“Tyler, the Creator Presents 'Chromakopia' at LA Listening Party”

Tyler, the Creator chimed in Chromacopy There was a last-minute listening party at the high-tech Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Sunday night, where he danced around on a stage made of green shipping containers for over an hour while 17,000 fans heard his latest album for the very first time.

It was a homecoming for the LA rapper, who told the crowd Sunday night Chromacopy “Grew up from growing up in these areas.” “I thought, 'Oh shit, nobody knows about me from before (I was 17)',” said Tyler, wearing a green military fatigues.

Tyler was in his element, marching onto the stage just after 9 p.m. wearing his military fatigues and the same plastic mask from the “Noid” music video. As the album played, he ran back and forth from one end of the stage to the other, waving his arms, sprinting in place, and lying on the floor, pausing every now and then to stare at the crowd and to enjoy his moment.

His first album in three years, Chromacopy believes Tyler is taking a unique approach to the release, deviating from the industry standard of coming out at midnight on Friday and instead hoping fans take the entire week to enjoy the new record with the 6am release to digest in the morning on Monday. “Don’t lose sleep trying to stay awake, sleep,” he joked to his fans in the arena on Sunday, just hours away from the album’s release. “I’m excited for you all to hear the album second time, The second time it hits you, you'll know if you're fucking thinking it's the worst thing ever or if you're really screwing it up.”

Tyler becomes introspective
Tyler's long evolution from transgressive shock rapper to one of hip-hop's best storytellers remains clearly visible here Chromacopy. As Tyler explained to the audience after finishing the album, most of this record was inspired by the things his mother told him growing up that he wasn't too young to understand. It's only in adulthood that these lessons really take hold.

“Now that I'm 33, all this stuff seems like, 'Oh, that's what the hell she was talking about,'” Tyler, literally dripping with sweat, told the crowd Sunday night. “'Oh, I'm not the same guy I was when I was 20. Oh shit, people are getting older, people have kids and families.' All I have is a new Ferrari, which feels kind of weird. I have gray hairs on my chest. Life is life. I just wanted to write about things I think about when I’m doodling.”

A rapper grows up
These lessons have led to profound material as Chromakopia explores increasingly challenging artistic themes such as adulthood, fatherhood and love. Tyler particularly deals with pregnancy and the fears of becoming a father. “Who am I to bitch and complain? You have to deal with all the mental and physical crap,” he raps. “All the hardest feelings and physical pain just to give a child the man’s last name? Fuck it all.”

In one track, he appears to forcefully tell a lover to “take off the mask,” which is particularly fitting considering Tyler himself had his own face covered with a mask until the very last song on Sunday.

New sounds
Tonally, Chromacopy includes some new, moodier sounds that fit the mood he established with the military fit on stage. Tyler still retains some of the familiar elements that have characterized his music ever since Flower boy Point though. Some of them Chromacopia Slower songs are almost reminiscent of Tyler's raps “Wilshire” by Call me if you get lost. Overall, the album is still energetic and Tyler is still quick with clever, silly lines. The crowd roared and cheered as Tyler rapped “Fuck what you heard, I'm that n***a and I'm that bitch” as one of the final verses of the entire album.

The hottest hip-hop women have outstanding qualities
Some of the features we saw at the listening party included Schoolboy Q, Teezo Touchdown, Daniel Caesar and Lil Wayne, although it was Doechii, GlorillaAnd Sexyy Red, who got the most attention. “Sticky” in particular – which features verses from Glo and Sexyy – appears to be the album's absolute hit, if the audience's reaction during the show is any indication.

What exactly is a “chroma copy”??
This question still remained unanswered at the end of the evening and still could not be explained by the military imagery, dark green colors and industrial vibes that accompany the material on the record. Still, the aesthetic is consistent, as the cameras show Tyler in the same monochrome gray seen in most Noid music videos last week. The symbolism of the images will likely become clearer with the release of the album.