Latest news with #TyDollaSign
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Breakups, booty calls and bare-all balladry: SZA's 20 best songs – ranked!
A bit of a buried treasure: Hit Different was coolly received on release – SZA ceded the song's hook to guest Ty Dolla $ign – but it deserved better: the Neptunes' production is beautifully atmospheric, her vocal is fantastic, the lyrics – in which she perplexingly finds a partner sexier when they're arguing – are great. For a moment early on in her career, it looked as if SZA might become a kind of avant-R&B figurehead. That wasn't how it panned out, but Ice Moon, the single from her second EP, S, is evidence of where she once seemed to be headed: a poppy, but distinctly psychedelic swirl of blissful vocals and electronics. Prom might be the most overlooked track on SZA's debut album. Another painfully drawn saga of insecurity, it's equipped with a fabulous, incongruously buoyant melody, set to music that underlines the breadth and diversity of SZA's vision: the clipped beat and guitar owes as much to alt-rock as R&B. Her debut EP, has evaded streaming services, but it's worth seeking out: different to the music that made SZA famous but still great. The supremely spaced-out wash of synths on standout Time Travel Undone explains why the Guardian compared it to not just the Weeknd, but the Cocteau Twins. A smart take on PartyNextDoor's hit Come and See Me: SZA takes on the role of the woman on the receiving end of the original's booty call, slowly realising that her suitor's only after one thing. It revealed a more straightforward and earthy SZA, but was curiously dropped from the tracklisting of CTRL. More fabulous left-field arcana from SZA's early years: opens with a chunk of dialogue from horror movie Rosemary's Baby, the perfect complement to the eerie, echo-drenched sound of what follows: sparse synths, booming drums, cooing vocals at odds with the lyrics, in which infatuation has clearly turned to worrying obsession. Signed up by Top Dawg Entertainment – the label that gave the world Kendrick Lamar – SZA scored her first hit with Child's Play, a Chance the Rapper collab from her EP Z. But its real stand out is the deep cut Sweet November: a dreamy delight that samples a Marvin Gaye obscurity. Joni had a tortuous gestation: SZA leaked a version online in 2020, fans leaked another in 2023, prompting SZA to announce she wouldn't release it officially. She changed her mind: a good thing, given how utterly lovely its Joni Mitchell-inspired melody and sample of the late Elliott Smith's guitar playing sound. 20 Something draws CTRL to a sombre, soul-bearing conclusion driven by acoustic guitar: SZA's life's a mess, she's alone, fearful of adult responsibilities that she doesn't feel ready to accept, a situation to which, evidently, millions of fans could relate. It ends, winningly, with a faintly exasperated pep talk from her mum. The first single from SOS suggested things hadn't improved much emotionally in SZA's world: the line about 'trying to get my mind together before the end of the world' struck a particularly resonant note on release, in the midst of the pandemic. The sparkling, summery prettiness of the music somehow amplifies the gloom. The deluxe version of SOS, Lana, appended an entire album's worth of new material to the original: quite why it wasn't released as an album in its own right is a mystery when the new songs were as good as Saturn, a shimmering ballad that's the match of anything on the original album. The brilliance of Garden lies in the tension between the music – trap drums beneath a haze of electronics and vocal samples spiked with euphorically bubbling electronic tones – and the rawness of SZA's vocal and the emotions it draws: yearning and pleading for emotional reassurance and commitment amid a burst of insecurity. One of several songs on SOS in which SZA makes no bones about how aggrieved she feels after a breakup, I Hate U sets its 4am drunk-dialling despair and bile – 'It's shitty of you to make me feel like this!' – to a superb musical backdrop made of equal parts murky lo-fi R&B and smooth yacht rock. Snooze came in two, equally great versions – the original is classic R&B that would have been a hit at any point in the last 30 years ('aunties approve of its authenticity,' as one critic put it); the acoustic version is woozily dreamy and features Justin Bieber. Both are poignant, confessional and softly powerful. Just a guest appearance, but let's bend the rules a little: this surprisingly slick contribution to the Black Panther soundtrack is worth it. It's theoretically Kendrick's show, but it gifts SZA an absolute monster of a chorus, which she totally nails: they feel like equal partners, which is quite some feat. The point which you might suggest SZA as we now know her came into being, Drew Barrymore is direct, relatable and witty – 'with her mom jeans and her new Vans, she's perfect and I hate her' – and musically striking: spare beats, twanging guitar. The titular movie star was apparently impressed. Performed live while SZA soared above the audience in a boat (!), Nobody Gets Me takes an intriguing route to anthemic ballad territory: it's alternately crestfallen, raunchy, intimate and subject to some spectacular vocal pyrotechnics. The chorus is key: it's got a definite slice of Natalie Imbruglia's Torn in its DNA, but it really works. Classic cheating soul – 'my man is your man … you like 9 to 5, I'm the weekend' – retooled for today: slow beats, soft synths, a sample from Justin Timberlake's Set the Mood (Prelude). Calvin Harris's excellent remix, meanwhile, recasts it as mid-tempo disco. Both versions are great – take your pick. Wikipedia describes 2023's third biggest-selling single as a murder ballad. It is, although that doesn't capture how engagingly witty its fantasies of offing an ex are – she follows him 'at the farmer's market, with your perfect peach' – amplified by the pure pop sweetness of its chorus. If you had to pick a song that summed up SZA's multi-platinum appeal, Broken Clocks would be it. The lyrics exemplify her brand of confessional, no-filter intensity, depicting a life on the brink of chaos: still haunted by the memory of an ex from years ago, not even she can work out how she feels. The music blends R&B classicism with trap beats and a distinct note of chillwave-derived fogginess. Her voice feels powerful and natural: it has an unaffected, almost conversational quality, as if she's confiding in the listener. And the chorus is superb, built for an audience who know how she feels to howl along to.
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Breakups, booty calls and bare-all balladry: SZA's 20 best songs – ranked!
A bit of a buried treasure: Hit Different was coolly received on release – SZA ceded the song's hook to guest Ty Dolla $ign – but it deserved better: the Neptunes' production is beautifully atmospheric, her vocal is fantastic, the lyrics – in which she perplexingly finds a partner sexier when they're arguing – are great. For a moment early on in her career, it looked as if SZA might become a kind of avant-R&B figurehead. That wasn't how it panned out, but Ice Moon, the single from her second EP, S, is evidence of where she once seemed to be headed: a poppy, but distinctly psychedelic swirl of blissful vocals and electronics. Prom might be the most overlooked track on SZA's debut album. Another painfully drawn saga of insecurity, it's equipped with a fabulous, incongruously buoyant melody, set to music that underlines the breadth and diversity of SZA's vision: the clipped beat and guitar owes as much to alt-rock as R&B. Her debut EP, has evaded streaming services, but it's worth seeking out: different to the music that made SZA famous but still great. The supremely spaced-out wash of synths on standout Time Travel Undone explains why the Guardian compared it to not just the Weeknd, but the Cocteau Twins. A smart take on PartyNextDoor's hit Come and See Me: SZA takes on the role of the woman on the receiving end of the original's booty call, slowly realising that her suitor's only after one thing. It revealed a more straightforward and earthy SZA, but was curiously dropped from the tracklisting of CTRL. More fabulous left-field arcana from SZA's early years: opens with a chunk of dialogue from horror movie Rosemary's Baby, the perfect complement to the eerie, echo-drenched sound of what follows: sparse synths, booming drums, cooing vocals at odds with the lyrics, in which infatuation has clearly turned to worrying obsession. Signed up by Top Dawg Entertainment – the label that gave the world Kendrick Lamar – SZA scored her first hit with Child's Play, a Chance the Rapper collab from her EP Z. But its real stand out is the deep cut Sweet November: a dreamy delight that samples a Marvin Gaye obscurity. Joni had a tortuous gestation: SZA leaked a version online in 2020, fans leaked another in 2023, prompting SZA to announce she wouldn't release it officially. She changed her mind: a good thing, given how utterly lovely its Joni Mitchell-inspired melody and sample of the late Elliott Smith's guitar playing sound. 20 Something draws CTRL to a sombre, soul-bearing conclusion driven by acoustic guitar: SZA's life's a mess, she's alone, fearful of adult responsibilities that she doesn't feel ready to accept, a situation to which, evidently, millions of fans could relate. It ends, winningly, with a faintly exasperated pep talk from her mum. The first single from SOS suggested things hadn't improved much emotionally in SZA's world: the line about 'trying to get my mind together before the end of the world' struck a particularly resonant note on release, in the midst of the pandemic. The sparkling, summery prettiness of the music somehow amplifies the gloom. The deluxe version of SOS, Lana, appended an entire album's worth of new material to the original: quite why it wasn't released as an album in its own right is a mystery when the new songs were as good as Saturn, a shimmering ballad that's the match of anything on the original album. The brilliance of Garden lies in the tension between the music – trap drums beneath a haze of electronics and vocal samples spiked with euphorically bubbling electronic tones – and the rawness of SZA's vocal and the emotions it draws: yearning and pleading for emotional reassurance and commitment amid a burst of insecurity. One of several songs on SOS in which SZA makes no bones about how aggrieved she feels after a breakup, I Hate U sets its 4am drunk-dialling despair and bile – 'It's shitty of you to make me feel like this!' – to a superb musical backdrop made of equal parts murky lo-fi R&B and smooth yacht rock. Snooze came in two, equally great versions – the original is classic R&B that would have been a hit at any point in the last 30 years ('aunties approve of its authenticity,' as one critic put it); the acoustic version is woozily dreamy and features Justin Bieber. Both are poignant, confessional and softly powerful. Just a guest appearance, but let's bend the rules a little: this surprisingly slick contribution to the Black Panther soundtrack is worth it. It's theoretically Kendrick's show, but it gifts SZA an absolute monster of a chorus, which she totally nails: they feel like equal partners, which is quite some feat. The point which you might suggest SZA as we now know her came into being, Drew Barrymore is direct, relatable and witty – 'with her mom jeans and her new Vans, she's perfect and I hate her' – and musically striking: spare beats, twanging guitar. The titular movie star was apparently impressed. Performed live while SZA soared above the audience in a boat (!), Nobody Gets Me takes an intriguing route to anthemic ballad territory: it's alternately crestfallen, raunchy, intimate and subject to some spectacular vocal pyrotechnics. The chorus is key: it's got a definite slice of Natalie Imbruglia's Torn in its DNA, but it really works. Classic cheating soul – 'my man is your man … you like 9 to 5, I'm the weekend' – retooled for today: slow beats, soft synths, a sample from Justin Timberlake's Set the Mood (Prelude). Calvin Harris's excellent remix, meanwhile, recasts it as mid-tempo disco. Both versions are great – take your pick. Wikipedia describes 2023's third biggest-selling single as a murder ballad. It is, although that doesn't capture how engagingly witty its fantasies of offing an ex are – she follows him 'at the farmer's market, with your perfect peach' – amplified by the pure pop sweetness of its chorus. If you had to pick a song that summed up SZA's multi-platinum appeal, Broken Clocks would be it. The lyrics exemplify her brand of confessional, no-filter intensity, depicting a life on the brink of chaos: still haunted by the memory of an ex from years ago, not even she can work out how she feels. The music blends R&B classicism with trap beats and a distinct note of chillwave-derived fogginess. Her voice feels powerful and natural: it has an unaffected, almost conversational quality, as if she's confiding in the listener. And the chorus is superb, built for an audience who know how she feels to howl along to.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Leon Thomas Elevates ‘MUTT' To ‘HEEL' At Deluxe Album Release Party
Leon Thomas celebrated the release of his MUTT deluxe album HEEL with a star-studded party in Los Angeles. Last weekend, the R&B singer invited fans, friends, family, and special guests to unite and listen to the extended version of his acclaimed 2024 release. Guests included VIBE, as well as Big Sean, YG, Ty Dolla $ign, and more. Entering the Avalon Hollywood, those granted access were greeted with a special photobooth for a memorable keepsake. Upstairs, VIP guests were presented with an open bar and seating with views of the stage where Thomas and his closest friends and musical collaborators danced the night away. Also at the event, the 31-year-old was gifted a platinum plaque recognizing the success of his solo breakthrough. HEEL updates MUTT with nine new tracks, including both remixes of original songs and brand new work. Featured artists in the extended version include Big Sean, Halle Bailey, Kehlani, and more. 'I was really inspired by [SZA's] LANA and how she gave us a whole new energy. I even saw a resurgence of 'Snooze' right after that drop, on the production and songwriting side, which was really good. It all made sense,' explained the rising music star of issuing a deluxe to Billboard. 'I started digging back in at the top of the year. I went out to the same Atlanta studio that OutKast used to do a lot of records in and linked with ['Mutt' co-writers] Robert Gueringer and David Phelps. We set up hella instruments, wrote a bunch of songs, and none of them made it to the deluxe. But it was a good bonding experience. We were all really excited about the success of 'Mutt' and where things were headed.' Take a look inside Leon Thomas's HEEL album release party below and listen to the deluxe version of MUIT above. More from Ab-Soul Speaks On Joey Bada$$ And West Coast Rap Feud: "It's A Sport" Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul Trade Bars Amid Coastal Rhyme War With Ray Vaughn Wiz Khalifa Announces Tour, Shares 'Kush & Orange Juice 2' Tracklist Best of 10 Rap Albums Snubbed Of The Grammys' Album Of The Year Award 21 Black Entertainers Who Are Almost EGOT Winners 11 Black-Owned Games To Play At The Next Function Or Kick Back
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Playboi Carti Compares His Commercial Success To Peak Lil Wayne
Playboi Carti is feeling the weight of his latest triumph, and he's not shy about drawing comparisons to one of Hip-Hop's greatest. The Atlanta rapper recently took to social media to celebrate his album MUSIC, boldly likening his impact to that of Lil Wayne. 'FEELING LIKE WEEZY WE ALREADY PLATINUM N DA STREETS,' Carti wrote, seemingly referencing Weezy's legendary commercial peak when Tha Carter III sold over one million copies in its first week of release. The statement signals Carti's confidence in MUSIC's dominance, particularly as it becomes his second consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album's success has been undeniable, logging the biggest streaming week for any project since Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department last May. Adding to the significance, MUSIC's gold certification arrived around the same time as the anniversary of Carti's breakout single, 'Broke Boi,' a track that introduced him to a wider audience years ago. Released on March 14, MUSIC debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking his second consecutive album to top the chart. His previous album, Whole Lotta Red, also reached that summit in 2023, accounting for over 100,000 album-equivalent units sold during its first week of release. Carti has also paid direct homage to Lil Wayne, subtitling the deluxe edition of MUSIC as Sorry 4 Da Wait—a nod to Wayne's classic mixtape of the same name. While his comparison to Weezy is bold, Carti's ability to captivate audiences and push boundaries suggests he's carving out his own legendary path. The album, which includes features from Kendrick Lamar, Future, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Jhené Aiko, Skepta, Lil Uzi Vert, Ty Dolla Sign, and Young Thug, also became the most-streamed studio album in a single day on Spotify in 2025. See Playboi Carti's Instagram post below. More from Playboi Carti Pays Homage To Lil Wayne With 'Music' Deluxe Album Playboi Carti Calls Shenanigans On His Album's First Week Sales, Says He Sold This Many Playboi Carti Tells Ye To "Shut The F**k Up," And Cassie Agrees
