In the past year, when you hear “Dolla $ign,” you know you are about the smooth melodies from the West Coast crooner. Ty Dolla $ign has burst on the mainstream spotlight with the success of “Paranoid,” being named a XXL Freshmen, touring, countless guest features and writing the smash hit “Loyal” by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga. In preparation for his debut studio album “Free TC” expected to drop soon, he is giving fans 11 new tracks with “Sign Language” to hold them over until the album drops.
The tape starts with a spoken word piece from Jay 305. Then, it transitions to “NDK” featuring Big Sean. Man, it sets the tone! Both of the artists do their thing. It addresses what it means to be “a real one.” “Dead Presidents” featuring Rich Homie Quan and Juicy J switches the tone as this song is an ode for the strippers. With these artists having a history of admiring strippers, this track works perfectly. One thing that makes this tape standout is the R&B interludes that lead into the next song. At the end of “Dead Presidents,” BJ the Chicago Kid sings the intro to the next track entitled “Lord Knows.”
The first single from the tape features Dom Kennedy and Rick Ross. Man, does it knock! Ty Dolla $ign always thanks God for his success, but sometimes he cannot explain his emotions so this song is a tribute to that. At the end of this song, up and coming rapper K Camp, sings a melody for the next song entitled “Stretch.” “Stretch” is definitely that mood music that Ty Dolla $ign is known for. The second half of the song entitled “She Better” is dedicated to independent women who are looking for that guy who has his own to compliment her. Ty Dolla $ign transitions to “Drank N Cranberry,” featuring Casey Veggies in which is more of a “settle song.” It describes what he goes through when he has “Drank and Cranberry.” The tape continues with “Like I Do,” featuring Yo Gotti and French Montana. Each respective artist gives their spill on why they are better than a girl’s current love interest.
The song ends with an interlude with Jeremih which transitions to “Issue,” featuring Wiz Khalifa. It is another Taylor Gang hit between the two of them. The melody is simple and catchy. Wiz comes through and spits a nice verse as well. Mike Posner gets an interlude at the end of “Issue” which leads to “Missionary.” “Missionary” is more mood music for the ladies. Mila J closes the song with an interlude of her own.
As the tape winds down, “Type of S**t I hate,” features Fabolous and frequent collaborators YG and DJ Mustard. You know when Mustard is on the beat, it is a hit. On the track, each artist tells you things they hate. Ed Sheeran gives an acoustic interlude to the following track “Can’t Stay,” featuring T.I. “Can’t Stay” revisits his classic off of Beach House 1 “Know Y I Came.” Both artists address why they cannot stay with the woman for long so all they have is the right now moment. The outro entitled “In Too Deep” features his brother Big TC singing the chorus and D-Loc and TeeCee4800 rapping. Ty lets his brother shine since he is in prison.
- Jerrell Leeper, Contributor