Rating: NNN
L.A. crooner/rapper Ty Dolla $ign’s latest in a slew of raunchy-romantic mixtapes maintains a cohesive fluidity despite enlisting a handful of producers (including himself). On smoother bedroom jams, classic R&B tropes commingle with stuttering electro modernity. The rap tracks, meanwhile, are handclapping club types. At times, the signature R-rated storytelling veers into undisguised misogyny, like on Type Of Shit I Hate, when Fabolous body-shames women for misrepresenting themselves on Instagram. (Idea: stop picking up on social media.) Ty’s voice is low, laid-back and a little gruff, but I wish he’d tackle a few more ballads solo. He enlists a slew of high-profile collaborators, but the only unassisted tune, Stretch // She Better, is one of the finest. The best track, In Too Deep, comes care of the artist’s brother, Big TC – from prison, where he’s facing life – presumably via iPhone. The singer bucks the album’s money and sex themes for a reflective and melodic take on what landed him in jail.
Top track: In Too Deep
Ty Dolla $ign plays the Guvernment October 24.