Southern Plug Magazine: Leaders of the New School 2017 Volume 2 Issue 1 A | Page 116

With a rangy set of friends from Fall Out Boy to Lil Wayne, it was obvious from the
start that Tyga was not your everyday rapper from Compton. After recording a
mixtape and promoting it around the city, Tyga ran into his cousin, Gym Class Heroes
member Travis McCoy, in the Flight Club L.A. sneaker shop. Their conversation went
from shoes to rappers, and as Travis' group went from unknowns to MTV stars, he
would always remember that talk and his cousin's unique style. Travis signed Tyga to
his Bad Squad label and then invited him along when the punk-pop group Fall Out
Boy came calling. Travis and Tyga would appear on the remix to Fall Out Boy's "Arms
Race," which also featured Kanye West, Paul Wall, Skinhead Rob, Lupe Fiasco, and Lil
Wayne. When the remix became a hit, Tyga found himself performing the track on
MTV's Video Music Awards in 2007. He soon entered the studio to do some guest
shots for his new friend Lil Wayne before shifting the focus to his solo career. His first
single became the hooky "Coconut Juice," a S*A*M & Sluggo production that
borrowed a bit of Harry Nilsson's hit "Coconut." As the club track was climbing the
charts in the spring of 2008, Tyga was hard at work on his debut album, No
Introduction, which was officially released that June. He returned in 2012 with
Careless World, an album that featured Game, Snoop Dogg, and Drake among its
guests. Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, and 2 Chainz landed on his 2013 effort,
Hotel California -- his second straight Top Ten album. Among his many guest verses
were a pair of hit collaborations with Chris Brown, namely "Deuces" and "Loyal." The
two opted to take their success to another level with Fan of a Fan: The Album, issued
in 2015. Later in the year, Tyga followed up with his fourth proper album, The Gold
Album: 18th Dynasty, as well as the mixtape Fuk What They Talkin Bout. Another
tape, Rawwest Nigga Alive, arrived in 2016. The effort featured appearances by
Goapele, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, and 2 Chainz. At the end of the year, Tyga signed to
Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint. In 2017, he released a series of high-profile
collaborative singles, including "Feel Me" with Kanye West, "Act Ghetto" with Lil
Wayne, and "100's" with Chief Keef and A.E. His fifth official album, BitchI'mTheShit2
(the sequel to a 2011 mixtape), appeared in July, containing the singles featuring
West and Keef as well as additional features by Vince Staples, Young Thug, Pusha T,
and others.