Teyana Taylor is supposedly retired but she is still active in the music world. The New York singer has performed at major festivals this year even after concluding her Last Rose Petal Tour in 2022. She has not released an album since 2020 and has since focused her attention on other endeavors. Taylor appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including Coming 2 America, White Men Can’t Jump, and Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic. She also notably won The Masked Singer last year.
Teyana Taylor’s name has also been in news headlines recently following confirmation of separating from her ex-husband, Iman Shumpert. In an Instagram post, she stated that she and the former NBA player are still on good terms despite being separated for a while. She even referred to Shumpert as her bestie. Teyana Taylor may have retired from music for now, but fans are still longing for new music from the multifaceted singer and dancer. Today, we are highlighting her music career with a ranking of her albums and mixtapes from least to greatest. Take a look at the list below.
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6. From A Planet Called Harlem (2009)
Teyana Taylor started her career under Pharrell’s tutelage in 2007 when he signed her to Star Trak Entertainment. Her 2009 debut mixtape, From A Planet Called Harlem is her first full-length project and her only release on the label. The mixtape notably included Taylor’s debut single, “Google Me.” Jazze Pha, Pharrell, Hit-Boy, and more contributed beats while Chris Brown, Eve, Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, and others featured on the mixtape. From A Planet Called Harlem certainly showcased Teyana Taylor’s talents, but she had not yet completely established her musical identity. For that reason, it sits at the bottom of her discography. It was not until her later work that she would find her sound as a singer and reinvent herself as an artist.
5. The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor (2012)
A fitting title for her second mixtape, The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor was the follow-up to From A Planet Called Harlem which marked a new phase in her career. Freshly released from her deal with Star Trak, Teyana Taylor’s first independent project was a promising effort. However, she still sounded as if she was developing her comfort zone as a singer, which we'd later see fully established in her studio albums. She made an admirable project that helped better reveal her growth. However, she grew both vocally and artistically on her albums, which her G.O.O.D. Music signing helped uncover.
4. The Cassette Tape 1994 (2015)
Just a year removed from her debut album, Teyana Taylor released The Cassette Tape 1994. The 5-track EP was inspired by ’90s R&B, sampling numerous throwbacks like K.P. & Envyi’s “Swing My Way” and Tony! Toni! Toné!’s “Anniversary.” Teyana Taylor put her own spin on these songs, repurposing old-school classics to make her very own cassette tape. While it is a brief and enjoyable listen, The Cassette Tape 1994 does not stack up to her polished and carefully crafted studio albums. Still, the project sits above Teyana’s mixtapes as her vocal range drastically grew and she skillfully reimagined older songs with her own flair.
3. The Album (2020)
Teyana Taylor’s most recent and supposedly final album fully delivered on its promises. Her highly anticipated third album satisfied her fanbase with its lengthy tracklist. While bloated, the 23-track album contains some of Teyana Taylor’s best material. It is both well-produced and varied in its musical stylings. There are ballads, bangers, afro-fusion and reggae-inspired songs, and of course, sensual R&B tracks. Her most personal release to date, The Album contains moments of reflection, celebration, and gratitude. It does not leave much to be desired because fans were given everything they wanted across the tracklist. In that regard, The Album’s length is justified but the extensive runtime and filler songs diminish its replay value. If it really is Teyana Taylor’s final album, she ended her music career on a solid note.
2. K.T.S.E. (2018)
The last album to be released in a series of short albums produced by Kanye West, K.T.S.E. stood out among a slew of hip-hop projects. The only release from the series to feature eight songs, as opposed to seven, Teyana Taylor’s second studio album contains a surprising amount of variety in such a short amount of time. K.T.S.E.’s brightest moments utilize chopped soul samples to make modern classics like “Gonna Love Me” and “Issues/Hold On.”
There is also “Rose in Harlem,” an album highlight that combines vintage with contemporary to forge one of Teyana Taylor’s best songs. The album’s closing track, “WTP” pays homage to the Harlem ballroom scene with Taylor’s signature style of sexual liberty. K.T.S.E. may not have been the final product she envisioned, but the Kanye West production was perfect for her voice. It made for a memorable second album even though she had already set the bar extremely high.
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1. VII (2014)
Teyana Taylor unlocked her full potential on her debut album, VII. She had found her voice and signature sound in the album’s lush instrumentation. The music suits her voice and sexually descriptive lyrics. VII is Teyana Taylor’s most complete body of work from top to bottom, resulting in a tracklist without skips. Nothing on the album sounds forced and the songs transition seamlessly from one to the other. Songs like “Just Different,” “Request,” and “Broken Hearted Girl” are some of the sexiest tracks in her discography that display her unique vocal tone.
Many of VII’s highlights are its slow contemporary R&B jams, but its production is also varied in style. The reggae-fused “Put Your Love On” keeps the album unpredictable and the upbeat “Maybe” with Pusha T and Yo Gotti perfectly balances gentle emotions with playful flirting. Ultimately, Teyana Taylor perfected her sound with her debut album. VII is an unforgettable listening experience that proved extremely difficult to top.