Arts & Culture

Tyler, The Creator Breaks Boundaries with Chromakopia: A Sonic Masterpiece

By Audree Zendejas December 12, 2024

Guess who has just dropped their eighth album? You might know him, you might love him! Did you guess it? Tyler the Creator! Tyler the Creator has just dropped his eighth album, and it is all over the internet. If you don’t know who Tyler the Creator is, he is a singer who is known for his boundary-pushing sound and electric artistry, making you able to feel his music in your soul.

He started making music when he was 12, and he dropped his first album, Bastard, in 2009. Bastard gathered praise from publications and led to a record deal. Growing up, Tyler taught himself how to play the piano and designed his own album covers from existing albums. He lived with his mom in the Ladera Heights and Hawthorne Heights sections of L.A. His birth name is Tyler Okonma but his name “Tyler The Creator" came from his Myspace profile. Later in 2010 he released the track “Yonkers” right before releasing his first studio album Goblin in 2011. His albums Goblin and Bastard elicited controversy which caused Tyler to become banned from performing shows in 2015, but that didn’t stop people from praising his work and appearing on “end of the year” lists for best album.

In 2011, Tyler the Creator later created a fashion label called Golf Wang which was inspired by skater culture, hip-hop and sneaker culture. Not much longer after that in 2012, he founded the yearly music festival Camp Flog Gnaw where he recently just performed his newest album, Chromakopia. He released his third album Wolf in 2013 that featured his musical heroes Erykah Badu and Pharell Williams. The follow up to Wolf also featured Williams and some other substantial artists such as Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Charlie Wilson, and SchoolBoy Q. After he went on a world tour for Cherry Bomb Tyler waited two years to release Flower Boy in 2017. This album had such of a widespread praise and acclaim that it reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and earned Tyler a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Fun fact! Do you remember a childhood classic The Grinch and the song “You’re a Mean One Mr.Grinch”? Well, Tyler The Creator was the one who performed and produced that song’s popular new remake,!

Tyler’s most recent album, Chromakopia, features guest appearances by Daniel Caesar, Doechii, GloRilla, LaToiya Williams, Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, Solange, Lola Young, Santigold, Schoolboy Q, Sexyy Red, Thundercat, Baby Keem, Teezo Touchdown, and Playboi Carti. There are also physical releases of the album. Chromakopia was all written, produced, and arranged by Tyler The Creator himself. This album includes a variety of different genres such as hip-hop, jazz, and soul, reminiscent of Flower Boy and Igor. The album was very successful as it debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and earned Tyler his third US number one album, along with it being his fastest selling album. Most of his songs on the album have some kind of deep meaning behind them and so does the album itself. He stated that its concept was inspired by his experience growing up in greater Los Angeles and the life lessons he learned that he later appreciated.

Coming from a person that already likes Tyler The Creator, I personally really liked this album. He puts certain songs together into such a sensational way and makes them actually mean something. If I had to pick my favorite song from the album, I would probably pick “Like Him” with Lola Young. The song captures his dissociation and distance from a father figure that he doesn’t want to emulate. Overall, I would rate this album a 9/10. I feel like everything did so well and it all just fit together. The features, the genres, the meanings, they all just came together as one.

This is an image taken of the Knott's Merry Farm entrance facade.

A great view of the Knott's Merry Farm christmas tree while it's lit.

This is a picture taken inside of Santa's Christmas Cabin at Knott's Merry Farm this year. It features Santa sitting and waiting for the next child to sit and take a picture with him.

Knott's Merry Farm: A Winter Wonderland

By Liam Maldonado December 13, 2024

This year, just like all the others, we have all been anticipating the arrival of Knott's Merry Farm. Now that it is finally here, we are all ecstatic about it. Knott's Merry Farm takes place at Knott's Berry Farm. Like other Christmas celebrations, the park focuses on celebrating the holiday we all know and love: Christmas. This joyous celebration includes many fun experiences and cheerful sights, including seasonal treats and beverages.

First, the park features spectacular shows such as Home for the Holidays, an ice show that showcases the beloved Peanuts Gang, Snoopy, and talented ice skaters. Additionally, those who visit this exciting amusement park during the holidays have the opportunity to witness a nightly tree lighting ceremony, enter Santa's Christmas Cabin, and explore a “Christmas Crafts Village” version of the mining town of Calico. These thrilling occurrences offer beautiful and classic holiday sights, scrumptious treats, a chance to take a photo with Santa, unique gift ideas, and a fun “Snow and Glow” event.

Secondly, we must not forget the amazing decorations scattered throughout Knott's Berry Farm. One place within the park that is important to mention is Camp Snoopy, which features many bright Christmas lights in a variety of colors. Throughout the day, you may hear jolly holiday music playing. In the night, many festive lights turn on. This generates a crowded, colorful, and happy atmosphere that you do not want to miss. Another picture-worthy spot at Knott's Merry Farm during the holidays is the entrance facade, which features two nutcrackers, one giant teddy bear, a christmas tree, lights, candy canes, a large toy train, and life-sized trinkets.

