What does the word “Chromakopia” mean? Tyler the Creator- St. Chroma analysis

[@eamonnsterable]

in CMYK colour, K is black. I was waiting to hear you say something about that

[@professorskye]

Dang it! I should have thought of that.

[@wu71624]

Wow

[@InsideTBox]

Chroma.K.Opia. "All I can see is in black n white"

[@FredET]

Sidenote: How ironic 😅

[@ikemsmith]

@@InsideTBox and all the videos released so far have switches from black and white to colour!

[@mackeym10]

It seems like 'chromakopia' is a word Tyler, the Creator created, probably meaning an intense, unusual experience of color. The video has a lot of symbolism, like the black masks maybe representing conformity or hiding your true self. When they get blown up, it could mean breaking free from those things. The green on his glove might show growth and liberation. It's all about seeing the world in a new, more authentic way. Even the title 'ST CHROMA' adds to it, maybe hinting at a place or state of mind where this all happens. We'll have to see how it all fits into the album when it comes out!

[@mackeym10]

The black masks could also be about challenging racial stereotypes or highlighting inequality, especially since he's blowing up guys in black masks. 'ST CHROMA' could even be a call to action to embrace our own 'chromakopia' and see the world differently.

[@clementinedanger]

I'm very excited to see how the "saint" part of St. Chroma is explored. Catholicism has very strong color symbolism that goes a long way back, and Catholicism and the Greek language are very intertwined. I'm curious to see if there's going to be more to it or if it's going to be more like St. Anger where it's, you know, kind of just a cool word to put there.

[@traplover6357]

Why chromakopia instead of chromatopia if it's combining the root word chroma and utopia?

[@milk-ub9zo]

​@@traplover6357Because that is not what it is combining

[@ghostpants3770]

​@@traplover6357 I think its less of a physical place and more of a headspace. Its less topigraphical, more cerebral.

[@tesselate8nowait262]

In the music video for Sorry Not Sorry, in the beginning, as people are walking through the doorway, a man is standing off to the side wearing the same uniform that Tyler wears in the teaser. And in that music video, Tyler is killing off his old personas. Interesting.

[@joshuatealeaves]

🏃🏻‍♂️ me going back to that video

[@H33veeJeeV33z_II]

I see where you're coming from, but there are no sleeve stripes on the SORRY NOT SORRY uniform whereas St. Chroma Tyler has stripes. In addition, SORRY NOT SORRY wears no gloves, while Chromakopia is quite the contrary. But I see your theory and it's interesting

[@artie_greene]

AVAA, "abundance of colour" is the interpretaion I took away from the teaser, but all these other thoughts about skin tone and colour vision and the container and the chromakey green are really intriguing as well. Another impression I got was from the CHROMAKOPIA logotype itself (which also has horns, corn=horn?), which comes across as feeling very African to me. I can't figure out the specifics, I haven't looked into what it's actually reminding me of, but there's something there about the imperfections of it not being plainly typed text that feel very hand-drawn, maybe papercut DIY, paired with the shade of green being the exact shade of the Nigerian flag. That along with the mask imagery, and the elaborate traditionally African-inspired hairstyles of each person in the video, as well as Tyler seeming to embrace his Okonma surname more lately makes me think that this album will be somehow exploring his Igbo heritage, whether musically or thematically.

[@flngodingo9647]

I like this analysis, and I can completely see your point about the shade of green, of any shade of green I've looked at, the one of the Nigerian flag is undoubtedly the closest, which I find interesting.

[@qeo2374]

@@flngodingo9647 tylers dad was nigerian

[@tjmorake2743]

Mans spent 4 minutes talking about all the things he’s not gonna talk about, after talking about them for 4 minutes…. Talk about talking around things you wanna talk about.😂AVAA

[@vineethpuli5079]

I think he’s a little salty all the other KZbinr guys he mentioned took those talking points before him 😂 all love to them tho

[@BTheStark]

AVAA. Music nerd here. Very good description of the chromatic scale. An additional note, “chromaticism” in music generally refers to the effect created by adding “in-between notes” to an otherwise “normal” scale, making music sound more “colorful.” Debussy ‘s music is a good French example

[@ghostpants3770]

*His color theory has been consistant with each album. *Each project has a character, a theme, a color, and a story. *Tyler whispering is almost like removing the color from his voice. *The horns are a goats horns, as the title is a play on "cornucopia", which is a goats horn filled with flowers (abundance). *Chromatic scales are used by Tyler in much of his music. *Chrome is reflective, much like how an artist is. The colors you see in chrome depend on how you view it. *This album seems like its gonna have some very deep conceptual thought even deeper than it seems at the surface level. I'll have to wait and listen, but I really feel like this is gonna be something to focus on.

