Imagine the only image you have of your father are comparisons that people have made of him and yourself. This is the theme we see in Tyler, the Creator’s “Like Him.:” This is the 12th track in Tyler, the Creator’s new album “CHROMAKOPIA,” released on October 28, 2024.
The song starts off with Tyler’s mother comparing different physical attributes of himself to ones of his father. He goes into the pre-chorus by mentioning more of his mom’s comparisons.
To lead away from the pre-chorus he uses the repetition of the words “Like him” with an emphasis on the word “like.” In the chorus of the song, he starts emphasizing the word “him” to start the second part of the chorus that says “Mama, I’m chasing a ghost / I don’t know who he is.” The change in emphasis is there to show that the person he is talking about is someone he does not know.
The chorus ends with Tyler asking the question “Do I look like him?” followed by the repetition of “Like him” again. This repetition throughout the entire song is there to show how soul-crushing not knowing who his father is or what he looks like was for him.
The melody of the song has a lot of piano that later leads into some synth but is overall melancholy.
The final verse of the song is Tyler talking to his mom saying “I would never ever lie to you / You ain’t never gotta lie to me / I’m everything that I strive to be.” This part is foreshadowing for the outro where we find out that his father wanted to be involved in his life but Tyler’s mother would not let him.
The final line before the last chorus asks “So do I look like him?” where Lola Young’s pleading vocals add another layer of desperation to know what this man looks like.
“Like him” as well as “CHROMAKOPIA” is available on all streaming platforms.