St. Chroma

"St. Chroma" is a song by the American rapper Tyler, the Creator, released on October 28, 2024 and a single from his eighth studio album Chromakopia (2024). It features Canadian singer Daniel Caesar.

The song finds Tyler, the Creator rapping in a whispering tone,^[1][2] over a beat consisting of marching stomps and handclaps,^[2][3] synthesizers,^[4][5] choir^[4][6] and flute.^[5] Daniel Caesar performs in soulful vocals reminiscent of gospel, singing "Can you feel the light inside? Can you feel that fire?"^[2][3] The artists' vocals also intertwine during this part.^[7] The title refers to Tyler, the Creator's new alter-ego.^[8]

The song was well-received by music critics. Tom Breihan of Stereogum remarked, "Judging by its brief length and past precedent, the video probably doesn't include the entire song. What we hear, however, is awesome. Tyler raps in a menacing whisper over marching boots, eerie John Carpenter-ass synths, and gospel-informed choirs. Just as the video ends, the beat drops and immediately slides into the chaotic Playboi Carti song. Mission accomplished. I'm excited."^[4] Niall Smith of Clash stated "The march-bound opener 'St. Chroma' sets pace pretty effectively. The song's soulful vocals crescendo into a fiery, sweltering cocktail of self-doubt, rumbling drums and mantras of anti-fame."^[9] Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone wrote of the song, "a familiar constellation of sounds that arrives with a level of precision that seems final, as if Tyler's now seen his signature sound to completion. Tyler's penchant for angelic-sounding string arrangements is at its most potent on the track, with vocals from Daniel Caesar, while, lyrically, he's vibrant and dynamic, switching up his flow as he brags from a place less material and more metaphysical."^[10] Heven Haile of Pitchfork wrote, "A flute mimicking ululations sounds like a battle cry under militaristic stomps on opener 'St. Chroma.' Tyler whisper-raps as if to say, Listen close, I have something important to tell you. That, along with Daniel Caesar's ethereal gospel vocals asking 'Can you feel that fire?' and a modular synth speeding up its frequency like a kettle about to blow, makes it feel like we're traversing space and time straight into Tyler's psyche."^[5] David Crone of AllMusic considered it "Tyler's strongest intro to date", calling it "an immediate collage of intent, flip-flopping from scratchy militarism to soaring gospel", and described the song as part of a "militia-like opening trio" (alongside the songs "Rah Tah Tah" and "Noid") that "creates a brilliant, unified new sound".^[11]

A music video was released for the song on October 16, 2024, and was the first promotional material for the album. Initially shot with a sepia filter, a masked Tyler (also known with the pseudonym "St.Chroma") with a green suit leads a line of 10 men wearing matching suits, their faces hidden. Tyler steps out of the line and directs the men to a large green shipping container with the Chromakopia logo spray-painted on the front. The men go inside, as well as Tyler who rejoins the line. The container closes, and Tyler appears in the foreground and detonates the container via button press. At the end of the video, it cuts to the word "Chromakopia" in all black against a solid green background.^{[2][12][6][13][14][15][16][17][18][excessive citations]}