Tyler, The Creator And ScHoolboy Q Reunite For “Thought I Was Dead”

We knew Tyler, The Creator had bars on “Thought I Was Dead.” The rapper dropped a music video for the song a few days before its official release, but only a fragment of the song was included. Now that the full CHROMAKOPIA album has arrived, we have the full song. And it delivers. “Thought I Was Dead” offers up one of the hardest instrumentals on the entire album, which is saying a lot. The song also gives fans a chance to bask in the Tyler, The Creator and ScHoolboy Q reunion we didn’t realize we needed.

CHROMAKOPIA is, in many ways, the culmination of Tyler, The Creator’s sound. It includes pieces of all his previous albums. “Thought I Was Dead” is a throwback to the aggressive, clipped bangers that were all over 2015’s Cherry Bomb. The beat is wonky and horn-led, while the busy drum pattern breaks up the rapper’s bassy delivery. The chorus is simple and catchy. ScHoolboy Q, who also popped up on a stellar Cherry Bomb cut, brings his typical hybrid of menace and energy to the table. He’s the perfect rapper to get on a beat this bizarre.