Tyler, the Creator has reached a moment of sincere introspection and consideration. On his new album Chromakopia, the ever-evolving rapper and producer appears to focus on more personal and socially situational topics on several of his songs. While emotional depth isn’t a new feature in Tyler’s lyrics (see tracks like “Answer” off his second album Wolf, “Forward” off his sonically dynamic Flower Boy and so much of his album Igor), his increased awareness of both himself and those around him on new tracks such as “Judge Judy” and “Hey Jane” show Tyler’s thoughts and perspectives from a different angle.

As Tyler explores topics and themes on these songs such as judging others, unexpected pregnancies and abortion, listeners hear him touch on aspects of life and growth that they may not have heard before. On his previous album, Call Me If You Get Lost, while he did explore subject matter that showed his continuous maturation and that of his art, he also used it as an opportunity to celebrate his achievements and rise as an artist. Now, on Chromakopia, he has shown that as he progresses as a person, different ideas and concerns are present on his mind to the extent that he obviously finds them to be worthy of addressing with his music and craft, something every Tyler, the Creator fan knows is extremely precious to him.

As he has been doing for some time now, Tyler leads and flourishes this new album with strong, flavorful beats that flow with a smoothness only overshadowed by their high degree of simultaneous sonic adventure and confidence. It’s clear upon an initial listen that the rhythmically cued instruments and samples are meticulously placed and paced in such a way that gives it a feeling not of effortlessness, but rather of painstaking attention to detail, the type of artistic attention that always pays off. While this project is very different from his last it certainly does reflect its predecessor in the way that listening through the album from front to back feels like a seamless connection of songs.

This album feels like a step into the thoughts and regards of a more recent Tyler, an artist who has clearly developed from nearly every project to the next. Chromakopia is serious but often playful and still quite brash, as Tyler has always been.

Where Tyler does come up a short on Chromakopia is a piece of his repertoire he hasn’t particularly seemed to struggle with until now, and that he may not even be aware of or taking into account: his lyrical technique as a rapper, as well as his all-around rapping abilities. His rhyme schemes and connection of words might feel slightly off for those familiar with what he is typically capable of on a technical level, and that’s a fair assessment. An example of this is when he is using the technique of near rhymes, but utilizing in a way that is a bit overly-loosened.

Take this excerpt from his song “Balloon” featuring Doechii:

Got my brothers here, we the Wayans
Not my only girl, but you my favorite
I’ve been flyin’ high, where’s the pavement?
Enough of me, can I get an amen?

Many of the bars on this album are similar to these and come across as rather careless. In this way, while Tyler’s content and beats are progressing, his lyrical dexterity and quality seems to have waned.

Perhaps what is always most interesting about Tyler, the Creator, however, is what type of album he will release next.

Order Chromakopia by Tyler, The Creator HERE