Free TC (album)

## **Singles from *Free TC***

1. "Only Right"
Released: May 15, 2015
2. "Blasé"
Released: June 26, 2015
3. "Saved"
Released: October 16, 2015
4. "Wavy"
Released: January 16, 2016

***Free TC*** is the debut solo studio album by American singer Ty Dolla $ign. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Atlantic Records. It features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Brandy, Rae Sremmurd, E-40, Future, Kanye West, YG, among others.

The album debuted at number 14 on the US *Billboard* 200, with a first-week sales of 31,000 units. The deluxe version was released on March 25, 2016, which includes four bonus tracks, including the single "Wavy" and three new tracks. On February 7, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

## Synopsis

Rapper and R&B singer-songwriter Ty Dolla $ign never sounds like he's trying too hard, which is remarkable given how much he gets done. A sprawling, quietly ambitious album, his full-length debut moves effortlessly from '70s-style orchestral streetscapes ("LA") to aerodynamic club music (the E-40–featuring "Saved") and gospel-style catharsis (the eight-minute centerpiece "Miracle/Whatever," which features vocals from his incarcerated brother TC, to whom the album is dedicated). Thoughtful, crass, tender, funny but always low-key: Ty is a consummate stylist that knows how to balance a mood, as well as cast of collaborators that includes Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Babyface, Diddy, and Fetty Wap.

## Background

In an interview with *Vice*, Ty shared, "There are several conversations between me and my brother on the album. You get inside our life. You come into our world. It's heartfelt. Shit. We also did a song on there together; we took one of his YouTube videos and created a song from that, and I can't wait to play it for y'all." He added that it wasn't a "sad" album.

With a slew of mixtapes, Ty Dolla $ign's long-awaited debut album was released in November 2015. The following year, he premiered his documentary of the same name on March 23rd, which details his brother Gabriel "TC" Griffin, who was incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. Now eleven years behind bars, Ty pledged that portions of the album's sales would go towards TC's lawyer, and the rest for a foundation that helps wrongful convictions. The documentary dropped to his YouTube channel on April 20, 2016. With his brother being denied first appeal back in 2008, the upcoming second appeal would be the final. Ty said, "This next one's very important. Shoutout to everybody that's been supportive. Like I've said from the beginning, every dollar that I'm making from this is going to his case to get the best lawyers to provide the best situation for him to get a second chance at life like he deserves just like everybody else."

## Critical reception

*Free TC* was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 16 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

David Jeffries of AllMusic remarked, "all of the genre-jumping seems like second nature for this deceptively diverse artist, acting like he's on album number six." *Consequence*'s Brian Josephs also praised the singer's talents, and observed how the project was "all connected by a bluesy feel via Ty's brother Big TC, who arrives from behind bars through endearing phone conversations." Kyle Anderson of *Entertainment Weekly* praised, "s a genre-morphing outlet for his inventive sense of melody and hypnotic pipes," while *Exclaim!*'s Calum Slingerland said, "is a worthwhile look at the multifaceted nature of his musical brain." *The Guardian*'s Lanre Bakare critiqued, "Those cameo-packed tracks fail to live up to the billing, often feeling too long and lacking the punch of Dolla $ign's previous output." *HipHopDX* also criticized the many features, where contributor Shirley Ju wrote, "Ty is often drowned out by his many co-conspirators." They positively concluded, "Ty delivers a light, layered debut, with more depth than we thought could be drawn out of the trap&B sound he helped usher into the mainstream. Carefully tied together with a bow of radio hits and the voicemails he shares with his brother, TC."

Rebecca Haithcoat of *Pitchfork* summarized, "is an R&B epic of wanton bedroom jams, filled to the brim with charming grossness, actual prayers, and E-40. If you've been wondering what kind of sex music to play while you hump in your driverless car, this is it." *Rolling Stone*'s Corbin Reiff wrote, "Beyond its role as a showcase for Dolla $ign's outsized melodic skills and sexual braggadocio, Free TC is also a who's-who of big name and up-and-coming rap and R&B talent." Winston Cook-Wilson of *Spin* called Ty$ an "ambidextrous, exuberant studio rat—with more talent than he knows what to do with" and "has just turned out one of the year's more visionary hip-hop albums." Jon Caramanica of *The New York Times* gave a warm review, penning, "often exceptional, and easily one of the best R&B albums of this year—is elaborate in conception and execution but still feels off the cuff." He continued, "the most meaningful collaborations here are with TC, Ty Dolla Sign's younger brother and this album's namesake, who is incarcerated."