[@k-dawgwestmore4643]

I started reading The Phantom Tollbooth for the first time because of this Tyler snippet lol. Many people are comparing Tyler’s new persona as St. Chroma to the character Chroma the Great from that book.

[@AlexofZippo]

I’ll have to read it again

[@undeniablySomeGuy]

Holy i havent read that since Middle school

[@dilloncooks]

we read this in 9th grade english class

[@k-dawgwestmore4643]

@@dilloncooks fire

[@dilloncooks]

@@k-dawgwestmore4643 the only book ive ever actually liked too for some reason

[@IHamilton9320]

Cornucoooooopia AVAA, thanks for giving your take on this teaser. Haven’t been able to get it out of my head since first listen

[@Catangerine]

Cornucopia was actually the first word I thought of however... I had forgotten what it meant and had to look it up haha. Interesting analysis of the little we got so far, I love the first part of the video of you mentioning just how much 90 secs of video you COULD get into but wouldnt for this video. Your way of talking about stuff is always very... familiar? Must be great to get literature classes from you!

[@mr.monkey1914]

What i love about these videos is the fact that you can tell its just a guy who really really cares about music rambling on about something he likes. You aren’t always the most well spoken which really makes the love of music feel very raw.

[@sealedstar]

15:55 Skye's "wait would that be blackface?" Face😂

[@Devthesportsjunkie]

The hesitation 😂

[@datboiwacky]

Did you know. The word “Kopia” means copy in Swedish. And I say this as a swede. I think this could be a factor. When I saw him live in Sweden he said that he loved the Swedish language. Just thought this was interesting.

[@undeniablySomeGuy]

There are no limits to the sources of this mans inspirations

[@Mieszko-pj5zw]

in polish too

[@SkacyMaeTarot]

So basically, color copy. Interesting.

[@icon_huey1378]

Ohh maybe....🤔 hence the mask right?

[@t4rgetedv247]

probably bcuz ppl start traditions and people copy them, hence the “ give a fk about tradition stop impressing the dead “ verse

[@nilespeshay1734]

From κοπῐ́ᾱ (kopíā, “rest from toil”) +‎ -ᾰ́ω (-áō), from κόπος (kópos, “beating, suffering, work”) from κόπτω (kóptō, “to strike”). When I see that "k" I (like you) immediately think of Greek. Kopia in greek seems to be a word very related to either toil or a rest from toil. So... the "Toil of Color" or "Rest FROM The Toil of Color". I could see that tracking for a person like Tyler (who knows that he'll never hop out of "Best Rap Album" into "Best Album of the Year"...as long as he's black...) Spitballing, ofc. (Edited for obligatory AVAA)

[@sexonlithium]

Great insight.

[@opossum_elysium]

i can't really say what it's all about, but i'm just so excited to see it unfold. Tyler is a true artist, the level of thought and care and detail put into this is off the charts

[@2ndrating]

My first reaction when I saw Tyler's new character was "this reminds me of Idi Amin". My personal theory: If this is the first song on the album, I think we're paying too much attention to the first 80 seconds, and not nearly enough attention to the final 10, because it's that final 10 seconds that is the sound that actually leads into the rest of the album. That explosion of color, of percussion, of funk. I think this first track doesn't set up the album, so much as it sets up the conflict of the album: What happens when you bring color and life and style and substance into a world that not only doesn't have it, but that might even be violently hostile to it. I can't wait for this to drop.

[@clementinedanger]

Love this

[@elicraig7367]

AVAA, knowing Tyler it's probably all of these ideas all at once

[@geauxtama]

ASMR Skye channel when?! AVAA, very excited for this new world Tyler is going to introduce us to.

