Louisville's Bryson Tiller came out of nowhere at the end of last year with his breakout hit, "Don't." The song began really blowing up this year, but not before Tiller had received cosigns from artists such as Drake and Timbaland. Before releasing his debut album, T R A P S O U L, which reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200, Tiller quietly inked a deal with RCA, but before deciding to sign with a major label, Tiller had been approached by both Drake and Noah "40" Shebib about signing with OVO, he told Rob Markman in the latest episode of the Red Light Special podcast.
Apparently Drake and 40 each reached out shortly after Tiller released "Don't." In our recent interview with Tiller, he said that he considers Drake to be like a "big brother" and that the "6 God" is "the only person I care whether they like my music."
Still, Tiller, in one of the toughest decisions of his career, decided not to sign with OVO and went the major label route with RCA. His ultimate reasoning was that he thinks RCA will be able to help him establish a long-lasting personal brand. OVO is Drake's brand first and foremost, and its hard to argue otherwise, though PartyNextDoor has managed to an establish the type of "personal brand" that Tiller is likely hoping for.
Do you think choosing RCA over OVO was a good move for Tiller's career? Listen to the full episode of the Red Light Special below.