The album assembles many of the largest musicians in the music industry

Ty Dolla $ign has had an interesting career path, to say the least. The R&B and hip-hop artist didn’t find mainstream success through dozens of feature appearances until the beginning of 2018, despite releasing his debut album ‘Free TC’ at the top of 2016.

For years, listeners began to question and worry, whether he would release another full album, rather than continue to appear on nearly every big-name artist’s album for years on end. Worry no more, as the official release of Featuring Ty Dolla $ign finally here.

After lending guest verses to just about every household name in the music industry, it’s evident that many of them have made an appearance to return the favor. The album contains multiple features from Kanye West and Young Thug, as well as standout guest appearances from 6LACK, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj and Kehlani, among many others.

Standout tracks include the lead single “Ego Death” with Kanye West, FKA twigs and Skrillex, the club hit “Spicy” featuring Post Malone and the slow-tempo R&B track “By Yourself” with singer Jhene Aiko and producer Mustard. While the album may clock in at just under an hour, the project’s 25 tracks contain a whopping 23 various guest appearances.

Yet another standout aspect of this album is the sequencing of the tracks. Throughout the album, each song’s beginning and end tend to bleed into one another, creating a seamless transition in which the listener won’t even notice when they’re five songs deep.

As most know, Ty Dolla $ign can create music for a wide range of genres, including R&B, pop club hits, rap and more. While he’s displayed a wide range in his past work, Dolla $ign tends to stick close to the pop and club songs for the majority of the album. While he may have just been creating something unique with SZA on her recent single “Hit Different,” it’s clear that he played it safe this time around on his long-awaited return to the spotlight.

When an artist places 25 tracks on a single album, there’s more than likely going to be a fair amount of filler. This album is no different, as not everyone will fall in love with each song. It’s incredibly helpful that the album still comes in at less than an hour in total, yet there’s still a fair amount of filler, as much of it blends into one another through similar instrumentals and melodies.

Ty Dolla $ign’s album is far from perfect, but it still offers something for everyone if people can take away a handful of songs from the project. It’s evident that Ty Dolla $ign threw a couple of dozen songs on the charts and is going to see what lands the highest spot, yet that should be expected from a still-rising lead artist that’s primarily known for his features. Rather than people coming to his work for someone else, Ty shows his confidence here that people will be more interested in his work for him in due time.

Review: 3.5/5