Music critics have counted Tyga out time and time again. Even at the start of his career in 2012, media pundits doubted his longevity after his first hit single, “Coconut Juice,” made waves. Eight studio albums later, the Los Angeles hitmaker has a mansion filled with platinum plaques to prove he’s far from a fluke.
No stranger to making headlines, Tyga is back with a new alter-ego named $tarface. Taking cues from the ‘80s artists that his late mother played in the house when he was a kid, the project is filled with sounds that you might have heard blasting from droptops cruising Venice Beach in 1984. The album has given Tyga a new thirst to explore genres of music that he’s always dreamed of making.
$tarface finds T-Raw fully embracing a Tony Montana-style character with the vocal stylings of someone who topped the Billboard charts during the Reagan era. And he has no plans of slowing down. Tyga is also cooking up an afrobeats-style album, releasing an ‘80s-inspired movie, and has some special events in store for his new concept album.
VIBE: I know this is a huge week for you. $tarface obviously has a whole new sound that you’re introducing, but what initially inspired you to go the ‘80s route?