[@bugrasevinc9696]

AVAA I asked for this thanks a lot. Really enjoy your opinion on music and pop culture in general because you think different than anyone I know. Not to glaze you or anything, you're just a person I don't come across on the internet.

[@harshvardhanparmar2000]

Hey Professor! Tyler is finally back, and I think I'm as excited for your breakdown of the album as I am for the album itself. Thank you for this little preview/thoughts on the teaser. Leaving this comment for both the algorithm and also to appreciate your work. AVAA!

[@odd_double0]

I’ve been meaning to wrote this since the vid dropped and at the time of this comment we got 6 hours till the album BUT i just wanted to say that green, particularly a shade close to the chromkopia green, has always been tylers color he used to be known for rocking supreme hats that were that color idk if thats supposed to signal a new level of “authenticity” (idk if thats the word) with this album but I thought it was worth noting AAVA prof

[@thrashpit1207]

AAVA. As for the K thing, this might be a reach, but; There was a trend among Black Power movements (to a lesser extent leftists more broadly) in the 70s to spell certain names with a K instead of a C. Amerika (or AmeriKKKa, like J. Sakai or later Ice Cube/Spice 1/Joey Badass did) is of course to denote America's history of racism (this has been taken up by a few leftist figures besides Black nationalists, Andrea Dworkin for example uses "Amerika"). But you also have Afrika, which was spelled with a K to make it closer to how the name of the continent is supposedly spelled in various African languages (that was the reasoning among these movements but it's disputed). Republic of New Afrika is an example of such a movement.

[@AuthenticVermin]

I absolutely love how different people have different interpretations of the teaser video and am very interested in what Professor Skye has to say

[@PabloHernandez-rr1or]

AVAA, i am so so excited for this new tyler album, this year has had some fantastic music, specially for a hip hop head like me

[@finalbreath15]

My most immediate thoughts are that i initially thought of cornucopia when i saw the name, which evokes thanksgiving vibes for me which i believe is derivitive of paganism is largely related to "dealing with" the natives, so i get racial politics vibes, the mask, sepia tone and whispering evoke sadness or fear with both the chaingang-like sequence and maybe deception as well as corresponding with halloween time. I dont really know what more to make of it off of just the video. I would need to check out other tyler related posts and other peripheral material to have more insight on it. But i'm super excited nonetheless!

[@auroraglassproductions]

Your intros are so great, i love how they’re paced like a conversational grad class

[@jaynog11]

Was just ranting to a friend this week about New Music Tuesday. Tuesday is objectively the worst and longest day of the week and getting new music to tide you over until the weekend was such a joy. Thanks for the videos!

[@AlexofZippo]

Dude, if they honestly started planning releases to brighten our lows that’d be sick

[@trev999]

AVAA, loved listening to this in the shower, grateful for a needless indulgent Tyler video. I picked up my phone so fast at the Halloween bit lmao. The stakes have never felt so high before!

[@AlexofZippo]

DUDE! Random Access Memories was my first pre-ordered album

[@dylanbernard824]

Starting the video sounding like Philip Jefferies from Twin Peaks "I'm not going to talk about Judy. In fact, we're not going to talk about Judy at all."😂Very excited for this release, great video as usual Prof. Skye!

[@Sproingles]

AVAA . Adding a dictionary of etymology onto my wishlist

[@lilraw322]

Best analyzation so far

[@joshuatealeaves]

Chromaaaaakopia! Chromaaaaakopia!

[@Numlits]

Music nerd here, you’re right about the chromatic thing. Only problem is I was distracted by the buzzing frets! You either need to press the frets in the right place/with the right strength or that bratar needs a setup!

[@she8922]

Thank u for being apart of the Tyler hype! I’m pretty sure we all just goin crazy out here, least I know I am! I ordered a copy of the album and I’m so excited to see what it all Means to!

[@derstilleabonnierer]

I see a good looking who is well spoken and discussing Tyler and I'm in!

