Balloon (Tyler, The Creator Song)

''Chromakopia'' is the eighth studio album by the American rapper Tyler, the Creator. It was released through Columbia Records on October 28, 2024, serving as the follow-up to ''Call Me If You Get Lost'' (2021). ''Chromakopia'' was written, produced, and arranged by Tyler himself. The album features guest appearances from Daniel Caesar, Doechii, GloRilla, LaToiya Williams, Lil Wayne, Lola Young, Santigold, Schoolboy Q, Sexyy Red, and Teezo Touchdown, with physical releases of the album additionally featuring Playboi Carti.

The album blends different genres like hip-hop, jazz, and soul, evocative of Tyler's previous releases ''Flower Boy'' (2017) and '' Igor'' (2019). Conceptually, ''Chromakopia'' is narrated by Tyler's mother, Bonita Smith, as a diary that pieces together Tyler's perspective on past timeline experiences separated by tracks. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the lyricism, cohesiveness, and production, and even noted its messy and confusing nature as a positive.

''Chromakopia'' was supported by the singles " Noid" and " Sticky", as well as two promotional singles, from " St. Chroma" and "Thought I Was Dead". The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one in nine countries. In the United States, the album debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200, earning Tyler his third US number-one album. Several other songs from the album also charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, such as "Noid" and "St. Chroma". In support of the album, Tyler embarked on Chromakopia: The World Tour in 2025.

Background and recording

On October 28, 2024, during Tyler, the Creator's ''Chromakopia'' exclusive listening event, Tyler revealed the meaning behind the album, noting that the album was originally about him growing up in Hawthorne, Inglewood. He revealed on stage that "no one knows anything about me from before I was like 17" and that the record turned into Tyler "taking a bunch of shit my mom told me as a kid." Tyler uploaded a video on his official YouTube channel titled "MASK IS OFF: CHROMAKOPIA" on November 12, 2024, which chronicles the creative process of the album, including behind-the-scenes clips from composition sessions, instrumentation arrangements and engineering work.

Composition

Music

Primarily a hip-hop, R&B, and jazz album, ''Chromakopia'' embraces eclectic instrumentation. It blends musical styles reminiscent of Tyler's fourth and fifth albums ''Cherry Bomb'' (2015) and ''Flower Boy'' (2017), such as neo soul melodies and synthesizer-based arrangements. Military cadences and soulful elements are also present on the album. This is Tyler's first album since his second studio album ''Goblin'' to not have the 10th track on the album feature multiple titles.

Themes and lyrics

''Chromakopia'' is narrated by Tyler's mother, Bonita Smith. Its concept was inspired by his experience growing up in Greater Los Angeles and the life lessons he learned from Smith as a child, that he began to understand and appreciate as he grew older. Before the album's release, publications speculated that the album could be based on the story of Chroma the Great, a powerful conductor whose orchestra creates the colors of the world, from the 1961 children's novel ''The Phantom Tollbooth''. '' Dork''s Jake Hawkes notes the character ties into the album's aesthetics, but has little impact on the lyrical material.

Smith describes him as the light and tells him to never dim his light for anyone. " Rah Tah Tah" features braggadocious lyrics, as Tyler declares himself as the biggest rapper from Los Angeles after Kendrick Lamar. " Noid", on the other hand, explores his anxieties with celebrity culture and parasocial relationships. In "Darling, I", featuring vocals by Teezo Touchdown, Tyler reflects on his artistic ambition and the practice of monogamy.

Titled after the abortion-related healthcare company, "Hey Jane" stages a conversation between Tyler and an anonymous, older woman in the wake of an unplanned pregnancy. ''Billboard''s Mackenzie Cummings-Grady wrote that on the record, Tyler "speaks on his consuming paranoia" while narrating his "desire for children".

Release and promotion

Provoked by Beyoncé's surprise release of her 2013 self-titled album, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) changed the day of the week when music is released worldwide from Tuesday to Friday. Tyler criticized the industry standard in a 2023 interview with Nardwuar, suggesting that it promotes "passive listening". He chose to release ''Chromakopia'' on Monday, October 28, 2024, at 6 a.m.  ET.

Trucks and shipping containers promoting ''Chromakopia'' were spotted in various cities across the U.S., including Tyler, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbus, Philadelphia, Roswell, Phoenix, Hawthorne (Tyler's hometown), and Los Angeles. Shortly after the video for "St. Chroma" released, the phone number [phone], which was previously used as promotion for ''Call Me If You Get Lost'', was changed to a voicemail concerning the "Chromakopia Trucking Company", where a voice said that all the company's drivers were unavailable and to call later. One day before its release, Tyler held an album listening party at Intuit Dome.

Singles

On October 16, 2024, Tyler posted a teaser for ''Chromakopia''s opening track, "St. Chroma", on his social media accounts. He revealed the album's name, release date, and cover art the following day. The album's lead single, "Noid", was released on October 21. The following single, " Sticky" featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne, was released to rhythmic contemporary radio stations on November 12. A teaser for its eleventh track, "Thought I Was Dead", was shared on October 26. Three more songs were teased in a promotional video for the album's limited edition vinyl.

