Free TC | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 13, 2015 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 72:34 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer |
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Ty Dolla Sign chronology | ||||
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Singles from Free TC | ||||
Free TC is the debut studio album by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Atlantic Records. As executive producers, Ty Dolla Sign and Wiz Khalifa enlisted a variety of collaborators; including DJ Mustard, DJ Spinz, Cardo, Johnny Juliano, Kendrick Lamar, Brandy, Rae Sremmurd, E-40, Future, and Kanye West, among others.
Free TC received generally positive reviews from critics. The album debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, selling 31,000 units in its first week. It was supported by three singles: "Only Right", "Blasé", and "Saved".
The deluxe version was released on March 25, 2016, which includes four bonus tracks, including the single "Wavy" and three new tracks.
On October 13, 2015, while Ty is prepping for the release of Free TC, Ty released his sixth mixtape Airplane Mode. On October 15, the album's final track listing was revealed through his SoundCloud account, in which Ty told his incarcerated brother TC (to whom the album is dedicated) over the phone about each track and how they came up with it together. [3]
The album's first single, "Only Right", was released on May 15, 2015. [4] The song features guest appearances from American rappers YG, Joe Moses, and TeeCee4800, while the production was handled by Mike Free and DJ Mustard. [5]
The album's lead single, "Blasé", was released on June 26, 2015. [6] The song features guest appearances from American rapper Future and hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, while the production was handled by DJ Spinz. [5] "Blasé" was sent to radio and the song later charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. [7] On August 2, 2016, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [8]
The album's third single, "Saved", was released on October 16, 2015. [9] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper E-40, while the production was handled by DJ Mustard and Twice as Nice. [5] "Saved" was sent to radio and later charted on the Billboard Hot 100. [7] On July 28, 2016, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [10]
The album's fourth single, "Wavy", was released on January 16, 2016. [11] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Joe Moses, while the production was handled by DJ Mustard and Twice as Nice. [5] On December 7, 2016, "Wavy" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [12]
The album's first promotional single, "When I See Ya", was released on September 10, 2015. [13] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Fetty Wap, while the production was handled by Cardo and Johnny Juliano. [5]
The album's second promotional single, "Solid", was released on October 23, 2015. [14] The song features a guest appearance from American R&B singer-songwriter Babyface, who also serves its production alongside The Rascals, D'Mile, and Ty Dolla Sign. [5]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10 [15] |
Metacritic | 76/100 [16] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [17] |
Consequence | B [18] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [19] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [20] |
The Guardian | [21] |
HipHopDX | 4.0/5 [1] |
Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [22] |
Pretty Much Amazing | B [23] |
Rolling Stone | [24] |
Spin | 7/10 [25] |
Free TC was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 16 reviews. [16] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [15]
David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Numerous proven mixtapes help set Ty up for an easier introduction than most, but Free TC tops all expectations, as the man conquers the club, the bedroom, and the brain with this end-to-end stunner". [17] Brain Josephs of Consequence said, "For all of Free TC's turn-up nut-grabbing, it's the beating heart that ends up stealing the show". [18] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Free TC could use some editing, but Ty has enough charm to carry bedroom jams, Cadillac bangers, and folk-funk experiments all at once". [19] In a positive review for Exclaim! , Calum Slingerland praised Ty's talent in composition and arrangement, writing "what could have easily been a 16-track collection of Griffin's ambition becoming his downfall is a worthwhile look at the multifaceted nature of his musical brain". [20] Claire Lobenfeld of Fact said, "This is not the moment where he will become a superstar, but it's a promising beginning to what should be a very long career". [26] Shirley Ju of HipHopDX said, "So, all in all, Ty delivers a light, layered debut, with more depth than we thought could be drawn out of the trap&B sound he helped usher into the mainstream". [1]
Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said, "Free TC—often exceptional, and easily one of the best R&B albums of this year—is elaborate in conception and execution but still feels off the cuff". [2] Rebecca Haithcoat of Pitchfork said, "His confidence is why he flies when he swings for the fences on his new album, Free TC". [22] Corbin Reiff of Rolling Stone said, "Free TC, dedicated to Dolla $ign's currently incarcerated brother, marries a diverse range of earworm-level hooks and genre-bridging rhythms to uncomfortably base themes". [24] Winston Cook-Wilson of Spin said, "The album is a dense, cinematic, always surprising and often moving album that sounds like it required the full three years that the L.A. crooner and producer spent chipping away at it to get right". [25] Lanre Bakare of The Guardian said, "[The] cameo-packed tracks fail to live up to the billing, often feeling too long and lacking the punch of Dolla $ign's previous output". [21]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Complex | The Best Albums of 2015 | 25 | |
