![Album artwork for Chromakopia showing Tyler Okonma against [specific background details], featuring geometric typography and minimal color palette](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fdyh9ewjj%2Fproduction%2F0c372ab7f988d79e68ae8d38794ff693a5f5fcc3-1000x1000.webp%3Fw%3D1000%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
Tyler, The Creator
The album comes three years after "Call Me If You Get Lost" and was introduced through an enigmatic video for "St. Chroma".
The visual features a masked figure leading a procession through a colorless landscape toward a container marked with the album's title. What sets this release apart is its unconventional Monday release date, departing from the industry's typical Friday schedule, and its striking album cover, which notably uses Tyler's legal name, similar to his 2019 album "Igor".
The masked leader's distinctive hairstyle appears to be Amasunzu, a traditional Rwandan haircut that has largely vanished following colonialism and civil conflict. This style manipulates afro-textured hair into geometric crescents alternating with shaved sections, historically serving as tactical maps for Rwandan rulers and warriors navigating wartime escape routes through mountains and plains.
In Rwandan culture, the Amasunzu carried different meanings based on gender. For men, it represented power, courage, and nobility, typically adopted with age and experience. Women wore it as a symbol of unmarried status and virginity, letting their hair grow freely after marriage. The style's versatility is evident in its more than 30 variations, which often featured in village competitions.
The Greek word "Chroma" means color, while "Kopia" translates to separate, leading fans to analyze potential meanings. Some theorists connect the album to "The Phantom Tollbooth", citing similarities between Tyler's character and Chroma The Great, the fictional orchestra conductor who colors the world. The track's closing bridge has sparked debate about whether it features Daniel Caesar or Frank Ocean.
While these theories remain unconfirmed until the album's release, the video's stark imagery and cultural references suggest themes exploring heritage, tradition, and identity. The line "give a fuck about traditions, stop impressin' the dead" hints at a complex relationship with cultural inheritance, possibly reflecting Tyler's Nigerian ancestry.
Maya Torelli
Straddling the worlds of art and communication, this creative professional established People in 2009, a content agency specializing in the fusion of words and visuals. Over the years, her work has spanned a variety of projects, including magazines and documentary films. Beyond her commercial endeavors, she dedicates herself to exploring the nature of imagery, with a particular focus on its interplay with other media forms, especially music. Her passion for music not only fuels her writing but also deeply influences her work as a filmmaker, shaping both her documentaries and video installations. With a voracious appetite for knowledge across philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and various scientific disciplines, she weaves these diverse interests into a unique, interdisciplinary approach to content creation, perspective-taking, and writing.