Patrick Lyons of *HotNewHipHop* was more critical, opining, "It's a real pity that Free TC doesn't feel 100% like a Ty Dolla $ign album, and the even larger tragedy is that much of the album doesn't even focus on his still-imprisoned brother." They added that the record did not benefit from the many guest appearances. Conversely, Samantha O'Connor from *The 405* assessed, "strength resonates most authentically when bringing the attention back to the opus' focal point - his younger brother and the subtle commentary on the American justice system." *AllHipHop* applauded of the artist, "found a balance between being a lascivious rap-singer and a posh musician with a profuse amount of skills whether behind the mic or beat machine. Ty toned down his usual level of lewdness for more radio-friendly songs without straying away from his normal playboy persona. With *Free TC*, Ty Dolla $ign carves his niche as a vocalist who knows how to perfectly tread the thinning line between rap and R&B."

Lizzie Plaugic from *The Verge* said of Ty's voice, "It's an elastic, supple, but taut thing that can waver between persuasive whisper and heated growl. He's never quite rapping; instead he sings like a rapper, skipping across each word like the bouncing dot in a karaoke video."

The album was added to *XXL*'s year-end list, where they wrote, "[His] deeply rooted rhythm and blues foundation still fits in with hip-hop's grit, which is evident with all the rap features he secures for his debut." They added, "Even with all the big names on this discography, the Los Angeles native never loses the reigns to his own operation. Whether his vocals play over a simple guitar strum or are engulfed by an entire orchestra, Ty knows where he fits in."

Rankings

## Track listing

**Notes**

* "LA" features additional vocals by Nate Howard and D&D.
* "Straight Up" features additional vocals by Jacob Luttrell and outro vocals from Ryan Brady.
* "Know Ya" features intro vocals from Keke Palmer.
* "Credit" features additional vocals from Micah Powell and Tiffany Gouché, and outro vocals from Big TC and D-Loc.
* "Miracle / Whatever" features background vocals by Michah Powell, Angel Gold, and Sevyn Streeter.
* "Guard Down" features additional vocals by Nico & Vinz.
* "Actress" features outro vocals by French Montana, D-Loc, Big TC, and Malik Yusef.
* "Finale" features background vocals from Sunny Bey, Shafiq Husayn, Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner.

**Sample credits**

* "Straight Up" contains a sample of "Settle For My Love" written by Shereelyn Brown, Patrice Rushen, and Fred Washington, as performed by Patrice Rushen; and interpolation of "Let's Get Married", performed by Jagged Edge.

## Personnel

**Musicians**

* DJ Battlecat – talkbox (track 1)
* Benjamin Wright – conductor, arranger ritesonian (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Kevin Brandon – bass (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* H. L. Estrada – bass (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Peggy Baldwin – cello (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Giovanna Clayton – cello (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Maria Martinez – cello (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Nancy Stein-Ross – cello (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Caroline Buckman – viola (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Jorge Moraga – viola (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Jimbo Ross – viola (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* S. L. Smith – viola (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Mark Cargill – violin (concertmaster) (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Richard Adkins – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Minyoung Chang – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Susan Chatman – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Nicole Garcia – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Terry Glenny – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Neel Hammond – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Kathleen Robertson – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Lesa Terry – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* C. M. Woods – violin (tracks 1, 4, 6–9)
* Donnie Meadows – production coordination (track 3)
* Tanisha Broadwater – production coordination (track 3)
* The Down Low Horns – horns (tracks 3, 8)
* Tyrone "Pops" Griffin, Sr. – trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 3, 8), horns (track 8)
* Tim Anderson – saxophone (tracks 3, 8)
* Richard Moorings – trombone (tracks 3, 8)
* Terrace Martin – alto saxophone (track 7), talkbox (track 8)
* Kenny Crouch – piano (tracks 7, 8)
* Mars – additional piano (track 7)
* Benny Blanco – instrumentation (track 10)
* Ben "Two Inch Punch" Ash – instrumentation (track 10)
* Chiddy Bang – instrumentation (track 10)
* Andrew "McMuffin" Luftman – production coordination (track 10)
* Seih "Mageef" Hussain – production coordination (track 10)
* Mikkel Eriksen – instruments (track 14)
* Tor Hermansen – instruments (track 14)
* Take Blacksmith – production coordination, executive production (Tim & Danny Music) (track 14)
* Danny D – production coordination, executive production (Tim & Danny Music) (track 14)
* Sam Barsh – keyboards (track 16)
* Daniel Seeff – upright bass (track 16)

