On Sunday (Feb. 25), Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign narrowly squeaked by Yeat to take care of their reign on the Billboard 200 for a second consecutive week with their collaborative Vultures 1 album. For Mr. West, this feat marks the primary time since 2011’s Watch the Throne that he’s been in a position to have a number of weeks at No. 1, whereas for Ty, it’s the primary No. 1 of any period on the chart in his profession.
As Yeezy continues to publish star-level numbers, regardless of the backlash to his many current controversies, that is new territory for his veteran crooner collaborator. After 9 mixtapes, three collaborative EPs, and two solo albums, Ty lastly has a No. 1 album on his resume. With almost 15 years within the recreation, it’s a landmark win for Ty – however can it even be the beginning of one thing extra for him as a solo star?
All through his profession, Ty has confirmed himself to be the quintessential hook man, deftly elevating rap songs along with his silky vocals and pinch of bravado. His first help got here in 2010 when he aided Cali cohort YG along with his Def Jam debut single “Toot It and Boot It.” The document peaked at No. 67 on the Sizzling 100 and No. 12 on the Rap Songs charts, finally incomes platinum standing from the RIAA. Following that early win, Ty confirmed he is also a solo menace as a lead artist, scoring his first Sizzling 100 high 40 single in 2013 with “Paranoid” alongside producer DJ Mustard and visitor rapper B.o.B. The mixture of Mustard and Dolla $ign wreaked havoc once more when partnered up on the titillating “Or Nah,” which peaked at No. 48 on the Sizzling 100 and noticed The Weeknd and Wiz Khalifa take part on the remix. These singles have been packaged into his wonderful 2014 EP, Seaside Home – a filling appetizer, together with notable options from a rookie-era Travis Scott and effervescent French Montana.
Through the mid-2010s, Mustard dominated radio and the golf equipment along with his bouncy West Coast manufacturing; Ty was a large beneficiary of that success, doing options for his Taylor Gang captain Wiz Khalifa, Travis Barker, Chris Brown, Massive Sean and extra hitmakers. He even confirmed that he may present a spark on the pop aspect when plugged in alongside acts like Fifth Concord and Put up Malone, with each data turning into high 5 hits on the Sizzling 100, and the latter turning into his first Sizzling 100-topper.
The West Coast singer additionally continued to indicate promise on the solo aspect, notably on his debut album, Free TC, in 2015. When paired with singers like Brandy and James Fauntleroy (“LA”), Babyface (“Stable”), and Jagged Edge (“Straight Up”), Ty held his personal and created memorable moments with out being washed away by the featured artist. Then, when paired with rappers, Ty’s swagger supplied sufficient warmth to face alongside among the hardest cats of the time, together with Kendrick Lamar, Future and Kanye. Though he didn’t land a excessive Billboard 200 peak, Free TC shined on many year-end lists and solidified Ty as a formidable lead artist.
However Ty started stretching himself too skinny, releasing one too many initiatives at a time. Following Free TC, he dropped his mixtape Marketing campaign a 12 months after its launch and delivered his sophomore album, Seaside Home 3, in 2017. That’s three initiatives in two years. Whereas BH3 had noteworthy options, together with Lil Wayne, Pharrell, and Future, it didn’t get Ty his first high 10 album on the Billboard 200, forcing him to rapidly swim again to the options properly. Although he secured nice album-cut appears to be like as a co-star on Kanye West’s “Actual Pals,” Drake’s “Jaded,” and The Carters’ “Boss,” as a substitute of utilizing that momentum to launch a solo album, he paired up with Jeremih for his or her joint album Mihty in 2018. After coming off a Sizzling 100 No. 1 with Put up Malone in “Psycho” that 12 months, it will have been the best time for Ty to be a bit extra egocentric and launch an album on his personal. However the reception to MihTy was delicate, because it failed to achieve velocity on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 60.
Ty’s final solo album got here in 2020, That includes Ty Dolla $ign, which earned the best Billboard 200 debut of his profession (No. 4), with a bloated effort consisting of 25 songs. The shiny visitor checklist was good, as he nabbed acquainted faces like Kanye, Nicki Minaj, Put up Malone and Child Cudi, but it surely once more proved the less-is-more adage must be a larger focus for Ty sooner or later. In 2021, he launched one other collaborative album with DVSN titled Cheers to the Greatest Reminiscences – which didn’t transfer the needle for both occasion commercially, peaking at No. 139 on the BIllboard 200. The album was additionally panned by followers and critics, who yearned for extra from the 2 revered acts.
However the door is open once more for Ty to re-establish himself as a solo star, following the discharge of Vultures 1. The chart-topping LP encompasses a masterclass efficiency by Ty Dolla $ign, doing what he does finest — being the help man. With Kanye helming the manufacturing and serving because the lead artist, Ty coloured between the strains and stored the songs rock regular regardless of Ye’s radioactive raps. Songs like “Burn” and “Again to Me” confirmed flashes of classic Yeezy however are anchored by Ty’s hooks and songwriting talents. Although Mr. West was undoubtedly the conductor, Ty’s smoothness rounded out this venture enormously, which makes one marvel: What if Ty recorded his subsequent solo album with Kanye as the manager producer?
Or, to take issues additional, Ty can take a web page out of Pusha T’s e book and have two producers helm his new album. He may faucet his previous buddy in DJ Mustard to do half the album whereas Mr. West takes on the second half, offering followers a have a look at the previous and the current since, he has completed his finest work with each behind-the-scenes maestros. Followers adore him for his collaborations, however seeing extra of Ty on the solo entrance may benefit him as a lead artist, contemplating there’s some stagnancy on the male aspect of R&B, with no definitive main man in the mean time.
Whereas Ty has loved a fruitful profession and can grow to be one in all this era’s most necessary featured artists, he hasn’t all the time wanted to share the highlight. But when Ty finishes all three Vultures installments with Kanye (with 2 and three presently slated for March 8 and April 5, respectively), it can propel him even larger – and hopefully, he can at some point use the momentum to grow to be the star of his personal carnival.