Tyler, the Creator bought $4,000 worth of cheesesteaks at Shank’s to promote new album ‘Chromakopia’
The 'Chromakopia' truck traveled cross-country before making a Philly stop on Monday
On Monday, a bright green truck roamed around Philadelphia carrying a shipping container that read CHROMAKOPIA in large letters — that’s the name of rapper Tyler, the Creator’s latest album that released the same day. Part of a nationwide promo tour, the truck stopped at Shank’s, the legendary luncheonette in Queen Village.
From noon to 3:30 p.m., a DJ played the album on a loop (the rapper did not appear), while hundreds of fans lined up for cheesesteaks, hoagies, and fries, courtesy of Tyler Okonma, the Odd Future cofounder who performs as Tyler, the Creator. Shank’s owner Ed Brennan, 41, said he sold around $4,000 worth of food. At one point, the shop got so busy that they only served cheesesteaks.
Around 1 p.m., the rapper’s team posted a video on X of the truck in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, “NOW ROLLING THROUGH PHILADELPHIA, PA. Meet us at Shanks to hear CHROMAKOPIA, food on us while supplies last,” the post read.
“It was pretty wild, I wasn’t expecting that,” said Brennan, who lives in Delco. “The first hour that they were here, we were just kind of sitting around waiting. And then within the next three hours, we had the busiest day we ever had here.”
Brennan was contacted by the rapper’s team on Sunday to ask if Shank’s could host the pop-up. Originally the truck was slated to appear at another Philly restaurant (Brennan doesn’t know where), but the rapper’s rep told him those plans fell through at the last minute.
Over the past couple weeks, the Chromakopia truck has traveled across the country, appearing at restaurants in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Columbus, Ohio, and elsewhere. The shipping container also appears in music videos for the album’s songs “St. Chroma” and “Thought I Was Dead.”
Tyler, the Creator’s eccentric music is “not really my style,” said Brennan, but his staffers, who love the album, were thrilled that the truck stopped at Shank’s.
The “Chromakopia Tour" kicks off in February in North America; a Philadelphia show at the Wells Fargo Center is set for July 5.