[@yoridetth856]

Im gonna make a bet that the "Chroma" represents the different types of fans, "Kopia" i believe is a play on the common term "Cope/Coping". The ia in the cope and changing the K giving it more of a destination feeling like "Utopia". I think with Chromakopia tylers gonna be diving into the constant back and forth in-between fans and haters while we get a pov of the artist perspective. The person who has to view and see all different types of coping mechanisms from fans/haters to explain why said artist is who they are. Whether its true it is or not, i believe Tyler's going to dive into the paranoia and anguish that comes with so many people believing they understand stand you when they never really tried . Almost like a land full of all types of people coping to ignore their own issues by tearing down anothers for issues they never truly understood. Either way, im excited.

[@supxrkicks560]

aava, super excited for the new tyler album. an album that came out this weekend that i think you should give a listen if you haven't already is "glimmer of god" by jean dawson. it's my first time listening to jean dawson, but it's one of my favourite albums this year. found out about jean dawson because quadeca is the opening act of his current tour.

[@nim4588]

Avaa !! Especially liked the introduction of the dictionary

[@Shubdoblous]

My first impression of St. Chroma kinda gave me vibe of Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky, transitioning from post-apocalyptic Sepia tone to Color sequences in search of the Zone. AVAA in advance.

[@Juexis5]

the intro is so relatable😂 the leaf blower part was hilarious, good video

[@edwardforbes3032]

Great vid Skye, thanks for posting and making my Sunday that much sweeter !!

[@edwardforbes3032]

also being poor is expensive - bashy album of the year. I know that title interest you xx

[@issarahul9102]

AVAA man I love Professor Skye and his videos

[@trent844]

Professor Skye slaps.

[@KenAdams-m4q]

Your explanations are always so clear, love it!

[@flngodingo9647]

9:36 I knew people would say this. Y'all. brat green is a lime or apple green. There's clearly more blue value in the Chromakopia green we've seen, it's more of a forest green.

[@mystically5156]

Amazing review...some how I have more questions than answers at the end of it😂

[@ess-pee-arr]

I like how this video is not talking about the things it's talking about, point cleverly conveyed.

[@mategeri5728]

I think Chromakopia is a state of mind. I noticed the Chroma + Cornucopia thing, as well. So I think the teaser video gives a glimpse of what Chromakopia is. When all the men are walking to the container, Tyler is saying he's promising he'll make it out and Daniel Caesar is singing: can you feel the light inside? Can you feel the fire? So obviously, chroma means color, color is the way objects reflect the light and without light there's no color. Chromakopia is the container of plenty lights, which seems like an explosion from the outside, but inside the intense of the explosion the colors are so vibrant and so bright that... And I can't finish this sentence for 8 more days when we'll finally be able to listen to this album. So excited! Edit: another thing to add to get a clue about what Chromakopia is is that of all colors Tyler chose green for the container and the glove. It feels like a significant detail because he's been talking about green being his favorite color because he associates it with success and money ("Favorite color green, energy is skrong" - Where This Flower Blooms, but there's also reference to green in Dogtooth and Session from his early career)

[@sinkbug]

it could be chromatic jazz, jazz is black music so it would play into the other stuff w colour as well

[@unplugem]

Superb. i thought of the Black fraternities crossing the burning sands as the Big Brother/ head of chapter screams orders at them. The lock-step rhythm they walk-in, as well as their attire brings to mind the fraternity man, a type of "company man". The trend among the progressive artists seems to be a calling out of the powers that be, the gatekeepers and heir process of assimilation often achieved via 'brotherhoods' within the business.

[@shaeisgae8952]

That start is exactly why i love this channel, we don't know but we're excited Funnily enough my mind was starting to trail off for a second around 1:34 and then immediately locked back in on what he was saying

[@merlinklink3872]

AVAA, loved your different explorations of potential meanings. I always find it incredible how much hype Tyler can drum up in such a short time. I've seen some comparisons to Igor and how the green in this album is similar to an inversion of the pink in that album cover and vice versa. Saint Chroma might be the inverse to Igor but I do have my doubts about that.