**Technical**

* Dave Kutch – mastering (all tracks)
* Andy Barnes – recording (tracks 1–5, 7–9, 11–13, 15), additional recording (track 10), engineering (track 10)
* Derek "MixedByAli" Ali – mixing (track 1)
* James Royo – mixing (tracks 2, 13)
* Jorge Taveras – mixing assistance (track 2)
* Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing (tracks 3, 5, 7–9, 16)
* Paul Boutin – mixing (track 4)
* Ty Dolla $ign – recording (tracks 6, 12)
* Keke Palmer – recording (track 6)
* John Kercy – mixing (tracks 6, 15)
* Chris "Anger Management" Schlafani – engineer (track 10)
* Serban Ghenea – mixing (track 10)
* John Hanes – engineer (mixing) (track 10)
* Phil Seaford – engineer (mixing) (track 10)
* Jaycen Joshua-Fowler – mixing (track 11)
* Ryan Kaul – mixing assistance (track 11)
* Seth Firkins – mixing (track 12)
* Victor Luevanos – mixing assistance (track 13)
* Mikkel Eriksen – recording (track 14)
* Miles Walker – recording (track 14)
* Phil Tan – mixing (track 14)
* Daniel Rivera – additional and assistance engineering (track 14)
* Shafiq Husayn – recording (track 16), engineering (track 16)
* DJ Khalil – recording (track 16), engineering (track 16)
* Om'Mas Keith – vocal production (track 16), engineering (track 16)
* Taz Arnold – vocal production (track 16)

**Additional personnel**

* Danny Zook – sample clearance
* Ron Cahiltes – sample clearance
* Carolyn Tracey – packaging production
* Virgilio Tzaj – art direction, design
* Jory Lee Cordy – photography

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sundermmann, Eric and Kramer, Kyle (September 24, 2015). ""It's Like Hell": Ty Dolla $ign Discusses His Brother's Incarceration and Its Role on His Album 'Free TC'". *Noisey*.
2. ↑ Horowitz, Steven (March 24, 2016). "Ty Dolla $ign Makes Case for His Incarcerated Brother in 'Free TC' Documentary". *Billboard*.
3. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria (April 20, 2016). "Ty Dolla $ign "Free TC" Documentary, Deluxe Edition Album Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist". *HipHopDX*.
4. ↑ "Free TC Review by David Jeffries". *AllMusic*. November 2015.
5. ↑ Josephs, Brian (November 19, 2015). "Album Review: Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC". *Consequence*.
6. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (2015). "*Free TC* by Ty Dolla $ign: EW Review". *Entertainmetn Weekly*. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
7. ↑ Slingerland, Calum (November 25, 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign *Free TC*". *Exclaim!*.
8. ↑ Bakare, Lanre (November 12, 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign: Free TC Review – Lofty Ideas on LA Rapper's Debut". *The Guardian*.
9. ↑ Ju, Shirley (November 18, 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC". *HipHopDX*.
10. ↑ Haithcoat, Rebecca (November 16, 2015). "*Free TC*". *Pitchfork*.
11. ↑ Reiff, Corbin (December 4, 2015). "Free TC". *Rolling Stone*.
12. ↑ Cook-Wilson (November 17, 2015). "Review: Ty Dolla $ign Lays All Doubts to Rest on His Long-Awaited 'Free TC'". *Spin*.
13. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (November 11, 2015). "Review: on 'Free TC,' Ty Dolla Sign Delivers Off-the-Cuff R&B". *The New York Times*.
14. ↑ Lyons, Patrick (November 16, 2015). "Review: Ty Dolla $ign's "Free TC"". *HotNewHipHop*.
15. ↑ O'Connor, Samantha (November 13, 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC". *The 405*. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015.
16. ↑ Hudson, Tanay (November 15, 2015). "Album Review: Ty Dolla $ign Makes Impressive Debut with 'Free TC'". *AllHipHop*.
17. ↑ Plaugic, Lizzie (November 12, 2015). "Review: Ty Dolla $ign's Debut Album Finds Pleasure in Self-Constructed Excess". *The Verge*.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "20 of the Best Albums of 2015". *XXL*. December 24, 2015.
19. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2015". *Complex*. December 1, 2015.
20. ↑ "The Top 25 Albums of 2015". *HipHopDX*. December 23, 2015.
21. ↑ Rucker, CJ (December 28, 2015). "Top 25 Albums of 2015". *The Hundreds*.
22. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (December 9, 2015). "The Best Albums of 2015". *The New York Times*.
23. ↑ Burt, Sharelle (December 15, 2015). "Best of Hip-Hop Albums: Class of 2015". *New York Daily News*.
24. ↑ Kelley, Frannie (December 7, 2015). "Red". *NPR*. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
25. ↑ "Best Albums of 2015". *Pigeons & Planes*. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016.
26. ↑ "20 Best R&B Albums of 2015". *Rolling Stone*. December 16, 2015.
27. ↑ "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015". *Spin*. December 16, 2015.
28. ↑ "The Smoking Section Ranks the 15 Best Rap Albums of 2015". *Uproxx*. December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.
29. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria (March 25, 2016). "Ty Dolla $ign Fights Against Injustice with "Free TC" Documentary & Album Deluxe Version". *HipHopDX*.
30. ↑ Horowitz, Steven (December 4, 2015). "$ign of the Times". *Spin*.