In a new interview wth VIBE, Tyga opens up about his new album $tarface, which also serves as an introduction to the artist’s new alter ego, an eighties-influenced empressario whose music sounds very different from Tyga’s catalog, which by now spans well over a decade.
In the interview, Tyga addressed fans who this week speculated online that his album uses A.I. Speaking on the claims, Tyga is forthright about his use of the technology on the album.
I’ve never spoken on this with anybody because I always felt like it’s similar to a magician explaining how he does his tricks. Like why are people overexplaining how they make shit that’s good? If you like it, you like it; if you don’t, you don’t. I don’t care. It’s supposed to give you an experience and a feeling. But we definitely used AI as a [tool]. And I know people are going to be mad about me saying this, but it’s where technology is going. It’s no different than when Auto-Tune came out. Some people were opposed to it, but real artists took it and used it. We were like, “You know what? I need some ‘80 synths for a certain part of this song. I need a guitar solo done ASAP.” It is what it is. But as far as the writing, all the vocals are all me. There’s nothing wrong with using technology as a tool.
Tyga contends that after “15 years of hits,” he isn’t concerned with what detractors might think. His new persona, $tarface, he says, “could do whatever the fuck he wants to do. He’s on his own wave. He’s above it all. It’s a completely different thing.”
The A.I. controversy arrives as Fenix Flexin’s chart-climbing single “Rubberz” continues to stir up anger in the rap world, with fans divided over the song’s merits amid allegations that it was made entirely using A.I. Flexin, however, has denied using A.I. tools. Meanwhile, Tyga and the Los Angeles rapper collaborated on the unreleased track “Lavish,” adding even more fuel to the speculation.
“We just did the ‘Lavish’ record. But when he came to the studio, I was already deep into working on my ’80s-sounding music,” Tyga tells VIBE. “So, when I saw what he was doing, I was like, ‘Oh, this is fire! We should do this record together because I see you on a similar wave.’”
Tyga’s new album $tarface is out now.