[@merlinklink3872]

I also recall in the Sorry not Sorry video released last year as a part of the CMIYGL Deluxe, there was a previously unseen persona who was killing off all of his previous egos. Back then there was a lot of speculation that this would be his next persona. I wonder how and if Saint Chroma relates to this shirtless version of Tyler. There is a strong contrast between the Masked (covered) Saint and the shirtless (uncovered) Killer.

[@leonardoleno5729]

First video I've seen from this channel and I'm really excited to see you more

[@MK.DANABNORMAL]

OK mentioning King gizzard in a Tyler The Creator video is absolutely amazing I love them both lol

[@medo69]

I made a realization that Tyler's hair as st. Chroma somewhat resembles a sideways mitre. Given that mitres are usually worn by bishops it could be that Tyler is portraying him as an actual saint in his own way or st. Chroma the character sees himself as a saint. Would like to hear some other opinions. Maybe im just crazy and seeing connections where there aren't any

[@thomps9438]

first time stumbling upon your channel cause i’m a huge tyler fan but just wanted to leave a comment of i just loved every minute of it it’s always thoroughly entertaining to watch someone who’s passionate and captivating talk about something they want to will definitely be looking through move videos :3

[@dilesmoyle]

my first thoughts also went to cornucopia. i feel like you hit the nail on the head with the container thing, but we're going to have to wait for the album as tyler always says lol.

[@lily_nikki]

always love the unique perspectives

[@jeremyc4786]

I feel like you'd be able to have an amazing interview with Tyler, the Creator if you two were to meet

[@Yvy-temp]

Awesome Vectorscope as Always!

[@gtsavestheday6569]

I also thought cornucopia pretty much immediately. I also got vibes of the German film Metropolis because of the mask and color key. It's not exactly black and white but a similar color to what was used in that film and with the tone of the video, the mask and the color gradient I feel there is a conceptual connection. I'll have to look into it more though.

[@maxmalavenda]

The mask also felt reminiscent of Eyes Without a Face !

[@m3lancholicrav3nn]

another video just came out im just so hyped 😂😂

[@Devonm251]

Aava prof skye was sooooo close to playing a perfect guitar chromatic scale

[@asdf242]

loved the video! enjoyed watching you thinking through tyler’s intentions, but also the process of thinking. une petite note. la lettre G dans « igbo » est muette. le son « gb » est une prononciation unique de B. ❤

[@ScaleScarborough-jq8zx]

I’m not really into rap, but am grateful for the freedom of expression he’s committed to. His anger is palpable and his kind of honesty is too rare in art. Things are f’d up and we should all be furious about the injustice running rampant. The lack of anger is what leads to oppression and the inhumanity of this society.

[@alexarosse]

i like you professor! keep going! love your stuff 🎉

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

I know this is not relevent to the subject matter, but the natural lighting is so STUNNING in this video, like a garden in heaven.

[@mrD66M]

The mask looked like Warden Norton from Shawshank Redemption.

[@asdf825]

The Chromakopia is the friends we made in the way

[@afeathereddinosaur]

I believe that this album will be an experience exploring black. Black and white in theme, black as in race. Chroma meaning color could mean skin color and the mask being black specifically proposed assuming a generic black identity.

[@gom.patricio]

such a genius conclusion

[@filemonmartinez6451]

Thanks sky for that OM reminder 😉

[@professorskye]

0-5!!!

[@madmonty6099]

When I first heard the snippet of music, the whole marching thing reminded me of "Hell Broke Luce" by Tom Waits.

[@amir_yusuke01]

My favorite professor

[@1075Marijavera]

I think this might by Tyler's Mister Morale and the The Big Steppers. I can feel it'll be more introspective than his pre vious work.

[@russellk.4896]

Avaa! I'd like to add that (some) middle eastern music (and King Gizzard) goes farther than making music with chromatic scales - they make microtonal music, using notes that differ by less than a half step! Notes that would fall in between the keys on a piano!

[@slowmoezie]

Great video

[@profssrfunk]

Tuesday is arguably the worst day of the week

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

I don't think Tyler goes into the container that's blown up... he's the one pushing the detonator. As the shot pulls back and you see the line of 10 men strutting in to the container, at the very end you can see Tyler kinda lag behind the last dude in line and there's just enough time for him to have stalked over to the camera snd get in place for the explosion. You can see the mask strapped to his face and his haircut from behind when he steps into the closeup and blows the ish up 😊

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

Can't wait for the album! 🔥 AVAA!!!