Inside Santa’s Christmas Cabin, you are able to purchase an eggnog, hot chocolate, or a warm chocolate chip cookie accompanied by an ice-cold glass of milk. Otherwise, if you’re looking for something different, you could explore the many different seasonal hispanic treats sold by vendors in some stands within the “Christmas Crafts Village.” Another snack that is not seasonal but is still worth mentioning is the iconic Knott’s Berry Farm funnel cake. This snack is sold at this amusement park year-round and typically consists of a fried funnel base with a soft interior, white sugar powder, and strawberry syrup.

In conclusion, Knott’s Merry Farm’s delicious seasonal sweets, great experiences, and nice decorations transform it into a winter wonderland worth visiting for the holidays.

Wolf Man movie poster 2025

Image of Charlotte Lovell (Julia Garner) holding Ginger Lovell (Matilda Firth) in terror.

Another Wolf Man 2025 movie poster

Wolf Man: A Cinematic Masterpiece

By Liam Maldonado April 30, 2025

You have just crashed in the middle of the Oregon countryside at night. The driver is gone, and a mysterious creature approaches. This is only the beginning of the Lovell family's nightmare, before they are chased by a humanoid, yet wolf-like creature. They end up stranded in a small farm home surrounded by wilderness. While the wolfman patrols the perimeter of the house, Blake Lovell undergoes a painful transformation into this horrible creature, caused by its infectious scratch.

Wolf Man is a Blumhouse film and the latest installment of the “Wolf Man” franchise. It is essentially a remake of The Wolfman, a previous remake of the 1941 Universal Monsters classic, The Wolf Man. It follows a family who, in an attempt to return to Blake’s childhood Oregon countryside home, are attacked by an unknown creature. The wolfman himself is not very scary, but the film’s chase scenes and atmosphere certainly are.

The film begins by telling a fictional story of a hiker who went missing in the Oregon wilderness, leading to various searches. However, the man was never found and, soon after, many reports of a humanoid wolf-like creature in the area began to circulate around its few inhabitants. Around this time, Blake Lovell was a child living with his father in a secluded farmhouse. One day they went hunting and, besides his father’s warnings, Blake wandered off. This scene startled me with the sudden apparition of a wolf-like creature that dashes past the screen. Soon after, Blake finds his father and they run home upon hearing a loud roar during the sunset.

It is important to note that this horror movie is quite predictable and does not exactly have the best scares. On the other hand, the acting is okay, but Christopher Abbott does great later on in the movie. Furthermore, the FX are exceptional, delivering a realistic feel to the scenes, especially the transformation. It is also evident that the film relies heavily on its atmosphere to deliver the scares and chase scenes in the scariest form possible. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. In general though, I would say Wolf Man has a great plot twist and, overall, one of the scariest atmospheres used in any horror movie this year.

Wolf Man movie poster 2025

Image of Charlotte Lovell (Julia Garner) holding Ginger Lovell (Matilda Firth) in terror.

Another Wolf Man 2025 movie poster

Drake

By Maria Martinez April 30, 2025

You have just crashed in the middle of the Oregon countryside at night. The driver is gone, and a mysterious creature approaches. This is only the beginning of the Lovell family's nightmare, before they are chased by a humanoid, yet wolf-like creature. They end up stranded in a small farm home surrounded by wilderness. While the wolfman patrols the perimeter of the house, Blake Lovell undergoes a painful transformation into this horrible creature, caused by its infectious scratch.

Wolf Man is a Blumhouse film and the latest installment of the “Wolf Man” franchise. It is essentially a remake of The Wolfman, a previous remake of the 1941 Universal Monsters classic, The Wolf Man. It follows a family who, in an attempt to return to Blake’s childhood Oregon countryside home, are attacked by an unknown creature. The wolfman himself is not very scary, but the film’s chase scenes and atmosphere certainly are.

The film begins by telling a fictional story of a hiker who went missing in the Oregon wilderness, leading to various searches. However, the man was never found and, soon after, many reports of a humanoid wolf-like creature in the area began to circulate around its few inhabitants. Around this time, Blake Lovell was a child living with his father in a secluded farmhouse. One day they went hunting and, besides his father’s warnings, Blake wandered off. This scene startled me with the sudden apparition of a wolf-like creature that dashes past the screen. Soon after, Blake finds his father and they run home upon hearing a loud roar during the sunset.

It is important to note that this horror movie is quite predictable and does not exactly have the best scares. On the other hand, the acting is okay, but Christopher Abbott does great later on in the movie. Furthermore, the FX are exceptional, delivering a realistic feel to the scenes, especially the transformation. It is also evident that the film relies heavily on its atmosphere to deliver the scares and chase scenes in the scariest form possible. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. In general though, I would say Wolf Man has a great plot twist and, overall, one of the scariest atmospheres used in any horror movie this year.