This generation is argued to be an army of phone-addicts by anyone over the age of 30. While we don’t love to hear the constant scolding about our screen times, maybe we should take a minute, out of our 12 hours on TikTok, to listen. Nearly 85 million of us, from Gen Z, listened to, and enjoyed, this lyric: “Crib so d— big, I need a diaper and a sippy cup (Wah).”
Excerpted above is a line from Tyler the Creator’s 2024 album, “Chromokopia,” which high schoolers everywhere have begun to obsess over. Based on these bizarre lyrics alone, the frenzy concerning the new songs seems to be just another instance of Gen Z being Gen Z — mindlessly following a trend until it dies off. But it truly isn’t. “Chromokopia,” proves to be a true artistic display. Its resonation with our generation isn’t entirely based on its popularity, but also how well it portrays some issues that a lot of us face. By streaming the songs, listers are able to sing about the problems that can’t be spoken about aloud.
“Like Him,” which currently sits as the most popular track on the album, is an excellent example of this ability to capture Gen Z concerns. In four minutes and 38 seconds, Tyler the Creator, alongside featured artist Lola Yung, explores the hopelessness one can face with the artificial loss of a parent, which is when a parent abandons their child, who is ultimately left to be raised by a single parent. Through gentle instrumentals that gradually increase in vocal intensity and Lola Yung’s exceptional riffs and vocal cries, any listener, raised by one parent or two, can truly understand what Tyler and his millions of supporters have suffered from. Ingrained within this overreaching message is the artist’s story, which stands to be just as touching. Similar to what many face now, Tyler went throughout his childhood believing that his father had left him with no intention of returning. However, Tyler’s father was fully committed to being a part of his son’s life, and was simply denied the chance to—his restraint being his son’s hesitant mother. Now knowing of his mother’s lies, his father’s reappearance, and the necessity to write a new album, Tyler went on to craft the renowned title.
Tracks such as “Take Your Mask Off” featuring Daniel Caesar and LaToiya Williams, confronts individuals too ashamed to express their sexuality, and urges them to take off their mask, as the title suggests. Other songs speak about lingering thoughts in all of our minds. Like a fear of the future, as discussed in “Tomorrow,” or a growing need for success that’s analyzed in “St. Chroma,” featuring Daniel Caesar. Even titles without an extremely profound meaning, like “Sticky (feat. GloRilla, Sexxy Red & Lil Wayne),” “Balloon (feat. Doechii),” and “Rah Tah Tah,” offer a whimsical mood. These all serve as a motivation for, the proclaimed to be lazy, Gen Z to work out, do schoolwork, and maybe even get out of bed.
I would be lying if I denied the inescapable fact that Gen Z has a problem with social media. That, however, does not mean that social media itself is inherently bad. Every time we’re scrolling online, we’re searching for something or someone to relate to, and we’ve finally found that. That’s the role “Chromokopia” is playing as it flies to the top of the charts, blasts in our Airpods, and becomes an album we’ll never forget.
