20 years ago, R&B sounded a lot different than it does now. Unlike rap, which has a whole subset of artists devoted to reinterpreting, reliving and/or unimaginatively rehashing a perceived "golden era" of sounds, R&B singers generally don't seem too concerned with looking over their shoulders, save for the occasional homage to James Brown, Michael Jackson or R. Kelly.
Not only has the genre's sound progressed, as is almost inevitable, but so has the perception of its stars. Whereas there used to be a distinct, well-defined line between rappers and singers, that's now vanished in the wake of people like Drake, who started off singing his own hooks and now blurs the line between singing and melodic rapping, and Future, who rarely (if ever) turns off the auto-tune, but is almost always referred to as a rapper. Nowhere was this shift more evident than the cover of XXL's 2014 Freshman issue, which had two men more frequently referred to as singers-- August Alsina and Ty Dolla $ign-- standing alongside rappin-ass-rappers like Jon Connor and melody-friendly MCs like Rich Homie Quan alike.
More so than Alsina, who fits more in the classic R&B mold with his infrequent rapping, Dolla $ign is the single best poster boy for R&B's new wave. His music is no doubt cutting edge, but in addition to his sound, the way he's constructed his career is particularly revolutionary, which is why we think he represents the future of the genre.
songwriting
Started Out Songwriting, Ended Up Singing
After introducing himself to the world via a guest appearance and writing credit on YG's "Toot It & Boot It," Ty made his mark writing for other artists while he began his solo career. As any R&B singer like Rico Love or Eric Bellinger knows, this is a great way to get your foot in the door while also earning some royalties, but unlike most people who become known as writers first, singer second, Ty soon progressed past being a hooksmith.
His pen's been enlisted by everyone from Snoop Dogg to Chris Brown, and as many of his key writing credits came during his artistic come-up, Dolla $ign's career progression can be viewed as a viable model for R&B singers in the internet age. As free mixtapes from singers become less of a rarity and more of a necessity, writing for other artists can function as a sort of day job to support one's own music. In Ty's case, it worked out perfectly: drop the two Beach House tapes while you're making most of your money off royalties, and then as soon as you have a single that pops off ("Paranoid"), drop the Beach House EP as your first commercial release.
Of course, you have to have something special going for you in the writing department, and like The-Dream before him, Dolla $ign seems to have a knack for dreaming up just the sort of earworming hooks and repetitive lyrics that the radio adores. Another similarity between him and The-Dream is the fact that their solo work is often more experimental than the pop singles that they write, with the money made from that "day job" able to finance their more artistic pursuits. Even though Ty's more of a household name now (or perhaps because of it), he was called upon by Rihanna and Kanye West to write songs for R8 and So Help Me God, respectively, and more high-profile work seems like it'll soon follow.
production
Versatile Production
In addition to excelling at both singing and songwriting, Ty is also an accomplished producer and musician in his own right, heading up the D.R.U.G.$. (Dirty Rotten Underground Sound) production team whose name appears on most of his tracks. He plays bass, guitar piano, and often enlists string sections to give his music a more lush, often baroque sound. The collective churns out pretty eclectic material, blending elements of standard Cali ratchet with trap, traditional R&B, funk and even some dubstep on occasion. Too often R&B singers have two speeds: turn up and slow jam, and having versatile production chops helps ensure that Ty won't face the same pitfalls.
His recent single "Stand For," produced by DJ Dahi and Diplo, is truly smack-dab in the middle of hip-hop, R&B and electronic, and he rides the oddly-paced beat with ease. Trends come and go faster than ever these days-- listen closely and you can hear the last big DJ Mustard songs from last year dropping off the charts one by one-- and by surrounding himself with different genres, Ty makes sure his fate isn't tied to any one sound or movement. This man could collaborate with anyone in the game and make it seem natural.
cali connections
Rap Connections That Run Deep
Historically, R&B singers are treated somewhat like drug dealers by rappers: you call upon them in a time of need (when your label demands that big hook), but don't really want to hang out with them outside of that. This is why we have SD singing (not rapping, oddly enough) "no R&B in my squad" on a recent track and Chris Brown trying his hardest to be associated with the Piru bloods. In this sense, Ty's closest forbearer is Nate Dogg, who came up alongside L.A. street rappers like Warren G and Snoop Dogg and delivered grittier lyrics than his contemporaries. Where the late Nate had Dr. Dre and Snoop by his side, Ty has DJ Mustard and YG (in addition to lower-tier L.A. rappers like Jay Rock, Joe Moses and Jay 305), two guys who cement his connection to L.A.'s rap scene and give him plenty of work.
