Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the gates of the Dodger Stadium as security and staff frantically acted to maintain an organized crowd. Instead, this was an event curated by Los Angeles-based Rapper, Tyler the Creator, as he hosted his 10th annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival on Nov. 16 and 17.
Camp Flog Gnaw (CFG) is Tyler’s own curated festival, which he has been running since 2012. This year marked the 10th anniversary and the lineup was unveiled in a coded crossword puzzle. The puzzle was slowly revealed on Instagram over an hour, stirring excitement among fans. In addition, headliner Playboi Carti performed not only at Camp Flog Gnaw, but also at Complex Con the same weekend.
The gates opened at noon and despite the chaotic crowd and confusion over where the line started and ended, it was evident that Tyler had clearly been able to bring together fans across the nation– even the world– to celebrate a mixture of hip-hop, indie, rock, and creative contemporary music. Hosted again by AEG and Goldenvoice, the festival did a fairly good job of keeping every artist on time and making sure each set didn’t go over schedule, with the Exception of Erykah Badu.
At the festival, fans had the opportunity to see artists such as Playboi Carti, Tyler the Creator, Sexyy Red, Daniel Caesar, and many more. This festival is certainly personal and homebound for Tyler, as he is from Hawthorne, California and the festival is a great medium to bring together various artists and fans.
Day 2 of the festival saw an increase in crowd size due to the reopening of the waitlist tickets. However, this slightly backfired during Playboi Carti’s closing headlining set, which led to a minor case of crowd crush. The Daily Sundial was on-site and we do have to say, it was a quite violent and scary experience, as hundreds of fans trampled and crawled over each other for air in the mosh pits. Playboi Carti performed a rage-filled electric set per usual and even brought out The Weekend in promotion of their latest track, “Timeless.”
Following the festival, Tyler performed a 56-minute set on Oct. 27, at the newly built Intuit Dome, featuring tracks exclusively from his newest album “Chromakopia.” While we’ve seen Tyler’s love-infatuated phases from his past albums, “Igor” and “Flower Boy”, as well as his rebellious teenage phases in “Bastard” and “Wolf,” Chromkopia was something his fans had never seen before. This was not an incredibly fun or joyous album but rather a darker, deeper approach to his life experiences and success, while still having a quirky Tyler twang to it. It was filled with twinges of paranoia, an unmistakable edge, and unique features ranging from artists like Glorilla to Lil Wayne.
Through “Chromakopia,” Tyler addressed personal topics he had not previously explored. The track “Like Him” tackled the topic of Tyler’s abandonment issues from his absent father, while other tracks such as “Noid” and “Hey Jane” covered his paranoia and fear of having children and the ill intentions of the public after fame and success.
Other tracks such as “Balloon” played on lighter and more whimsical notes. Balloon is my personal favorite of the album due to its bubbly yet raw and twangy vibe. Doechii’s feature was unlike anything else in her discography. I love it when artists step outside of their bubble and show an entirely different side of their style. Overall, the album did a great job of mixing genres and covering a different set of deeper topics than any previous Tyler album. Tyler continuously proves that he can reinvent his style and speak on topics that would once never be considered to be in a rap song. The hard-hitting, dark, yet quirky style of Chromakopia truly encourages fans to be themselves and find their own style.
And the hype continues, as Tyler is set to have a Chromakopia tour starting in February 2025. His world tour was announced via Instagram through a military skit-style video featuring openers Lil Yachty and Paris Texas. From zero releases since March 2023, to a 10th annual festival, a world tour, and a new album release, Tyler is certainly making 2024 his year.