The Hundreds | Top 25 Albums of 2015 | 18 | |
The New York Times | The Best Albums of 2015 by Jon Caramanica | 4 | |
New York Daily News | Best of hip-hop albums: Class of 2015 | 10 | |
Pigeons & Planes | Best Albums of 2015 | 39 | |
Rolling Stone | 20 Best R&B Albums of 2015 | 10 | |
Uproxx | The 15 Best Rap Albums of 2015 | 14 |
Free TC debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, with 31,000 album-equivalent units, (including 22,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week. [34] On February 7, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States. [35]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "LA" (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Brandy and James Fauntleroy) |
|
| 5:07 |
2. | "Saved" (featuring E-40) |
|
| 2:58 |
3. | "Straight Up" (featuring Jagged Edge) |
|
| 5:01 |
4. | "Solid" (featuring Babyface) |
| 4:19 | |
5. | "Horses in the Stable" |
|
| 3:06 |
6. | "Know Ya" (featuring Trey Songz) |
| 4:52 | |
7. | "Credit" (featuring Sevyn Streeter) |
| 6:11 | |
8. | "Miracle / Wherever" (featuring Big TC and D-Loc) |
|
| 8:15 |
9. | "Guard Down" (featuring Kanye West and Diddy) |
| Hit-Boy | 4:56 |
10. | "Sitting Pretty" (featuring Wiz Khalifa) |
| 3:26 | |
11. | "When I See Ya" (featuring Fetty Wap) |
|
| 3:34 |
12. | "Blasé" (featuring Future and Rae Sremmurd) |
| DJ Spinz | 4:46 |
13. | "Only Right" (featuring YG, Joe Moses and TeeCee4800) |
|
| 3:10 |
14. | "Bring It Out of Me" |
| Stargate | 3:45 |
15. | "Actress" (featuring R. Kelly) |
| D'Mile | 6:12 |
16. | "Finale" (featuring Sa-Ra and PJ) |
|
| 2:53 |
Total length: | 72:34 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Like a Drug" |
| YungFlamez | 4:42 |
18. | "Wavy" (featuring Joe Moses) |
|
| 3:07 |
19. | "Long Time" (featuring Quavo) |
| Metro Boomin | 3:08 |
20. | "Westside" |
| DJ Mustard | 4:05 |
Total length: | 87:32 |
Notes
Sample credits
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [5]
Musicians
Technical
Additional personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [35] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label | Format(s) | Edition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | November 13, 2015 | Atlantic | Standard | [46] | |
March 25, 2016 | Deluxe | [47] | |||
April 20, 2016 | Vinyl | Standard | [48] |
Tyrone William Griffin Jr., known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He gained initial recognition for his guest appearance on fellow Los Angeles rapper YG's 2010 single "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2012, and Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Entertainment the following year.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer and DJ. A frequent collaborator of fellow California-based artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign, he began his career producing singles and albums for both rappers, and has since done so for other prominent acts in hip hop and R&B. He first saw recognition for his work on Tyga's 2011 single "Rack City".
"Paranoid" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla $ign featuring American rapper B.o.B, released on September 10, 2013 as the first single from the former's debut EP, Beach House EP (2014). Written by the artists alongside producer DJ Mustard, "Paranoid" is a hip hop song that lyrically describes being in fear of getting caught cheating.
Beach House EP is the debut extended play (EP) by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on January 21, 2014, by Atlantic Records. Ty mostly produced through the entirety of this EP, alongside the variety of the other record producers such as DJ Mustard, D'Mile and Young Chop, among others. The EP features guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B, French Montana, Trey Songz, Twista, Jay Rock, Travis Scott and Fredo Santana, among others. The EP was supported by three singles: "Paranoid" featuring B.o.B, "Or Nah" featuring Wiz Khalifa and DJ Mustard, and the remix to the first single entitled "Paranoid (Remix)".
The discography of American singer Ty Dolla Sign consists of three studio albums, two extended plays (EP), seven mixtapes and forty-four singles.
"Stand For" is a song written and performed by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released as a single on November 17, 2014. After the release of the song it was reported that it will be included in Ty's debut studio album, Free TC, but it didn't make the final track listing. "Stand For" was produced by DJ Dahi and Diplo. The song has since peaked at number 10 on the US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Drop That Kitty" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign featuring British singer Charli XCX and fellow American singer Tinashe, who all wrote the track with its producers Stargate and Cashmere Cat. It was released as digital download in the United States on February 17, 2015, originally intended as the first single from Free TC but was later scrapped. Sign raps the track's main verses, while XCX sings its chorus and Tinashe its bridge and pre-chorus hook. The lyrical content in the song serve as a four-step dance instructional and contain several sexual euphemisms and innuendos. It discusses a scenario of meeting someone attractive in a club and communicating basest desires to them, while extolling the virtues of physical flexibility.