Tour

Chromakopia: The World Tour was announced on October 23, 2024, with additional shows announced October 29, 2024. Promoted by AEG Presents, the tour will feature Lil Yachty and Paris Texas as supporting acts, with 53 dates across North America, including the U.S. and Canada, 24 dates in Western Europe and the UK, and 12 shows scheduled in Oceania, covering Australia and New Zealand. The tour will take place throughout 2025.

Critical reception

''Chromakopia'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 17 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, David Crone claimed that, "''Chromakopia'' is less of a cohesive statement than Tyler's fans are used to hearing; it's erratic and candid at once, a strange pressure cooker of boasts and doubts that falls out of step with its deftly sequenced and thematically tight predecessors." Writing for '' Clash'', Niall Smith wrote that "the project's mid-section advances the album's winning streak", however, "while there aren't any outright weak tracks" on the record, occasionally, "the pacing feels slightly less focused than Tyler's previous work". Smith concluded that "while some elements feel a bit safe, the sound design is chiseled and sharper" while noting that the album showcases Tyler's "now-mastered style in HD glory". '' Consequence''s Jonah Krueger wrote that "the maternal presence is felt throughout the tracklist" and that Tyler " xploreshis anxieties and trauma" throughout the record. Writing for ''Dork'', Jake Hawkes noted that ''Chromakopia'' is a project "that bulges at the seams" and that "Tyler somehow wrangles it into something cohesive". Hawkes continued, "lyrically, Tyler seems at his most confessional in years", before concluding, stating that the album "has depth, it has worldbuilding, but just as importantly, it has some absolute bangers, too".

''The Guardian''s Alexis Petridis wrote that "tracks shift and slip their moorings, lurching from one sound to another" and that often, they change "completely over the course of a few minutes". Petridis concluded that "''Chromakopia'' ultimately seems to manifest a state of confusion, in which everything is in flux and nothing is quite as it initially seems". Steven Loftin for ''The Line of Best Fit'' wrote that "''Chromakopia''s execution has been well thought out and finessed", however, "it is messy and it is truthful". Loftin expressed that the album "continues piecing together the Tyler, the Creator puzzle without making the picture any clearer". Tom Breihan, writing for ''Stereogum'', mentioned the album's similarity with Kendrick Lamar's album '' Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers'' (2022), noting that ''Chromakopia'' is "Tyler's therapy record, his self-conscious attempt to figure his shit out in full view of the public". ''Billboard''s Mackenzie Cummings-Grady wrote that the album "contains something for everyone" and that "within this universal and at times nostalgic construction, the album is also incredibly reflective".

Less enthusiastic reviews complained that the album's sound was too messy and chaotic. ''NME'' Fred Garratt-Stanley regarded the album's sound as "deliberately messy" and the overall message about not trusting people as "lazy" but appreciated the themes and the honest and empathetic lyrics. ''Slant Magazine'' Paul Attard similarly criticized the album's sound and the "overworked" composition, saying that "Tyler's ambitions on ''Chromakopia'' are grand, but the album attempts to do a lot while saying little".

Rankings

''Chromakopia'' was featured on several publications' year-end lists of 2024. It was placed second by ''Clash'' and ''Complex'', and within the top 10 by ''Billboard'', ''BrooklynVegan'', '' Crack'', ''Dazed'', ''Exclaim!'', ''The Guardian'', ''The Independent'', '' The Ringer'', and '' The Skinny''. The album appeared in the top 20 of rankings by ''The A.V. Club'', ''Consequence'', KCRW, ''The Line of Best Fit'', ''Paste'', ''PopMatters'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''Stereogum'', and Yardbarker. ''Chromakopia'' was also included in the top 50 of publications' lists like '' Time Out'' and ''NME'', as well as in unranked compilations and honorable mentions done by ''Alternative Press'', ''Cosmopolitan'', ''HuffPost'', Hypebeast, NPR, ''Uproxx,'' and ''Vulture''. On individual critics' lists, the album was ranked fourth by ''Variety''s Jem Aswad, and respectively tenth and eighth by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, the hosts of ''Sound Opinions.''

Commercial performance

Despite being released on Monday, ''Chromakopia'' debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart with 299,000 album-equivalent units sold in its partial week along with 142,000 pure sales. ''Chromakopia'' surpassed ''Call Me If You Get Lost'' (169,000 units) as Tyler's biggest first week sales. The album also marked the biggest debut, by units, for a rap album released in 2024 at the time. The single "Noid" and the track "St. Chroma" peaked at number 10 and seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively, marking his first top 10 hits on that chart.

In ''Chromakopia''s second week, the album earned 160,000 equivalent album units in the United States, securing a second consecutive week at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. On the Hot 100, "Sticky" jumped to a new peak of number 10, having debuted at number 14. The album became Tyler's first to spend multiple consecutive weeks at number one and to secure three songs in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's top 10. It earned 104,000 units on its third week, securing the top spot on the ''Billboard'' 200.

