Combining compelling melodies and lyrical debauchery has become a recipe for success in today’s evolving hip-hop/R&B landscape. New artists attempting to strike a chord by bridging the gap between rapping/singing pop up every day, but Ty Dolla $ign is one of the modern day OGs when it comes to the mastering of this balance. The LA crooner has been responsible for a plethora of hits over the past few years and is a highly sought after feature for some of the biggest names in hip-hop. And while Ty Dolla has several quality projects on his resume, it may be hard to believe for some that Free TC is his official debut album. The 16-track collection has taken several years to come into fruition, but crafting a vision takes time and Ty Dolla $ign made sure that the wait would be worth it. A fascinating mixture of stimulating bedroom music and club-ready jams, Free TC has enough stellar musicality behind it to make the album one of the more diverse R&B efforts of the year.
Free TC starts off on an outstanding note with the orchestra backed “LA”, a collaboration between Ty Dolla, Kendrick Lamar, Brandy, and James Fauntleroy that sounds as good as it looks on paper. The track vividly depicts Ty Dolla’s roots coming up in the city of angels (Los Angeles) and every artist on the record adds their own flavor of expertise to beautifully set the scene of the project. But despite Ty Dolla’s mature songwriting ability, most of Free TC is rooted in messages of sexual excess and with a seductive voice that creates an intoxicating mood with every note; it only makes sense that a path fueled by sensual desires is the road chosen. Sometimes these non-committal activities are depicted in a vigorous, up-tempo fashion such as on “Saved” (ft. E-40) and “Know Ya” (ft. Trey Songz), while other offerings slow things down and take the listener back to the yesteryears of R&B as “Straight Up” (ft. Jagged Edge) and “Solid” (featuring the legendary Babyface!) add nostalgic value to Free TC. Regardless of the sonic approach (which significantly varies from song to song), Ty Dolla $ign utilizes his extensive musical background to ensure that the live instrumentation supplies a soulful backdrop for his provocative vocals.
While Ty Dolla $ign certainly steers his own ship on Free TC, the long list of guest appearances and large number of producers on the album contribute a wide range of styles, which either work to Ty’s advantage (surprisingly at times) or take him off course. For every commanding, bass-driven record that provides appropriately emphatic production for Ty’s party friendly lyrics (ex. “Sitting Pretty”, “When I See Ya” which features a standout Fetty Wap appearance), there are a few missteps such as the underwhelming Kanye West/Diddy infiltrated “Guard Down” that suffer from a lack of purpose.
Nevertheless, Ty Dolla is remarkably able to execute numerous types of soundscapes. A track straight out of YG’s My Krazy Life playbook in “Only Right “ and an absurdly catchy EDM-influence dance-floor burner “Bring It Out Of Me” being sequenced back to back is a testament to that. However, the LA crooner shines his brightest when he hones in on his own artistic specialties. “Horses In The Stable” is an exemplary and honest display of Ty exceling in his own comfort zone as he metaphorically compares his women around the world to horses he can ride at will. Sincerity continues to pay dividends on Free TC’s standout song “Miracle/Wherever”, an epic 8-minute display of raw, unfiltered emotion as the track pays homage to TC, the album’s namesake and Ty Dolla’s brother who is in prison. Exchanges between Ty and TC take place often on the project, and hearing TC’s straight from jail verse gives these conversations authentic meaning and provoke reflection on lines such as “every trial and test is a lesson, gotta seek the truth and stop guessing, ain’t got no room for doubts so ask questions, knowledge is the most powerful weapon” as well as the overarching concept of the LP, knowingly being caught in a web of vices yet embracing the pleasures to musically express them and provide enjoyment for those who are experiencing struggles.
Ty Dolla $ign took quite some time to put together his debut and the ambition reveals itself throughout the collection. Musically, Free TC is deserving of praise as the production weaves its own narrative which brings forth unexpected moments of excitement during the course of the listening experience. Free TC is by no means groundbreaking, but it is an accurate representation of Ty Dolla’s talent as a singer with an engaging voice who is capable of creating a wide array of blended R&B, hip-hop, and soul music, and wise enough to call upon the right musicians/artists/producers to help achieve the effort. Inspired by his brother behind bars, Free TC showcases Ty Dolla $ign delivering a vast culmination of his distinct art form that has earned him massive recognition as a sung-rap virtuoso and while the scope of his unconcealed vision takes us many places, good spirits prevail and the music benefits from Ty Dolla’s impassioned means of expression.
Repeatable: “LA”, “Miracle/Wherever”, “Solid”
Skippable: “Finale”