Florida is linked to a number of recognized rappers who have always shouted out the Sunshine State that made them. From Denzel Curry, Kodak Black, Ski Mask to Lil Pump there’s no denying the strides they’ve each made in their respective careers and styles.
With that being said, I’m confident that Tyla Yaweh is different. While he’s been compared to Swae Lee and Wiz Khalifa before, thanks to a physical appearance akin to Young Khalifa, and sonic similarities to Swae, the 23-year-old rapper is clearly on his own wave and he’s making music that crosses “all genres” with a tip of positivity that’s always appreciated.
Tyla road tripped to California years ago with three friends and his dedication to his craft caught the attention of Post Malone and Post's manager Dre London, which led to him inking a deal with London Entertainment.
Tyla has now pulled in quite a fan base since impressing concertgoers at SXSW, and opening for his homie Post Malone. The “She Bad” rapper has shared glimpses of his live sets with fans on social media, showing off the wild, energetic performances he gives to his adoring crowds.
“I just wanna give hope to the hopeless, I was literally homeless a few years ago & now I’m rocking the biggest arenas on the planet,” he captioned a photo of himself on stage.
Knowing just how much Tyla appreciates a fellow Gemini, I hopped on a call with him recently and read him our daily horoscope. The premise of our shared horoscope was to think twice when it comes to signing any contracts. Although it was clearly “too late” on Tyla's end, he opened up about his recent album, his upcoming project, whose legacy he admires in the industry and what he’s learned from Post Malone.
Read our conversation below.
HotNewHipHop: Heart Full Of Rage is a genre inclusive album with a couple of strong features. What’s your process when it comes to making a track. Is it a one-time thing where you just bang it our or is there a lot of back and forth?
Tyla Yaweh: When I make a track it always has to come organically. I’m in the moment when I'm making it and I have to have the right producers around, gotta have the right vibe. I freestyle a lot of my music too, or I start the melody and then from there I like to figure out what the story should be.
Which song from the album is your most favourite and why?
I love every song on the project. But one I like a lot is “They Ain’t You” [because] that’s very close to me. Especially performing it, it’s like a dope feeling and the ladies love it too.
Do you plan on exploring any new topics or expressing yourself in a different way with your upcoming releases?
Right now we're working on an album and we just want to stay diverse and keep making good music, with good messages behind it. So that’s my whole goal and to become a household name.
What are some “good messages” you want it to include?
Just being positive and letting people know that we all go through everyday struggles and we’re still human, you know. Nothing in this life is perfect so I just want to let people know that I understand what other people are going through. We’re human at the end of the day, just because I'm an artist and we get certain things like fame and being noticed, don’t mean we don't have the same emotions as everyone else.
Speaking of positivity, I watched your XXL Freshman pitch and your main point was how “positive” of an artist you are. How do you maintain your optimism in an industry that can sometimes have some downfalls?
I just wake up and just be thankful and blessed that I'm in a position - and I get to breathe. That’s what keeps me going and people too, the fans and supporters and the music. Making music every day, I love that.
In a recent interview, Rich The Kid said that rappers aren’t supposed to give a fuck. “If you give a fuck, you lose the whole point.” Do you agree with that at all?
I go by “fuck the rules” but I still give a fuck, you know, about my craft and I give a fuck about what I’m putting out in the world and the energy. So it’s like, what are you not giving the fuck about? The music? Or you not giving the fuck about - I don’t, I’ll let him speak for himself.
You put your number on Instagram, what sparked you to be so open with your fans and what’s the craziest text you’ve received?
We want people to hit us up, give me a text let’s conversate. You never know who you're going to meet in this world and I always like spreading positive energy out to my fans. It’s a lot of crazy [messages] in there like people ask me to marry them and send them money but I gotta support the people.
As we know, Post Malone is one of your best homies in the industry. What’s something you’ve learned from him that he hasn't had to tell you? Something you’ve learned by just being in his presence?
Just work hard, play harder, enjoy life and stay positive and be genuine to yourself and the people around you.
You’ve had such great acts give you great advice over the course of your career. You’re now at a level of success where you can give other upcoming artists advice, what would that be?
I would let them know that this comes with a lot of patience and dedication so, you gotta get your feet wet and keep going and keep pushing until there's no more gas in your car. You gotta stay motivated and really want it - the hunger - you gotta listen to people that are higher than you. You gotta listen to the advice that they give you. They not just giving it to you to shut you down, they’re giving it to you to help you.
You got a track coming up with G-Eazy, can you spill any tea on what we can expect?
It’s a little bit of lemon-tea haha.
You’re a natural performer, you give your fans everything at your shows. Do you plan to explore any other creative aspects besides music?
Oh, I definitely want to explore the world and different aspects. Do commercials and fashion, maybe write a book one day and shoot a documentary, be in movies and have my music in movies and commercials. Those are the other goals that I want to get to eventually.
Your come-up and story is clearly a big part of who you are. Are there ways you plan to give back and help others in your former position aside from connecting through music?
Definitely. I want to start a movement where people just help each other and always be there for each other no matter what position you’re in. I remember not having nothing and getting it from nothing, you know. I definitely want to be able to help other artists out in the future and other people who want to achieve their dreams in life, whatever it is. I want to give back.
What’s one thing your fans may not know about you?
I think my fans don’t know that I can skateboard really well. They don’t really understand how good I can skate.
Maybe showcase it in an upcoming music video?
That was actually [a plan], me and my homie PnB Rock, we were talking about stuff like that. We got the song "Wraith Skate" we could do something [with that].
Whose legacy do you admire the most in the music industry?
Jim Morrison. Minus the death, but just his art and him being him as a person, he’s a rock star and he had no boundaries, he did what he wanted to do. His poetry was amazing, his writing skills were crazy. His story was very similar to fine, he just moved from a small town to California, slept on Venice Beach and became something.
On the topic of legacy, you’ve previously stated how you're the new Michael Jackson and have name-dropped in one of your biggest tracks “She Bad.” Do you feel any kind of way of showing love to him considering the recent controversy with Leaving Neverland?
Honestly, I still haven't looked at it. I just enjoy his music a lot.
What’s something you hope to accomplish in the next few months?
Keep working and become a household name, win these awards, be on cover shoots with Vogue and GQ - breaking boundaries, you know. I want the rock and roll hall of fame in the next 20-years or even sooner. I just want to keep going, I’ve got different goals I want to reach.
