Top Five Hidden Easter Eggs in Tyler, the Creator’s New Album ‘Chromakopia’

After a week filled with anticipation, Tyler, the Creator’s latest album, Chromakopia, made its debut on streaming platforms on Monday, October 28. This new release is his seventh studio album, following the acclaimed Grammy Award-winning Call Me If You Get Lost released in 2021.

Chromakopia features 14 tracks showcasing a rich tapestry of sampled production elements, including the song “Nizakupanga Ngozi,”a classic from the 1977 Zambian rock band Ngozi Family, as well as contributions from Paul Ngozi.

Although the streaming platforms do not specify a list of featured artists, several prominent musicians lend their talents across the album. The full tracklist detailing collaborations and features for Tyler’s new work is as follows:

St. Chroma (feat. Daniel Caesar)
Rah Tah Tah
Noid (feat. Paul Ngozi and WILLOW)
Darling, I (feat. Teezo Touchdown)
Hey Jane
I Killed You (feat. Childish Gambino)
Judge Judy (feat. Childish Gambino)
Sticky (feat. GloRilla, Lil Wayne, and Sexyy Red)
Take Your Masks Off (feat. Daniel Caesar)
Tomorrow
Thought I Was Dead (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
Like Him (feat. Baby Keem)
Balloon (feat. Doechii, Luke, Daniel Caesar)
I Hope You Find Your Way Home

Limited Edition Vinyl Bonus Tracks:

Mother
Thought I Was Dead (feat. Playboi Carti)

Despite the hopes of Odd Future enthusiasts for a reunion, Frank Ocean is noticeably absent from the features on Chromakopia.

Exploring Hidden Gems in Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Chromakopia’

While the tone of the album leans darker, its concept includes intriguing elements worth diving into. Here are five hidden gems to discover as you explore Chromakopia.

1) Samples Featured on Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Chromakopia’

Screenshot of Tyler, the Creator's music video for 'NOID' (Image via YouTube/@TylerTheCreator) — Screenshot of Tyler, the Creator’s music video for ‘NOID’ (Image via YouTube/@TylerTheCreator)

Throughout the 53-minute duration of Chromakopia, listeners encounter a diverse array of productions influenced by hip-hop, funk, and R&B.

Tyler, the Creator’s admiration for Kanye West’s sampling style—as seen in his inspiration for the track I Ain’t Got Time! (2017)—is evident as he incorporates a variety of compelling samples on this album. Below is a complete list of sampled records:

Ngozi Family and Paul Ngozi – Nizakupanga Ngozi (used in ‘Noid’)
QTip – Vibrant Thing (used in ‘Darling, I’)
Young Buck – Get Buck (used in ‘Sticky’)
Uncle Luke – I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo Brown) (used in ‘Balloon’)
Rob Base – It Takes Two (used in ‘Balloon’)

2) Bonita Smith’s Contributions on ‘Chromakopia’

Tyler, the Creator at the Grammy Awards with his mother Bonita Smith — Tyler, the Creator accepts the Best Rap Album Grammy for “Igor” alongside his mother, Bonita Smith, on January 26, 2020, in Los Angeles (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Throughout Chromakopia, listeners can catch spoken-word interludes by a woman believed to be his mother, Bonita Smith, featured on several tracks:

St. Chroma
Take Your Mask Off
Tomorrow
Mother
Like Him
Balloon

During the album listening event in Los Angeles, Tyler expressed how his mother’s insights influenced the overall theme of the record, sharing:

“The album kinda just turned into me taking a bunch of sh*t my mom told me as a kid. Now that I’m 33, all that stuff is like, Oh… that’s what the f**k she was talking about.”

3) Kendrick Lamar Mention in ‘Rah Tah Tah’

Hailing from Inglewood, Tyler, the Creator shares his roots with Compton’s Kendrick Lamar, and both rappers have mutually recognized each other’s artistic contributions. They were even featured in the music video for 2023’s The Hillbillies, alongside Baby Keem.

Tyler also joined Lamar on stage at the Pop Out: Ken & Friends Concert last June, performing tracks like Wusyaname and EARFQUAKE. In Chromakopia, Tyler references Kendrick in his last verse on the track “Rah Tah Tah.”

“I had that S dome, was gettin’ pressed and almost packed out (Where you from?) / Me and Lionel Boyce in drama class, my boy can act now (Mm) / It’s really Odd Future, all them other niggas whacked out / The biggest out the city after Kenny, that’s a fact now”- Tyler, the Creator raps on ‘Rah Tah Tah’.

4) Parenthood Reflections in ‘Hey Jane’

Track five, “Hey Jane,”alluding to a healthcare provider offering abortion services in New York, explores themes around an unintended pregnancy.

The poignant lyrics convey the emotional strife Tyler and his partner faced in making decisions about parenthood, as illustrated by lines such as:

“How could I be reckless? This ain’t my lifestyle / Never had no scare in my life ’til now / Ain’t in the space to raise no goddamn child / Hey, Jane, I’m terrified, petrified / I don’t wanna give my freedom up, or sanitize it / This my fault, the results are justified / I f–ked up, I’m stressed out, I’m dead inside”

5) Tyler’s Ferrari Highlighted in ‘I Hope You Find Your Way Home’

Screenshot of Tyler, the Creator's music video for 'St. Chroma' (Image via YouTube/@TylerTheCreator) — Screenshot of Tyler, the Creator’s music video for ‘St. Chroma’ (Image via YouTube/@TylerTheCreator)

One day prior to the album’s release, Tyler discussed his love for luxury items, notably his $4 million Ferrari, during a listening event for Chromakopia.

This mention of his Ferrari appears in “St. Chroma,”and he further references it in the last song, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home,”where he raps:

“Four million on that car, that’s not a Chevy / See, that’s my interest, so as of now, raisin’ a child is not on my wish list / Neither is bein’ a safety net for b—hes”

The eagerly awaited “Chromakopia World Tour”is set to begin on February 5, 2025, featuring major performances across North America, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

The tour will culminate with a grand finale on September 4, 2025, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

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