In addition to this, Ty's part of Taylor Gang, which helps branch out his Cali sound to include the weed clouded stylings of Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J and Co. With a foot in both worlds-- the club and the head shop-- Dolla $ign ensures his versatility and staying power in the game. This practice of rappers signing and/or being affiliated with singers extends beyond Ty's world, with examples like Drake's go-to hook man PARTYNEXTDOOR, Future's roots with the more rap-friendly Freebandz and Black Migo Gang crews, and even MMG's recent pickup of a late-career Omarion. Just as lines between melody and rapping have been blurred, so have the previously-standing barriers between singers and rappers.
Look out for Ty and Wiz's joint EP Talk About It In The Morning later this month.
producing
An Easygoing, Freestyled Delivery
More and more, rappers are taking cues from Lil Wayne and not writing down any of their lyrics. Long has this been a hallmark of cypher circles and ATL trap, but now that everyone from Kanye West to Drake seems to be picking up on it, writing seems like it's on its way out in some circles of mainstream rap. Whether truly "freestyled" or not, Ty's lyrical style fits in well with this sea change. Take "Familiar" a song from the Beach House EP that has Ty meditating on multiple meanings of one word (similar to Que's "Time"):
"That girl looked familiar
Real recognize real, that’s familiar
I be ridin the whip that ain’t familiar
Getting to the money, that’s familiar
Ohhh that’s familiar
That can’t be yo girl, she familiar
If you ain’t real we don’t feel ya
Say my name to these hoes, that’s familiar"
Diehard fans of bar-for-bar "lyricism" may deride this approach to writing music, but there's no denying that it taps into something that Thesaurus-heavy, "lyrical spiritual miracle" verses don't. Ty makes odes to strippers seem soulful, makes casual come-ons seem like wedding proposals, but his verses often take on a more humorous tone because of their off-the-cuff qualities. Coining terms like "booger wolf" and singing things as cheeky as "she got butt pads on, that's a fail," he becomes more likable and human, as opposed to R&B stars like Trey Songz who always sing from the position of sex symbol stardom. Make no mistake, Ty is still a ladies man, but he sings about it in ways that don't immediately have men reaching for the skip button.
voice
"Free TC" Is Going To Be Huge
Even in 2015, nothing cements success like a big album. Though mixtapes and digital releases have taken on more of the market share, crafting an ambitious, consistent commercial release counts for much more, and has honestly become somewhat of a rarity in R&B. Free TC, Ty Dolla $ign's upcoming debut, seems like it'll have all the makings of a year-end list contender.
For one, Ty's already proven himself capable of crafting tapes that play like albums, with all three Beach House releases capable of passing for the commercial debuts of lesser artists thanks to their stately production and lack of freestyles or remixes. With those under his belt (as well as the more mixtape-styled $ign Language), Ty's primed for an even more grandiose project, and he seems to have been taking his time with this one.
Then there are the confirmed guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, R. Kelly, Jagged Edge and YG, Wiz Khalifa, which are guaranteed to give the project higher stakes than its preceding tapes. The Jagged Edge and Kellz features in particular should see Ty branching his sound out further, incorporating more '90s influence than is usually heard in his music. The subject matter should also be a little more serious than most of his club anthems, with his brother's wrongful imprisonment being the album's central theme. According to the man himself:
“It’s for a purpose. He’s locked up for something that he didn’t do. It’s many people out here that get injustice, as you’ve seen Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, everything that’s happening on the news right now. It has a purpose. It’s gonna be the biggest album of 2015.”
With some of the best production and supporting talent in the rap and R&B worlds at his disposal, Ty could very well live up to that seemingly far-fetched goal.