Young rapper Tyga finds mentor in Lil Wayne
By Laura Leebove
NEW YORK (Billboard) - A missed performance by Kanye West marked a turning point for teenage rapper Tyga.
West was to perform with Fall Out Boy, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco and others at the September 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, but he had to back out at the last minute, leaving Tyga to fill his spot. Not only did the segment give Tyga exposure when it aired on TV, but the stage time also sparked a friendship and mentorship between the young performer and rap superstar Lil Wayne.
Tyga, who signed to FOB bassist Pete Wentz's Decaydance Records in early 2007, had been touring with Fall Out Boy and his cousin Travis McCoy's band Gym Class Heroes. After the Video Music Awards performance, Tyga laid down a few tracks with Lil Wayne, who took him on tour.
Fueled by this exposure, the 18-year-old Compton, California, native's debut album, "No Introduction" (Decaydance), debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's June 28 Top Heatseekers chart. It has sold more than 9,700 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Though Tyga hails from a part of Los Angeles associated with gang violence, he says his rhymes don't align with gangsta rap stereotypes. Since he was 12, he has used music to stay grounded. "When everybody was getting in trouble, I was recording in my little studio at home," he says. "(Music) definitely kept my focus on the right page."
Aside from touring and appearing on such Lil Wayne tracks as "California Love" and "Exquisite," Tyga gave fans a teaser of his rapping skills by releasing two free mixtapes online in the two months before his album arrived.
Tyga says he made the mixtapes in part because he can't stop recording. "I just want my music to be heard and put out. I don't like to sit on music for a long time," he says. He'll release another mixtape July 10, and while he's not sure how long the mixtape-a-month trend will last, he says they will keep coming.
Plans are in the works for Tyga to join Lil Wayne on tour this summer or in the fall.
Reuters/Billboard
