This definitely is not the West Coast of yesteryear and that is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to guys like Ty Dolla $ign. Through his mixtapes, Ty Dolla $ign has made himself a household name. Most may remember him for the “Toot It and Boot It” single, featuring YG.
Times have changed since 2010, it is three summers since then. Ty Dolla $ign has since formed an alliance with Wiz Khalifa. A month ago, Ty Dolla $ign released the “Irie” single with the Taylor Gang boss and then he inked a deal with Taylor Gang that has been all over the headlines.
Hip Hop Vibe had the chance to talk to Ty Dolla $ign. Despite being one of the next biggest stars in the game, Ty Dolla $ign remains well-grounded. He spoke to Hip Hop Vibe about the Beach House 2 mixtape and DJ Drama, his background in the industry, “Irie” featuring new label head, Wiz Khalifa, and more.
Read the entire interview below:
Take us back a little bit and talk about “Toot It & Boot It,” did you expect that song to blow the way it did? Not at first, when we did it I didn’t like the song. But once I seen how people reacted to it I knew I had something.
How long had you been dealing with Atlantic Records before signing the deal? For almost two years. I had been going up there to work on other projects throughout the building for producing and song writing.
Can you explain to us what the relationship is like between you and Shawn Barron, a Senior Director at Atlantic? Shawn Barron is a genius and the hardest worker I know. I am blessed to have him in my corner.
What made you choose Atlantic Records above the other labels you were interacting with? A million dollars (laughs). The dedication and passion they have for my music as well. Also, Shawn was a fan of mine from the start, so that had a lot to do with it.
How were you feeling around the time “My Cabana” became successful? I was hella stoked about the record, but I was disappointed Skrillex wouldn’t clear his sample. But, I’m glad it got the reaction it did.
You came up with YG and Joe Moses, now all of you are having success, what is that like? Dreams come true because we work hard for this shit. But, it’s really a blessing. We are all happy that our hard work is finally getting recognized. It’s good for music and good for L.A.
Do you have a timeframe for the release of your debut album? Once I take over America, I’ll drop an album, I’ve got to win each day. I feel my music is receiving great a response, now it’s just about building a newer fan base. So, I plan on touring and doing more interviews with great media outlets, such as Hip Hop Vibe. You guys have the ability to make or break an artist and I’m blessed to be on your good side.
Are there any collaborations in mind for the album? Taylor Gang and Pushaz Ink, of course.
Do you have an idea of who you would like to feature outside of the camp yet? No, just the homies. That’s it for now.
How important would you say mixtapes were to your rise? Definitely important, that’s how people know my music. I worked hard on these tapes, people don’t know that I wrote, produced, and recorded a lot of these songs on the tape. Not many artist can do all three and do it well. There are millions of mixtapes being dropped every day, I’m just happy both my tapes were received well.
Speaking of mixtapes, how is Beach House 2 coming together? It came together well. I love that I can keep my fans interested while still being musical. I added a lot of new stuff such as strings and dope pianos with great musical transitions. I felt like pushing everyone on my team musically and it came out dope. I am very happy with the outcome. The hard work paid off.
How do you feel about the success of the “Irie” single with Wiz Khalifa? The success, thus far, has been a blessing.
Why did you choose to have DJ Drama host this mixtape? DJ Drama is a great DJ and person known around world. He is well known for making great mixtapes so we decided to work together on this. His ability to break artist on a mixtape level is second to none.Can you leave us your contact info? Definitely, look up Ty Dolla Sign on Facebook and @TyDollaSign on Twitter. Thank you Hip Hop Vibe for the opportunity to be featured on your site.
