What makes Tyler: the Creator

By Seoyeon “Claudia” Kim '28 • Nov 18, 2025

Tis Grammy nomination season, when social media pages are overcrowded with news and predictions of nominees for sundry genres of music. Among the many categories, w

hat caught my sight were the nominees for the “Album of the Year”. “Album of the Year” has great value as one of the most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards, selected by the panel of judges that reside in authoritative positions of the industry. Although I am no critic or judge, I wanted to take some time to analyze a particular song in the album, Chromakopia by Tyler, The Creator, my personal favorite out of the nominees and an album that holds depth. 

Tyler, The Creator.

His name signifies that he is not, and doesn’t want to be characterized as a single identity. He claims his title as a ‘creator’, producing his music, experimenting with different artistic methods, and fully expressing who he is. He creates new realms, introduces and engenders new identities, and experiments through music, film and art. 

Born Tyler Gregory Okonma, Tyler was raised by his single-mother, Bonnie Smith. His Nigerian father was absent from his life even before he was born. With the absence of a father figure, his music is what sheds light to Tyler’s inner soul. The whole album continues with the narrative of Tyler’s mother, the track “Like Him” especially focusing on his mother’s insight as she addresses the fact that Tyler looks a lot like his father, and the guilt she entailed for so long because she was in fact the person that pushed him away from their lives. Tyler expresses a sorrowful rant towards his past, and to his father. The beginning of the song is as if he excavates through a dark tunnel, scared to confront what will be outside; his true identity. He doesn’t resent his mother for his father’s absence. This particular aspect of the song captures both the irony and marvelousness that despite it revolving around the subject of Tyler’s father, he never mentions the word. 

Structured like a musical, the song opens with a portrayal of Tyler’s childhood, where he grapples with a mix of curiosity and fear as he confronts the realization that he looks like his father, a man he does not know of. He relates to this concept by saying that he is chasing a ghost. He also states his longing for a father. During a performance, while talking to fans who were chanting for specific songs that were not part of his set list, Tyler remarked on the vainness of wishing for things that never come true. He drew a parallel to his own life, jokingly saying that, "Aw... and I wanted a father, but you don't get everything.” The next verse is the phase of Tyler’s realization that he didn’t lack love and affection throughout his childhood, and slowly drifts away from the idea that a ‘father’ is needed for him. With the change of beats, Tyler concludes that he has decided to let go of the past that strapped him and constantly conflicted his identity. He says that he doesn’t look like his father. He uses this phrase not in a literal, physical sense but to address that he is not a mere reflection of his absent father. He is Tyler, the creator, someone who is discovered not through his lineage but through his music, where he has found his authenticity.