best verses Archives - New Hip Hop News

As with every new Tyler The Creator album, CHROMAKOPIA is a lot to take in. That’s not just due to the manic, genre-fusing, and intricately layered production, but also because of how much his lyrics reveal about his current perspective and his impactful journey as an artist. While the Hawthorne native keeps things exciting with his performances, the thematic density of most tracks leaves a lot of open room for analysis and deep topical explorations. In other words, this new album can feel overwhelming at times, especially when we’ve only had it for a few hours. Furthermore, it’s impossible to define all of its themes succinctly in such a short time span.

But there are many verses on here that immediately stand out as some of Tyler, The Creator’s best writing, his most complete narratives, and his most compelling examples of keenly crafted nuance. Whether it’s about fatherhood (or his own father), Black hair, religion, or identity, the former Odd Future frontman’s pen reached some of its highest all-time peaks. As such, we’ve compiled the five best verses from CHROMAKOPIA that caught our ears in our first couple of listens. We’ll stick to the rapping performances on here for the sake of consistency, and to Tyler himself. Even though these are just early impressions, the statements and reflections on this LP certainly leave their mark the moment they hit your ears. We can only imagine what other treasures they hold, and these excellent verses could point the way.

“Darling I” Verse 2

Relationships, commitment, and fatherhood are big themes on CHROMAKOPIA, so it’s only fitting that Tyler The Creator would outline his feelings on romance on one of the album’s first tracks. With steady flows, he delivers one of his most blunt and direct verses on the album that explains why he’s not a fan of monogamy. First off, the “WHAT A DAY” creative compares partners to all the different cars that he loves for different reasons, which also calls to lingering themes of success and excess from CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. This isn’t just a playboy anthem, though, as Tyler also points to his own flaws that prompt this perspective.

“Too many grooves, I’m too curious to try to be / Hiding things, feeling shame built inside of me / ’Cause honestly, T is not perfect / So how can I get everything from one person?” Tyler, The Creator raps on the cut. At the end of the day, he really appreciates his love-lorn bonds, but concludes that what will really provide him with long-lasting company is the art he creates. That feeling of love is what he chases and cherishes, even if it’s temporary.

“Hey Jane” Verse 1

Both verses on “Hey Jane” (named after an abortion-related healthcare company) speak about Tyler The Creator’s relationship with a woman and their unexpected pregnancy, divulging their personal insecurities about it and affirming their commitment to support each other no matter the woman’s decision. They’re both stellar narratives with cutting lines and tender details, but since the second one is from the woman’s perspective, we’d rather let potential mothers speak on that for themselves. Regardless, the Camp Flog Gnaw leader provides a balanced and mature assessment from both sides, and his story shines through beautifully.

Through lines like “We ain’t make it to love yet / Took a shortcut to forever, I’m upset” and “You got to deal with all the mental and physical change / All the heaviest emotions, and the physical pain / Just to give the kid the man last name? F**k that,” Tyler, The Creator swings on the pendulum of fear and fearless support with grace. He knows it’s not the perfect situation, but he’s ready to take accountability for his and his partner’s choices, prioritizing her wants and needs. From a narrative perspective, the letter-like framing of each verse makes this one of CHROMAKOPIA‘s most striking lyrical moments.

“I Killed You” Verse 1

Tyler The Creator is a rapper, not a poet, but the first verse on “I Killed You” blurs that line through a common literary device in both art forms: personification. Building off of themes of heritage and identity, he speaks about his hair and remarks on its importance in Black culture. Much like the rest of CHROMAKOPIA, there’s a masterful push-and-pull on display. On one hand, Tyler explains all the things that Black culture and he himself has done to adapt their hair to a society of white supremacy that looks down on them. “No finding out, a couple knots was a map / We escaping them routes” is a particularly cutting line that feels ashamed of trying to erase that history with chemicals, cuts, straightening, etc.

However, by the end of the song, Tyler, The Creator concludes that he could “never kill” his hair, flipping the first line from “If they see you on top of me, I got to leave” to “If they see you on top of me, then I’m at peace.” What was once a passing mention on CMIYGL turned into one of Tyler’s most skilled, proud, and culturally powerful statements as of late.

“Thought I Was Dead” Verse 2

When Tyler The Creator gets rowdy on CHROMAKOPIA, it’s an exciting and perfectly matched pairing with his rambunctious bangers. “Thought I Was Dead” embodies this explosively, particularly the verse that begins with a double-down on his stance against white rappers (and probably fans) mocking hip-hop. The 33-year-old is unapologetic about his past, flaunting what people see as hypocrisy as personal growth and success. Lines like “I’ma crash s**t out ’til my hair white / I got too much drive, I’m a terabyte” indicate that his brashness isn’t gone from the early Goblin days. It’s just much more well-executed this time around.

In addition, we’d be remiss not to mention the seamless flow switches and dynamic deliveries on this verse. It’s the best and most hard-hitting example of Tyler, The Creator’s bravado on CHROMAKOPIA, one that takes just as much aim at an insufficient and uninspired rap game as it does at critics of his often unfiltered perspective. Obviously, the flips and one-liners help these shots land: “T-T changed like the fit got dirty / I was young man, then a n***a hit thirty / I was one mill’, then a n***a hit thirty / B***h, you ain’t Coco Gauff, you can’t serve me.”

