It’s been an eventful year for Tyga, an archetypal weed carrier emcee who’s spent the majority of his career as a posse stand-in. Since his ugly departure from Young Money last October, which included public snipes at Drake and Nicki Minaj, he’s been popping up here or there way more than most would like. In February, he joined forces with longtime partner-in-crime and friend in rabble-rousing Chris Brown for Fan of a Fan: The Album, a glorified retail mixtape. He’s been grappling with his very complicated and controversial public relationship with 17-year old Kylie Jenner for the last several months, one he first denied, then vaguely hinted at, then proudly owned, and it’s increased his visibility tenfold. He even has a (brief) role in Rick Famuyiwa’s recent acclaimed film Dope. There’s an explanation for how he’s managed to stay relevant for this long, but one thing’s for sure: It isn’t because of what he’s made this time around.
The “Coconut Juice” rapper, once a signee of Pete Wentz’s Decaydence label, has had his moments — most notably the multi-platinum banger “Rack City,” which started the Mustard Wave and will forever be immortalized in strip club lore — but more often than not, Tyga’s music falls somewhere on a Venn Diagram between circles marked illogical ramblings and pedestrian craftsmanship. His last three albums have an average Metacritic score of 53, mostly because of his almost comical lack of creativity, which is anchored by his witless non-sequiturs. (To be fair, at least some portion of the heavy Fan of a Fan criticism stemmed from Chris Brown fatigue). His latest album, The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty, released independently on Spotify, shuns the one thing Tyga does well — make frat-party-playlist music — in an effort to create a more focused opus or seminal work, but instead of reaching his intention he falters dramatically, creating a soul-sucking buzzkill that takes all the fun out of his rap.
The big selling point of The Gold Album was supposed to be that it’s executive produced by Kanye West, a deal potentially secured through Kardashian backchanneling, but there’s none of that signature Kanye creative control here. The other project executive produced by Kanye this year, Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise, felt like it, with tone and pacing that at times made it seem like MDBTF-lite. This album scans more like a copy machine for Drake outtakes (See: “Shaka Zulu”) than an album overseen by one of the great record producers of our time. Kanye probably had about as much input on this album as Spielberg had on Jurassic World. In any case, an executive producer molds clay, and there is very little to work with here.
From the painfully repetitive “Muh Fucka” to the tone-deaf “Down For A Min,” The Gold Album is underscored by its poor creative choices, the worst of which might be “4 My Dawgs,” a song that guts Gerard McMann’s “Cry Little Sister” so Lil Wayne can sing over it. Most of the production is either drowsy or boring, except “Pure Luxury,” which is both. For the duration, Tyga raps in circles, and a lot of the raps, though capable, don’t string into any sizeable ideas (or even normal sized ones). But some of the writing is just plain bad. On the Boosie Badazz-featured “Pleazer,” he opens: “I know a lil bitch by the name Chanel / Always wearing Louis but fake Chanel / I’m just trying to nut like Chip and Dale / That’s some funny ass shit like Dave Chappelle.” Forget the fact that this could be perceived as an ill-advised shot at either one of two current Cash Money signees; Tyga pens a cringeworthy bar that functions even less as a joke, then doubles down by self-certifying his own joke’s funniness with a brutally literal metaphor. The only thing really funny about The Gold Album is that it’ll never earn a certification to fit its title.
It isn’t all just the focal point of some elaborate punchline: Tyga does lace the wobbling “Wham” with one of his more limber flows and he finds his (often absent) enthusiasm for the extravagantly holier-than-thou “God Talk.” But when a warped voice chimes in at the end of the former to decree, “You are now listening to the sounds of T-Y-G, if you don’t like what you hear, sit back and shut the fuck up,” having then sat through 2/3rds of TGA, it feels like a statement made largely out of fear that you just might open your mouth and out-rap him.
This album is better than 2/5.
The gold album should have stayed unreleased. . .
In short, tyga a weak ass rapper. Ain’t had a good verse since bedrock lmao
Yeah the “we watching EPSN” line sure was a timeless part….
The Album Was Dope,Seems Like a Lot Of people hav a personal vendetta against tyga,including the ones who were rating this album.This is way better than A.L.L.A & Other albums that Got positive results…Mr Editor Go Back to Your Phone n Listen To This Album without any negetive feelings…This Album Is 4.5/5 Stop Hatin & Start appreciating Good Music,I’m Gonn Start Loosing Respect For This Site If It Carries On With This Ish….. #TheGoldAlbum
A 4.5/5?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not an ASAP Rocky fan in the slightest way, and I honestly have Tyga’s Gold Album a chance but to say this is better than A.L.L.A is absolutely fucking ludicrous!
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard such b.s.
I thought the album is good and I also think the review was biased as fuck, but to compare it to A.L.L.A., you lost me! I fuxx with T-Raw, but A$AP Rocky’s album completely shit on this album. It’s in the top 5 rap albums at this point it time.
this album z better than meek`s
this funny ass review was way more entertaining than the album.
Th review was Wack af! Tyga new album to me was cool. At least a 3/5 Easily. If you listened to the first five tracks, all are definitely Kanye Produced. Some muthafukas don’t listen to the album the review from hear-say. He use a lot of short samples and auto and any producer knows Kanye when he hears it. I’m not even a Tyga fan but give the nigga his props. It was ok. Not great not trash but ok.
Who gives a rat’s ass if Kanye produced the track or my farts produced the track!!! If the music wack the music is wack, aint nobody looking out for this dude here.. Just little kids in high school that “think” he a dope rapper be giving a fuk.. face it this guy is all image no talent ass niggah.. 5 years no better yet 2 years from now nobody going to remember this clown
Tyga is just trying to get a check with his “music.” Nothing else to it. If u think this dude cares about provoking thoughts, good lyrics, and opinions, you’re mistaken.
good, then when he is critically panned and people stop buying his lazy shit, he won’t be making any money and he can go back to working at footlocker or whatever the fuck else he was doing before.
The Copper Album: No Dynasty
The only time Tyga was dope was on ‘Roger That’ with Weezy F and Niki. From there on he permanently dumbed down his music for the massess and the strippers. Now he’s just another bubble gum commercial rapper without longevity!
lol
5 stars, a nigga doing something!
So you gave him 5 stars just because he’s “doing something”? So how many stars for the album itself?
Where Is 40 Mill?? That was the dopest track
good album
Who wants to hear a kid that grew up well off rap?
Nah just nah. I’ll pass
you listen to J Cole?
J cole dont rap like he a thug
I have no respect for this traitor to Cash Money.
Trash
Slam dunk in the recycle bin
album of the year
Fuck sales & commercial exposure, the album was put out for free, the beat selection is best in this ART created, people hate in what they can’t relate, this ain’t “Hip-Hop” but neither is 80% of the music that gets put out. Tyga has flow & delivery that goes well with these beats, real shit can also be picked from it as well if people would consider to listen, this is vibe music, so fuck others negative opinions cause it’s irrelevant, you have a choice to listen to what you desire. I personally know music well & I’d say this ain’t bad at all, it’s not like it’s auto-tuned half ass slow raps, stop hating.
Well put album listen to the songs all are bangers he got the illest flow in the game right now stop sleeping on him
not nearly as bad as everyone says it is, most of the haters didnt even listen to the albumthey just said what they was just saying what they thought would make them look cool.