[@pgh471]

Your analysis on music would give Drake fans a headache

[@javiterrazas9825]

AVAA. I love the Friday release date.

[@ShadowTigerYT]

Chromakopia, I believe will be an album about this character, St Chroma leading a sort of slave type thing and turning on his master or saving them all and becoming a Saint. That’s my headcannon, it’ll be about Slavery and what makes a morally good person.

[@nomcognom2414]

There are two possibilities here. One is that Tyler the Creator put together this word without much thinking, like in seconds, where each part means something specific that came to his mind. The second possibility is that he took his time, crafting this word as a poet, to sound good while echoing a number of things. In poetry, the various possible meanings or connotations of words, all potential associations of ideas, play a role. Some will be unwanted and avoided, but it is often the case that increasing them, a greater effect is achieved and the whole poem becomes more haunting and meaningful. I don't know which is the case. If it is the second (maybe a little more likely), many ideas come to mind. I thought as well of utopia/dystopia and cornucopia, but not of Chroma K. Other words or ideas that come to mind are: to cope, KO, opium, color perception (whether blindness or exacerbation, etc.), kaleidoscopic, necromancy... Also notice the couple luciferine horns at either end of the word, mirroring his funny, almost Mickey Mouse, hairstyle. This guy is a unique artist. A bit of a David Lynch, only composing his own soundtrack and playing the main character. He's got obvious acting talent, on top of his other ones. He's got genius. Like Bobby Fischer, who saw himself as a genius who happened to play chess, rather than a chess genius.

[@UnknownPeer]

the explosion of the box in Chroma reminds me of the Klark Kent (Stewart Copeland)Away From home music video where he basically does a similar moment but picks up the box full of look-alikes and drops it. i don't think this has any connection just thought both videos are cool

[@Slothieify]

The hypothetical on your clavicle reference sent me over the moon. Thank you KZbin algorithm for this one.

[@oliverbranch777]

After your take on the title, I have high expectations but watch it be completely different probably 😂

[@gestalticavia322]

To keep it on the etymological side, I think it is part of a growing movement of literal psyche*delic writing. By which, I mean multifaceted entendres that read and hit differently, based on the listener's internal contents, i.e. mind manifesting music.

[@gestalticavia322]

Or, as Aesop Rock puts it, "Origami Dream" (my take on that phrase anyway)

[@dabrownone]

I'm reminded of the seeing colors scene from Piece by Piece, and Pharrell gets a callout in the verse. I wonder if it is a reference to the explosion of colors associated with synesthesia or trips

[@rafaemian-cudmore7123]

When you mentioned Ethiopia I was really hoping you would mention Ethiopia's history as one of the few African countries to never have been colonized and its pride and symbol of African resistance as a result. Something that I think Tyler could certainly reference, especially if Chromakopia is to be a fictional place, perhaps championing black unity and freedom.

[@godlovesusall8115]

10:58 I literally started reading Malcolm X's autobiography yesterday!

[@ImBlueDontBe]

Prof real for that opening

[@CTWampus]

I think since -opia denotes a visual disorder and if the ChromaK in "Chromakopia" is from Chromakey it might mean that the album may be a symbolism about how we are incapable of seeing what we should be seeing and instead focus on whatever is physically present in front of us.

[@antonio7098]

6 minute long intro and didn't Even noticed, subbed

[@THEREALTUNAWAHOO]

Remember when the record store would stay open past Midnight to drop those Tuesday’s releases?Those were the days.

[@EmiliaWoods]

@1:37 Prof Skye, personal space please 😨

[@njmtrumpet]

AVAA, but not Professor Skye playing the chromatic scale wrong 😭

[@jessicam.9751]

I really really hope you review eusexua when it comes out

[@ShawnWeeded510]

My guess is the word is defined by its root words. So Chroma means color while copia means Abundance. I get that its "kopia but since it doesnt exist the meaning of the root word copia simply makes more sense.