"Blasé" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign featuring rapper Future and hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, taken as the lead single from the former's debut studio album Free TC on June 26, 2015. Produced by DJ Spinz, Ty and Future split singing the chorus back and forth followed by an outro from Future.
"Saved" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign included on his debut studio album, Free TC (2015), and features American rapper E-40. The track was released on October 16, 2015, as the third single from the album. It was written by its performers alongside Glenda Proby, Bobby Brackins, and its producers DJ Mustard and Twice as Nice. The official music video for "Saved" was released on November 16, 2015. It was directed by Elliott Sellers.
"Wavy" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign featuring American rapper Joe Moses, included as a bonus track on the former's debut studio album, Free TC (2015). The track was released on January 16, 2016, as the fourth and final single from the album.
Campaign is a commercial mixtape by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on September 23, 2016, by Atlantic Records. The mixtape was supported by three singles: the title track, "No Justice", and "Zaddy". The mixtape is a recurring theme expressing the views of Ty Dolla Sign and his friends and family on the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
"Zaddy" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on August 25, 2016, as the third single from his ninth mixtape, Campaign (2016). The song was written by Tyrone Griffin, Jr., Jay Cummings, Adam Feeney, and Jahaan Sweet, with the production being helmed by the latter two.
Beach House 3 is the second studio album by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on October 27, 2017, by Atlantic Records. The album serves as the third installment in his Beach House series. It features guest appearances from Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne, Tory Lanez, The-Dream, YG, Future, Swae Lee, Wiz Khalifa, Damian Marley, and Lauren Jauregui, among others. The album's production was handled by Mike Will Made It, DJ Mustard, Skrillex, Mike Dean, Apex Martin, MariiBeatz, Dun Deal and James Royo, among others.
"Say Less" is a song recorded by American singer Ashanti that features fellow American singer Ty Dolla $ign. It was released on November 6, 2017. Media outlets reported that it was the lead single from Ashanti's upcoming sixth album. The single was produced by DJ Mustard and was written by two said artists. It is an R&B, club, and West Coast hip hop song whose lyrics are about someone telling critics to mind their own businesses; Ashanti and Ty Dolla $ign also flirt with one another on the track.
"Psycho" is a song by American rapper Post Malone featuring American singer Ty Dolla $ign. It was released through Republic Records on February 23, 2018, as the third single from Malone's second studio album, Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018). The artists wrote the song with Louis Bell, who produced it with Malone. Lyrically, the song discusses the artists' lifestyle and explores the theme of excessive fame and trust issues. The song entered at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 behind Drake's "God's Plan", and reached number one in June 2018, becoming Malone's second and Ty's first chart-topper.
MihTy is the eponymous and only studio album by American duo MihTy, composed of Jeremih and Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on October 26, 2018, through Def Jam Recordings and Atlantic Records.
"OTW" is a song by American singers Khalid, Ty Dolla Sign, and 6lack. The artists wrote the song with Brian Alexander Morgan, Idan Kalai and producer Nineteen85. It was released by RCA Records on April 20, 2018, as a stand-alone single, before being added as a bonus track to the vinyl of Khalid's EP Suncity (2018).
"Everything We Need" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King (2019). The song features guest appearances from American singers Ty Dolla Sign and Ant Clemons, and additional vocals by the Sunday Service Choir. It was come up with during a freestyle session in the fall of 2018, inspired by a conversation West had with Clemons about Jesus and religion. The song was recorded as a new version of the leaked track "The Storm".
Featuring Ty Dolla Sign is the third studio album by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on October 23, 2020, by Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Kid Cudi, Post Malone, Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, Quavo, Nicki Minaj, Kehlani, Big Sean, Roddy Ricch, Jhené Aiko, Future, Young Thug, FKA Twigs, and Skrillex, among others.
Vultures 2 is the second studio album by the American hip hop supergroup ¥$, composed of the rapper Kanye West and the singer Ty Dolla $ign. It was surprise released independently by the former's YZY brand on August 3, 2024. Guest performances include Don Toliver, Playboi Carti, Kodak Black, Future, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Yuno Miles, West's daughters North and Chicago, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, Desiigner, Cyhi the Prynce, 070 Shake, and Ty Dolla Sign's brother Big TC. The album's digital deluxe editions add guest vocals from Peso Pluma, Kodak Black, Kid Cudi and Travis Scott.
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