On” gets enough credit as a catchy holiday song.
IGOR
This one deserves its own section. In 2019 IGOR was an album nobody—not even Tyler’s diehard fans—saw coming. Entirely self-written and produced, it proved to anyone who still doubted the creative force that is Tyler, the Creator and showcased his capability to craft a masterpiece of any genre. IGOR secured Tyler’s first Grammy for rap album of the year and No. 1 debut.
IGOR spins a story of heartbreak and unreciprocated love. Following the titular Igor as he’s trapped in a love triangle, Tyler shares his pain of loving a man who’s in love with another woman. “Are We Still Friends” is a powerful closing song, featuring Igor lamenting over a potential romance that’ll never come to fruition. This song is an ironic contrast to the album it completes, which saw Tyler finally fulfilling his artistic potential that many knew was there from the start.
Now: Chromakopia is Coming
Tyler’s second most recent album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, gave him his second Grammy and No. 1 album spot. Delivering a laid-back project that sounds closer to his mixtape days, it was the perfect album for the summer it was released. Debuting Sir Budelaire, a new persona with a distinct style, Tyler began putting more effort into his fashion brand around this time. Collaborations with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton saw him entering a new phase of artistry outside of music.
Part of this era was almost looking like the end of ‘Tyler, the Creator;’ in the “SORRY NOT SORRY” music video, Tyler expresses regret over various aspects of his life, killing all of his past personas both literally and metaphorically one by one. Ending with the savage beating of Sir Baudelaire by Tyler Okonma himself, it left fans wondering what to expect next.
Thankfully, you don’t have to wonder anymore. Releasing snippets, a music video, travelling shipping containers, a single, and a world tour all within the span of a few days, Tyler has the world’s attention. Featuring a new sound with sepia-toned themes of paranoia, he’s rolled out the red carpet for himself flawlessly.
Looking back on his career, Tyler’s evolution as an artist is truly distinct (much like his infectious personality), as he manages to continually reinvent himself with each era. I know I’ll be listening to Chromakopia the minute it releases on Oct. 28, and I’m beyond excited to explore the world Tyler has created with this project.