Free TC

Free TC
Studio album by Ty Dolla Sign
Released	November 13, 2015
Recorded	2012–15
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	72:34
Label	Taylor Gang Atlantic
Producer	Ty Dolla Sign (also exec.) Wiz Khalifa (also exec.) Babyface Benny Blanco B Ham Cardo Chordz Cy Fyre DJ Mustard DJ Spinz D'Mile The Dramaticz DJ Khalil Dave Kuncio Devin Cruise Flippa Hit-Boy Johnny Juliano Metro Boomin Mike Free Nate 3D Noah Breakfast Pop Wansel Rance The Rascals Shafiq Husayn Stargate Soundz Thundercat Toro Twice as Nice YungFlamez
Ty Dolla Sign chronology
Beach House EP (2014) Free TC (2015) Campaign (2016)
Singles from Free TC
"Only Right" Released: May 26, 2015 "Blasé" Released: June 26, 2015 "When I See Ya" Released: September 14, 2015 "Saved" Released: October 15, 2015 "Solid" Released: October 22, 2015 "Wavy" Released: January 16, 2016[1]

Free TC is the debut studio album by American recording artist Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Taylor Gang Entertainment and distributed by Atlantic Records.^[2] As executive producers by Ty Dolla Sign and Wiz Khalifa enlisted a variety of collaborators; including DJ Mustard, DJ Spinz, Cardo, Johnny Juliano, R. Kelly, Kendrick Lamar, Brandy and Kanye West, among others.^[3]

Free TC received generally positive reviews from critics. The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, selling 31,000 equivalent album units and 22,000 copies in the first week. Free TC was supported by six singles: "Only Right", "Blasé", "When I See Ya", "Saved", "Solid" and "Wavy".

Promotion

On October 13, 2015, while Ty is prepping for the release of Free TC, Ty released his sixth mixtape "Airplane Mode". On October 15, the album's final track listing was revealed through his SoundCloud account, in which Ty told his brother TC (to whom the album is dedicated) over the phone about each track and how they came up with it together.^[4]

Singles

The album's lead single, "Only Right" was released on May 26, 2015. The song features guest vocals from American rappers YG, Joe Moses and TeeCee4800, with the production handled by Mike Free and DJ Mustard.^[5]

The album's second single, "Blasé" was released on June 26, 2015. The song features guest vocals from a fellow recording artist Future and the southern hip hop group Rae Sremmurd, with the production handled by DJ Spinz.^[6] "Blasé" was sent to radio and the song later charted on the Billboard Hot 100.^[7]

The album's third single, "When I See Ya" was released on September 14, 2015. The song features guest vocals from American recording artist Fetty Wap, with the production handled by Cardo, Soundz, Wheezy and Johnny Juliano.^[8]

The album's fourth single, "Saved" was released on October 15, 2015. The song features guest vocals from a fellow rapper E-40, with the production handled by DJ Mustard alongside Twice as Nice.^[9] "Saved" was sent to radio and the song later charted on the Billboard Hot 100.^[7]

The album's fifth single, "Solid" was released on October 22, 2015. The song features guest vocals from American R&B singer-songwriter Babyface, who also serves its production alongside Ty Dolla Sign and The Rascals on this track.^[10]

The album's sixth single, "Wavy" was released on January 16, 2016. The song features guest vocals from a fellow rapper Joe Moses, with the production handled by DJ Mustard. The song is exclusively on the deluxe edition re-release for the album.^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.1/10[11]
Metacritic	76/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Consequence of Sound	B[14]
Entertainment Weekly	A–[15]
Exclaim!	7/10[16]
The Guardian	[17]
HipHopDX	4/5[18]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]
Spin	7/10[21]
Tiny Mix Tapes	3/5[22]

Free TC received generally positive reviews from critics. 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.^[12] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Numerous proven mixtapes help set Ty up for an easier introduction than most, but Free TC tops all expectations, as the man conquers the club, the bedroom, and the brain with this end-to-end stunner."^[13] Brain Josephs of Consequence of Sound said, "For all of Free TC's turn-up nut-grabbing, it's the beating heart that ends up stealing the show."^[14] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Free TC could use some editing, but Ty has enough charm to carry bedroom jams, Cadillac bangers, and folk-funk experiments all at once."^[15] In a positive review for Exclaim!, Calum Slingerland praised Ty's talent in composition and arrangement, writing "what could have easily been a 16-track collection of Griffin's ambition becoming his downfall is a worthwhile look at the multifaceted nature of his musical brain."^[16] Claire Lobenfeld of Fact said, "This is not the moment where he will become a superstar, but it's a promising beginning to what should be a very long career."^[23] Shirley Ju of HipHopDX said, "So, all in all, 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."^[18]

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said, "Free TC--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."^[24] Rebecca Haithcoat of Pitchfork said, "His confidence is why he flies when he swings for the fences on his new album, Free TC."^[19] Corbin Reiff of Rolling Stone said, "Free TC, dedicated to Dolla $ign's currently incarcerated brother, marries a diverse range of earworm-level hooks and genre-bridging rhythms to uncomfortably base themes."^[20] Winston Cook-Wilson of Spin said, "The album is a dense, cinematic, always surprising and often moving album that sounds like it required the full three years that the L.A. crooner and producer spent chipping away at it to get right."^[21] Lanre Bakare of The Guardian said, "[The] cameo-packed tracks fail to live up to the billing, often feeling too long and lacking the punch of Dolla $ign's previous output."^[17] Brooklyn Russell of Tiny Mix Tapes said, "Despite looking to set the world on fire with Free TC, his debut, Dolla $ign spreads himself too thin and mostly stumbles over his own lofty ambitions."^[22]

