Ty Dolla $ign spoke on working with Kanye West and Babyface on his debut album, Free TC, during a conversation with XXL for the publication’s Winter 2015 issue.

“I’ve been knowing ‘Ye for awhile,” the Los Angeles crooner said when asked how his relationship with Kanye West started. “He just called me in recently to start working with him. I’m very thankful he’s on the album. That’s like having Michael Jackson on your album in 2015. He’s been one of my favorites since he came out. I’ve always been a hip-hop head. I fuck with J Dilla beats, Pete Rock beats, DJ Premier and Madlib. That’s what he’s on, that crate digging and vinyl.”

Ty Dolla $ign also spoke on working with Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Babyface on the song “Solid” – the album’s fifth single.

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“Working with Babyface was legendary,” he said. “First off, I couldn’t believe that he said yes. When we got in [the studio], I started smoking weed and he was acting like it was nothing wrong with it. Then telepathically he calls his homeboy. I say this because he didn’t look up. He was just over there strumming the guitar. I started singing the hook to ‘Solid.’ Then his boy walks in and says, ‘Face doesn’t want y’all to smoke in here.’ I didn’t mean to offend ‘Face. They eventually got a place outside for us to smoke. You know me, I gotta be smokin’ while I’m working. It worked out… That was something I always dreamed of and I knew when I was going to do my first album that was someone that had to be on it. That’s something that took time with the album because all the right things had to be on there.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Ty Dolla $ign spoke on his biggest musical inspirations.

“J Dilla is the top producer of all time, in my book, alongside Timbaland and Pharrell,” he said. “Then DJ Mustard. I like everything, I weird people out all the time with the shit that I listen to. I just learn from [different] people, every day.”

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To read the full conversation, that includes Ty Dolla $ign talking about working with Kanye West and Babyface on his debut album Free TC, please visit XXL.

For additional Ty Dolla $ign coverage, watch the following DX Daily: