With “Purple Emoji” and “Hottest in the City” already out in the wild, details about Ty Dolla $ign‘s upcoming third album remain scarce. But the subject of SPIN’s August cover story did have a few things to share about it.
“I just wanted to give people some good music to listen to,” says Ty as his pup Julio sits in his lap. “Something that sounds different from everybody else’s shit.”
In SPIN’s exclusive video interview, the singer, who’s had as much a hand in shaping the past decade of pop music as any of his high-profile collaborators, also offers a glimpse at the recording process behind the upcoming album: “I would just rent houses all around and set up makeshift studios, and invite all my peoples over instead of being at a traditional studio.”
“I wanted it to be more exclusive, and only who I want around for the energy,” he continues. “We started from words and melody, and then maybe keys or guitar, instead of just taking somebody’s beat and making a song to it. I just wanted shit to come more from the chest and say something.”
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He also reveals that the new album will feature Kanye West, FKA Twigs, Thundercat, serpentwithfeet, and more: “I got a lot of dope friends.”
The artist, who recreated Kurt Cobain’s classic October 2001 SPIN cover for his own August feature, also discussed what the Nirvana frontman meant to him, and the importance of their hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Watch him revisit that cover, as well as Skrillex’s, Kanye’s, and more.