Year-end lists

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Complex	The Best Albums of 2015	25	[25]
HipHopDX	The Top 25 Albums of 2015	No order	[26]
The Hundreds	Top 25 Albums of 2015	18	[27]
NPR	50 Favorite Albums of 2015	No order	[28]
Noisey	The Top 26 Overlooked Albums of 2015	No order	[29]
The New York Times	The Best Albums of 2015 by Jon Caramanica	4	[30]
New York Daily News	Best of hip-hop albums: Class of 2015	10	[31]
Pigeons & Planes	Best Albums of 2015	39	[32]
Rolling Stone	20 Best R&B Albums of 2015	10	[33]
Uproxx	The 15 Best Rap Albums of 2015	14	[34]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, with 31,000 equivalent album units and first-week sales of 22,000 copies in the United States.^[35]

Track listing

Standard version
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"LA" (featuring Kendrick Lamar, Brandy and James Fauntleroy)	Tyrone Griffin, Jr. Kendrick Duckworth Brandy Norwood James Fauntleroy Marlon Barrow Nate Howard Yves Bazelais, Jr. Dernst Emile II Darius Logan Dominique Logan	Chordz D'Mile Ty Dolla Sign	5:07
2.	"Saved" (featuring E-40)	Griffin, Jr. Earl Stevens Dijon McFarlane Khaled Rohaim Nicholas Audino Lewis Hughes Glenda Proby Bobby Brackins	DJ Mustard Twice as Nice	2:58
3.	"Straight Up" (featuring Jagged Edge)	Griffin, Jr. Bryan Casey Brandon Casey Kyle Norman Richard Wingo Andrew Wansel Ronald Colson Autoro Whitfield Proby Patrice Rushen Shereelyn Brown Bryan-Michael Cox Jermaine Dupri Fred Washington	Pop Wansel Flippa Toro^[a]	5:01
4.	"Solid" (featuring Babyface)	Griffin, Jr. Kristopher Van Riddick-Tynes Proby Paris Jones Kenneth Edmonds	Babyface The Rascals D'Mile^[b] Ty Dolla Sign^[b]	4:19
5.	"Horses in the Stable"	Griffin, Jr. Latisha Hyman Dave Kuncio Larrance Dopson	Kuncio Rance	3:06
6.	"Know Ya" (featuring Trey Songz)	Griffin, Jr. Tremaine Neverson Leland Wayne Joseph Allen Gary Hill	Metro Boomin DJ Spinz	4:52
7.	"Credit" (featuring Sevyn Streeter)	Griffin, Jr. Emile II Proby Barrow Kenneth Coby Cychae Strahan Brandon Hamlin Devin Montgomery	D'Mile Chordz Ty Dolla Sign Cy Fyre^[b] B Ham^[b] Devin Cruise^[b] Soundz^[b]	6:11
8.	"Miracle / Wherever" (featuring Big TC and D-Loc)	Griffin, Jr. Emile II Wayne Nate Welsh Gabreal Griffin Christopher Jones Angel Griffin	D'Mile Nate 3D Ty Dolla Sign	8:15
9.	"Guard Down" (featuring Kanye West and Diddy)	Griffin, Jr. Kanye West Sean Combs Chauncey Hollis P. Jones	Hit-Boy	4:56
10.	"Sitting Pretty" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)	Griffin, Jr. Cameron Thomaz Benjamin Levin Ben Ash Noah Beresin Jazzae de Waal	Benny Blanco Noah Breakfast	3:26
11.	"When I See Ya" (featuring Fetty Wap)	Griffin, Jr. Willie Maxwell II Ronald LaTour Brock Korsan Johnny Juliano Coby	Cardo Juliano	3:34
12.	"Blasé" (featuring Future and Rae Sremmurd)	Griffin, Jr. Nayvadius Wilburn Khalif Brown Aaquil Brown Hill Marquis Medina	DJ Spinz	4:46
13.	"Only Right" (featuring YG, Joe Moses and TeeCee4800)	Griffin, Jr. Keenon Jackson Joseph Allen Marquise Newman McFarlane Mikely Adam	Mike Free DJ Mustard	3:10
14.	"Bring It Out of Me"	Griffin, Jr. Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Tor Erik Hermansen Proby Paolo Prudencio	Stargate	3:45
15.	"Actress" (featuring R. Kelly)	Griffin, Jr. Robert Kelly Emile II	D'Mile	6:12
16.	"Finale" (featuring Sa-Ra and PJ)	Griffin, Jr. Khalil Abdul-Rahman Sam Barsh Om'Mas Keith Shafiq Husayn Taz Arnold P. Jones Drumaticz Kingdom Stephen Bruner	Husayn DJ Khalil	2:53
Total length:				72:34

Deluxe version (bonus tracks)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"Like a Drug"	Griffin, Jr. Terrell Jamison	YungFlamez	4:42
18.	"Wavy" (featuring Joe Moses)	Griffin, Jr. Allen McFarlane	DJ Mustard	3:07
19.	"Long Time" (featuring Quavo)	Griffin, Jr. Quavious Marshall Wayne	Metro Boomin	3:08
20.	"Westside"	Griffin, Jr. McFarlane	DJ Mustard	4:05
Total length:				87:32

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[36]	87
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[37]	132
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38]	45
French Albums (SNEP)[39]	159
UK Albums (OCC)[40]	93
US Billboard 200[41]	14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[42]	4

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
United Kingdom	November 12, 2015	CD digital download	Atlantic
United States[43][44]	November 13, 2015		Taylor Gang Atlantic
	March 25, 2016 (Deluxe version)
	April 20, 2016	Vinyl[45]

References

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3. "Ty Dolla $ign on Twitter". Twitter. 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
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