The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart. The single "Noid" and two other songs for the album charted on the UK Singles Chart: "Noid" (16), "St. Chroma" (15), and "Darling, I" (24). UK chart rules prevent artists from having more than three songs in the top 40 at once; without these rules, ''Chromakopia'' would have generated further new entries in the countdown. The album also debuted atop the Australian ARIA Charts, the Dutch Album Top 100, the Irish Albums Chart, the New Zealand RMNZ chart, the Portuguese Albums Chart, and the Scottish Albums Chart.

Track listing

All tracks are written, produced, and arranged by Tyler Okonma, with additional writers noted. "Balloon" was additionally produced by Jayda Love.

Samples and composition notes

* "Noid" contains excerpts from "Nizakupanga Ngozi" (1977), written by Paul Nyirongo, performed by Ngozi Family.
* "Darling, I" contains a sample from " Vivrant Thing" (1999), written by Kamaal Fareed and Barry White, performed by Q-Tip.
* "Sticky" contains a sample from "Get Up Offa That Thing" (1976), written by Deanna Brown, Deidre Brown, and Yamma Brown, performed by James Brown; and a sample from "Get Buck" (2007), written by David Brown, Timothy Clayton, Jamal Jones, Zachary Wallace, and Elvis Williams, performed by Young Buck.
* "Balloon" contains excerpts from "I Wanna Rock" (1992), written by Luther Campbell, Harry Wayne Casey, and Richard Finch, performed by Luke and Rob Base.

Personnel

Musicians

* Tyler Okonma – lead vocals, production, arrangement, executive production (all tracks)
* Daniel Caesar – featured vocals (tracks 1, 9), background vocals (tracks 6, 10), bass (track 10)
* Teezo Touchdown – featured vocals (track 4)
* GloRilla – featured vocals (track 8)
* Lil Wayne – featured vocals (track 8)
* Sexyy Red – featured vocals (track 8)
* LaToiya Williams – featured vocals (track 9)
* Schoolboy Q – featured vocals (track 11)
* Santigold – featured vocals (track 11), additional vocals (track 6)
* Playboi Carti – featured vocals (track 11)
* Lola Young – featured vocals (track 12)
* Doechii – featured vocals (track 13)
* Bonita Smith – additional vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4–5, 9–15)
* Willow – additional vocals (track 3)
* Jazmine Freeman – additional vocals (track 8)
* Laila S. Freeman – additional vocals (track 8)
* Childish Gambino – background vocals (tracks 6, 7)
* Rex Orange County – background vocals (track 7)
* Justin Levy – background vocals (track 12)
* Robert Stevenson – background vocals (track 12)
* Pedro Martins – guitar (tracks 1, 3–6, 10)
* Thundercat – bass (tracks 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 11b)
* Steve Lacy – guitar (track 7)
* Inflo – drums (track 3), additional vocals (track 3)
* Solange – background vocals (tracks 8, 14)
* Kevin Kendrick – piano (tracks 3, 7, 9, 14)
* Biako – guitar (track 10)
* Johnny May – strings (track 10), keyboard (track 13)
* Klynik – keyboard (track 13)
* Vic Wainstein – keyboard (track 13)
* Christopher Burns – horn (tracks 8, 11)
* Jason P. Freeman – horn (tracks 8, 11)
* Jerry E. Freeman Jr. – horn (tracks 8, 11)
* Kebbi Williams – horn (tracks 8, 11)
* Brandon Lee Brown – whistles (track 8)

Technical

* Vic Wainstein – engineering (all tracks)
* Tyler Okonma – recording engineering (all tracks)
* Neal H Pogue – mixing (all tracks)
* Mike Bozzi – mastering (all tracks)
* Andrew Keller – additional engineering (track 4)
* Childish Gambino – additional engineering (tracks 6, 7)
* Aaron Bolton – additional engineering (track 8)
* Adam Clark – additional engineering (track 8)
* Chris Carmouche – additional engineering (track 8)
* Manny Galvez – additional engineering (track 8)
* Mikaelin BlueSpruce – additional engineering (track 8)
* Salvador Majail – additional engineering (track 8)
* Romil Hemnani – additional engineering (track 11)
* Jayda Love – additional engineering (track 13)
* WavyBoyJodii – additional engineering (track 14)
* Zachary Acosta – engineering assistance (all tracks)
* Collin Clark – engineering assistance (track 4)
* Danforth Webster – engineering assistance (track 4)
* Garrett Duncan – engineering assistance (track 4)
* Jonathan Lopez Garcia – engineering assistance (track 4)
* Patrick Gardner – engineering assistance (track 4)
* Terena Dawn – engineering assistance (track 4)
* Jordan Schneider – engineering assistance (track 14)
* Nicole Llorens – engineering assistance (track 14)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

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2024 albums
Tyler, the Creator albums
Albums produced by Tyler, the Creator
Columbia Records albums
Contemporary R&B albums by American artists