Ty Dolla $ign - Featuring Ty Dolla $ign ALBUM REVIEW
Ty Dolla $ign has always been one of my favorite underrated artists. He’s not really the best at making albums, but his features on songs from the likes of Post Malone and, more recently, Ariana Grande have been showcases of how good of a performer he is. He’s a go-to artist if you need a good hook or a verse that’s extra smooth, and he rarely fails on that front. That makes the case for his latest album here, titled Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, where he holds his own on some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B today like Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, Kid Cudi, Roddy Ricch, and Nicki Minaj, among many others. While I think some of his albums have faltered in the past, Featuring Ty Dolla $ign has the chance of being a breakout hit when it comes to releasing albums. Let’s get right into it.
Featuring Ty Dolla $ign is an R&B album with hip-hop influences. I mainly had one concern about this album going into it, and there are A LOT of songs on this. To be specific, there are 25 songs on here. That leaves room for a lot of filler, and that gave me traumatic Culture II flashbacks or even a DJ Khaled album. Luckily, most of these songs have something that I can come back to. Like the title suggests, this has a lot of collaborations. The first belongs to Kid Cudi, with the groovy and sensual “Temptations.” It’s treading the same ground for both artists, but their charismatic performances and the catchy chorus elevate this track to a great opening collab. “Expensive” with Nicki Minaj falls into the same category, and I’ll be very surprised if this isn’t a hit. What makes Featuring so special is that how many times Ty gets out of his comfort zone and becomes adventurous with his own sound, along with bringing his collaborators on the ride. The best example is the highly anticipated “Track 6,” with Kanye, .Paak, and Thundercat. It’s an R&B fusion with trap and even a little bit of jazz and rock, and it really upended my expectations. Of course, there are a couple lulls in the album for me, as well. The lead single “Ego Death” with Ye, fka twigs, and Skrillex is pretty underwhelming, which West giving more of a rant about Planned Parenthood than a verse itself. It hurts to say it, but the tracks that don’t have any collaborations feel generic. Ty has always been trying to find his footing for his solo material, and the solo tracks are prime examples of this.
Is there filler? Yes, what 20+ track album doesn’t have that? I’m just surprised how consistent Featuring Ty Dolla $ign is with so many songs. It’s no masterpiece, but this is a great example of the good sides of ‘feature culture.’ Nearly every single collaboration goes over well and add something to the album as a whole, while also showcasing Ty’s impeccable ear for melodies and curation. I’m still hoping that he can make a great solo album, but I’ll settle with this!
7/10
Stream Featuring Ty Dolla $ign here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
Featuring Ty Dolla $ign is an R&B album with hip-hop influences. I mainly had one concern about this album going into it, and there are A LOT of songs on this. To be specific, there are 25 songs on here. That leaves room for a lot of filler, and that gave me traumatic Culture II flashbacks or even a DJ Khaled album. Luckily, most of these songs have something that I can come back to. Like the title suggests, this has a lot of collaborations. The first belongs to Kid Cudi, with the groovy and sensual “Temptations.” It’s treading the same ground for both artists, but their charismatic performances and the catchy chorus elevate this track to a great opening collab. “Expensive” with Nicki Minaj falls into the same category, and I’ll be very surprised if this isn’t a hit. What makes Featuring so special is that how many times Ty gets out of his comfort zone and becomes adventurous with his own sound, along with bringing his collaborators on the ride. The best example is the highly anticipated “Track 6,” with Kanye, .Paak, and Thundercat. It’s an R&B fusion with trap and even a little bit of jazz and rock, and it really upended my expectations. Of course, there are a couple lulls in the album for me, as well. The lead single “Ego Death” with Ye, fka twigs, and Skrillex is pretty underwhelming, which West giving more of a rant about Planned Parenthood than a verse itself. It hurts to say it, but the tracks that don’t have any collaborations feel generic. Ty has always been trying to find his footing for his solo material, and the solo tracks are prime examples of this.
Is there filler? Yes, what 20+ track album doesn’t have that? I’m just surprised how consistent Featuring Ty Dolla $ign is with so many songs. It’s no masterpiece, but this is a great example of the good sides of ‘feature culture.’ Nearly every single collaboration goes over well and add something to the album as a whole, while also showcasing Ty’s impeccable ear for melodies and curation. I’m still hoping that he can make a great solo album, but I’ll settle with this!
7/10
Stream Featuring Ty Dolla $ign here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
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