“Take Your Mask Off” Verse 4

Through multiple verses here, Tyler The Creator calls out the pain that “masks” result in. He discusses fake street rappers, greedy and hypocritically bigoted preachers, and rich, unfulfilled partners. But the most interesting verse is the fourth one, on which Tyler seems to address himself, his insecurities, his negative energy, and what other people might criticize about him. Maybe it’s a reach, but there are specific references to hair falling out, home wrecking, fear of fatherhood, being rich at 19, and other details that he owns up to on other CHROMAKOPIA cuts.

Nevertheless, it’s still filled with gut-wrenching bars like “Your respect won’t get given ’til we posting your death / It’s clear you wish you got your flowers sent / You eating fertilizer to balance s**t.” Perhaps this is all about another rapper, but maybe Tyler, The Creator is taking off his own mask of high self-esteem, confidence, and consistency. There is always the looming fear of losing oneself and “falling off,” plus the fact that a boisterous and self-worthy soar to the Sun can lead to a crashing spiral down to Earth every once in a while. Tyler Okonma has incredible reasons to believe in himself. But we’re glad he feels comfortable enough to take the mask off without fear.

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“The Light” (Verse 1)

One of Juice WRLD’s most recent tracks became one of his most loving, committed, and comforting. It’s dedicated to Ally Lotti, and over bright guitars and a poppy drum beat, he speaks on how she’s been the one to ground him away from his battles. Sure, Juice acknowledges their path wasn’t perfect, yet despite these bumps, he expresses more assurance, loyalty, and care because of them. “I owe fines, the devil say I owe him for life / But I could feel it, I got God on my side / Remember when He sent you to me that night” and “Wouldn’t be real love without rough nights / Can’t feel these drugs, but I feel your eyes” are particularly powerful lines. Even though his work is typically perceived as more melancholy than most, “The Light” is… well, the title says it all.

“Lucid Dreams”

How could we leave off the song that got most of us into this singular artistry? The metaphor of lucid dreaming on this cut’s sole verse became such a succinct representation of this track’s themes of heartbreak, 20/20 hindsight, and not wanting to let go of someone despite their toxicity. Across multiple flows and a dynamic vocal performance, Juice WRLD bluntly, but powerfully, wears his heart on his sleeve, which may be his most special and resonant quality as a musician. “I take prescriptions to make me feel a-okay / I know it’s all in my head” and “I didn’t want it to end / I watch it blow in the wind / I should’ve listened to my friends / Leave this s**t in the past, but I want it to last” crystallize his processing of these troubles, and it helped make “Lucid Dreams” one of the 2010s’ catchiest verses.

“Empty” (Verse 2)

This is another heavily melodic offering from Juice WRLD, but that patient pace and clarity make his second verse on “Empty” all the more powerful. Out of his entire catalog, he dedicated this record the most overtly to his fanbase and those he tried to help. Of course, lines like “I ain’t suicidal / Only thing suicide is suicide doors / Fight for survival,” plus “Yeah, I was put here to lead the lost souls / Exhale depression as the wind blows” sum this up pretty well. In that last line in particular, Juice suggests the expulsion of his aches will dissipate them. He always sought that freedom, and from its second verse’s top to its bottom, this cut inspires others to follow suit.

“Doomsday”

While this is by no means the most important or emotionally potent verse in Juice WRLD’s catalog, this recent verse is easily one of his most fun to listen to. Not only do his rhyme schemes, wordplay, narrations, and charismatically cheeky lines put a smile on your face, but his chemistry with Cordae is something to behold here. Meanwhile, it’s impossible to convey all the great bars here. “I smoke ten J’s with two h*es that go both ways / Funny how two plus two equals foreplay,” “This isn’t mumble, it’s murder rap / Type of s**t your grandma understand with her old a**,” “The hair trigger Brazilian, you would get your whole hood waxed,” “Beef with anybody, even if you vegetarian / My flow on ebola, your flow just need Claritin“… and so many more. This song is a Juice-loving hip-hop head’s dream.

“No Good” (Verse 2)

When Juice WRLD ends this song with the line “Who am I to say that this ain’t one of my best verses?“, we truly believe him. From a pure flow and rhyme scheme perspective, this is one of his most impressive while retaining what makes his craft universally beloved. Juice tells his come-up story and delivers one of the most recovery-focused and confident pen performances of his entire career so early on. “Oxycodone got me sewed up, gotta remain focused / And these groupie h*es bogus, everybody knows it / But they turn me to a poet with the love commotion” and “[My momma] sent me Bible verses / Then I got distracted by some nudes from a sex worker / Who am I to not text back? That’s networking / Who am I to lie about my life? I know the truth hurts” cut like a knife.

“Juice WRLD Speaks 2”

Finally, “Juice WRLD Speaks 2,” one of his most recent and unique tracks, sums up what makes him so captivating. Jarad Anthony Higgins tackles his haters, his origin story, fake rappers, his substance abuse, his artistic mission, and so much more here, with a measured flow that no other song of his showcases and a drumless, somber, but peaceful instrumental. However, sharp lines still crack through: “Bunch of these n***as is my sons / I apologize to ’em ’cause I been a bad parent,” “I got a way with words, like I’m running with a phonics book / In school I didn’t do the homework but I still got the subjects / Money ain’t the object, money is the objective, gotta admit that,” and plenty more.

Most importantly, Juice WRLD takes accountability for his commitment to making others’ lives better. He even calls on his hip-hop peers to do the same, all with a focus and calmness that he rarely exhibits so tenderly. No matter what pulls you into Juice’s world, this lone, long verse has something for you to resonate with. It’s a powerful moment that arrived a couple of years after its recording, and that will offer solace to listeners for many more to come. LLJW.

Tyler, The Creator’s Best Verses On “CHROMAKOPIA”