Discovered by his cousin, Gym Class Heroes' front man Travis McCoy, the California-bred Tyga doesn’t try to force his persona. He doesn’t claim to be a gangsta, or a drug-pusher, or a thug (in fact, he’s quite open about not drinking or doing drugs), but he does claim to be the next big thing in the game.

After creating a buzz around himself for his verse on the remix to Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain't A Scene It’s An Arms Race” (also featuring Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco) Tyga was determined to not fade into obscurity. Then, after performing with Fall Out Boy at the MTV VMA’s, Tyga was spotted by Lil Wayne who immediately took him under his wing and placed him on a track for his highly-anticipated upcoming The Carter III album.

Tyga's debut album No Introduction is set for release this spring. The album, which features diverse production from Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) and Stress (Ghostface Killah, Cassidy) as well as appearances by Lil Wayne, is sure to be getting major airplay from radio stations this summer. Now watch Tyga try to claw his way to the top.

Hometown: Compton, California.

Influences: “Michael Jackson, Busta Rhymes, OutKast, early Jay-Z, a lot of Biggie…earlier music”

On Working With Fall Out Boy: "My cousin Travis has an affiliation with both Gym Class Heroes and Fall Out Boy, so he was like, 'We want you to rap on [the "Arms Race" remix]. And I didn’t know it was gonna be as big as it got. I didn’t know who was on it. I thought it was just gonna be me and Fall Out Boy. So I made my verse, and next thing I know they got this long version with all these other big rappers on it….and then all of a sudden we performing together at the VMAs."

On Rap/Rock Hybrid Music: "I haven’t always been into it. I was into all types of music but it was mostly rap. But then I started chillin' with Fall Out Boy and hearing how they do things. And listening to them break-down the lyrics. And they talk about some pretty deep stuff. On 'Arms Race,' I read the lyrics…and it’s basically comparing the arms dealer to their music…that’s just my opinion though."

On Collaborating With Wayne: "After the [VMA] performance, Wayne showed up [backstage] and we started talking. I still didn’t have a deal at that time. He flew me out to Atlanta and we worked on a couple of songs. I got a song that’s gonna be on The Carter III. It’s gonna be over the “A Millie” beat. He got all the young people on it. It’s gonna be me, Lil Mama, Hurricane Chris…all the young people in the game that he thinks are gonna be coming-up in the future."

On The Inspiration Behind His First Single “Coconut Juice”: "It’s a funny term. I don’t drink and I don’t really smoke. So I’ll be in the club sippin’ cranberry juice, or something else that’s not alcoholic. Someone came up to me one night and asked me what I was drinkin’. And I don’t know why, but I thought it would be funny to say 'coconut juice.' I think they thought I was talking about coconut rum or something. After that I just started saying it. When I made the track I didn’t really take it that seriously, I just thought it was fun song. Now it’s one of the biggest hits for the summer."

On Staying Drug-free In The Industry: "I’ve tried it, but it never really did anything for me but make me paranoid. But if I wanted to do all that I could; but I don’t. Being around Lil Wayne, I coulda had any drug imaginable if I wanted it; I just choose not to."

Life Outside of Rap: "Business is 24/7 for me. Music is front and center. I don’t think I do anything throughout the day that doesn’t have to do with music…unless it’s shopping or getting a new tattoo.

What Can We Expect From The Album: "A lot of different styles. It’s like a bag of chips. Some artists can offer one big bag of chips, but I wanna be able to offer the multi-pack. 'Cause after awhile you gonna get tired of the same thing. My style is different. It’s very original."