Campaign (mixtape)

## **Singles from *Campaign***

1. "Campaign"
Released: July 11, 2016
2. "No Justice"
Released: July 21, 2016
3. "Zaddy"
Released: August 25, 2016

***Campaign*** is a commercial mixtape by American singer Ty Dolla $ign, released on September 23, 2016, by Atlantic Records. It features guest appearances from Future, Migos, Travis Scott, 24hrs, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa, Big TC, and Meek Mill. It debuted at number 28 on the US *Billboard* 200, with 14,000 album-equivalent units.

Ty$ said of the project, "There are some real issues that shouldn't be issues in 2016. We all have Instagram and Snapchat and Twitter and we all know that simple idiotic thing(s) like racism is the lamest shit in life. For all this shit to be still happening today, bugs me. There is no more slavery and gay people can get married. There shouldn't be any fucking racism period. We're all good. Love is love."

## Synopsis

A lethal combination of the political and personal. Less than a year after the release of *Free TC*, the R&B lothario enters election season with a mixtape that moves effortlessly from bedroom endeavors ("Pu$$y," among others) to a heartfelt statement on police brutality, racism, and Donald Trump ("No Justice").

## Background

In an interview with *XXL*, Ty Dolla revealed of unreleased material that didn't make the final cut. He explained that "Minister Farrakhan sent me some stuff, but I didn't use. It just didn't go with the flow of the album." He also made a record with YG and Vince Staples.

## Critical reception

*Campaign* was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on four reviews. Andy Kellman of AllMusic compared it to *Free TC*, where the mixtape felt like "adequate leftovers." *XXL*'s Scott Glaysher also wrote in comparison to the precedent project, "His singles might be louder, more trap-influenced and more ignorant but they are immediately balanced out by deeper cuts that even your grandma would like." They called "No Justice" a "powerful track," which made the album "near perfect." *Renowned for Sound* analyzed, "It's strong and weak in all the same ways as that record, albeit without the same level of originality, since it explores a similar sound. It's an album/mixtape that seems like it should be important, but whilst it's enjoyable in all the right ways, it's also kind of forgettable."

Winston Cook-Wilson of *Pitchfork* observed how the project's "sordid refrains are more of the first-thought-best-thought variety." Jordan Sargent of *Spin* gave a mixed review, believing it to be "at its best when it carries on that tradition of richness of sound as a virtue in and of itself." He continued that Ty$'s artistry was not complimented, sonically, and few tracks covered political topics. *Spectrum Culture*'s Tirhakah Love similarly opined that fans would be left confused based on the cover artwork and title. Love assessed after the intro track, "The political urgency then takes a backseat to Ty's familiar shtick of sex, drugs and materialism for, basically, the remainder of the project. Even if we were to judge the music itself, disregarding the supposed social critique, the tape is flat and redundant." He criticized the misogyny layered throughout the mixtape, and concluded, "with such a narrow focus, poor construction and a negligence to deliver on his promises, Ty is looking more like an American politician than ever before."

## References

1. ↑ Zonyee, Dominique (September 26, 2016). "Ty Dolla $ign's 'Campaign' Season Is Here and He's Got a Lot to Say". *XXL*.
2. ↑ "Campaign Review by Andy Kellman". *AllMusic*.
3. ↑ Glaysher, Scott (September 29, 2016). "Ty Dolla $ign Scores a Victory Lap with 'Campaign'". *XXL*.
4. ↑ Bohlsen, Christopher (October 2016). "Album Review: Ty Dolla $ign – Campaign". *Renowned for Sound*.
5. ↑ Cook-Wilson, Winston (September 28, 2016). "*Campaign*". *Pitchfork*.
6. ↑ Sargent, Jordan (September 27, 2016). "Review: On *Campaign*, Ty Dolla $ign Isn't Just a Stud". *Spin*.
7. ↑ Love, Tirhakah (October 10, 2016). "Ty Dolla $ign: Campaign". *Spectrum Culture*.

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