Free TC

Free TC
Studio album by Ty Dolla $ign
Released	November 13, 2015
Recorded	2012–15
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	72:52
Label	Taylor Gang Pu$haz Ink Atlantic
Producer	Various Ty Dolla $ign (also exec.) Wiz Khalifa (exec.) Cardo DJ Mustard Chordz Metro Boomin Mike Free Nard & B DJ Spinz D'Mile Husayn Wheezy The Dramaticz DJ Khalil Noah Breakfast Benny Blanco StarGate Johnny Julianno Soundz Thundercat Nate 3D Devin Cruise Hit-Boy B Ham Cy Fyre Babyface Rance Smurf Dave Kuncio The Rascals YungFlamez Pop Wansel Flippa Toro Twice as Nice
Ty Dolla $ign chronology
Beach House EP (2014) Free TC (2015)
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 $ign. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Taylor Gang Records, Pu$haz Ink, and Atlantic Records.^[2] As executive producers by Ty Dolla $ign and Wiz Khalifa, Ty enlisted a variety of collaborators; including these additional production such as DJ Mustard, DJ Spinz, Cardo and Johnny Juliano, as well as the guest appearances from R. Kelly, Kendrick Lamar, Brandy and Kanye West, among others.^[3] Free TC was supported by six singles: "Only Right", "Blasé", "When I See Ya", "Saved", "Solid" and "Wavy".

Promotion

On October 13, 2015, while prepping for the release of Free TC, Ty released his sixth mixtape, titled "Airplane Mode". On October 15, 2015, the album's final tracklisting was revealed through Soundcloud, in which Ty told his brother TC over the phone about each track and how they came together.^[4]

Singles

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

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

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

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

The album's fifth single, titled "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 $ign and The Rascals on this track.

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 included on the deluxe edition re-release of the album.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Consequence of Sound	B
Entertainment Weekly	A-
Exclaim!	7/10[7]
Pitchfork Media	7.7/10[8]
Spin	7/10
Tiny Mix Tapes

Free TC was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". 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."^[7]

Year-end lists

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
HipHopDX	The Top 25 Albums of 2015	No order	[9]
NPR	50 Favorite Albums of 2015	No order	[10]
Noisey	The Top 26 Overlooked Albums of 2015	No order	[11]
Rolling Stone	20 Best R&B Albums of 2015	10	[12]
Complex	The Best Albums of 2015	25	[13]
Uproxx	The 15 Best Rap Albums of 2015	14	[14]
New York Daily News	Best of hip-hop albums: Class of 2015	10	[15]
Pigeons & Planes	Best Albums of 2015	39	[16]
The Hundreds	Top 25 Albums of 2015	18	[17]
The New York Times	The Best Albums of 2015 by Jon Caramanica	4	[18]

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.^[19]

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 "Chordz" Barrow Nate Howard Yves Bazelais, Jr. Dernst Emile II Darius Logan Dominique Logan	Chordz D'Mile Ty Dolla $ign	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 "Pop" Wansel Ronald "Flippa" Colson Autoro "Toro" Whitfield Proby Patrice Rushen Shereelyn Brown Bryan-Michael Cox Jermaine Dupri Fred Washington	Pop Wansel Nard & B Flippa Toro^[a]	5:01
4.	"Solid" (featuring Babyface)	Griffin, Jr. Kristopher Van Riddick-Tynes Proby Kenneth Edmonds	Babyface The Rascals Ty Dolla $ign	4:19
5.	"Horses in the Stable"	Griffin, Jr. Latisha Hyman Dave Kuncio Larrance "Rance" Dopson	Kuncio Rance	3:06
6.	"Know Ya" (featuring Trey Songz)	Griffin, Jr. Tremaine Neverson Leland Wayne Joseph Allen Gary "DJ Spinz" Hill	Metro Boomin DJ Spinz	4:52
7.	"Credit" (featuring Sevyn Streeter)	Griffin, Jr. Emile II Proby Barrow Coby Cychae "Cy Fyre" Strahan Brandon "B Ham" Hamlin Devin Montgomery	D'Mile Chordz Ty Dolla $ign Cy Fyre B Ham Devin Cruise^[b] Soundz^[b]	6:11
8.	"Miracle / Wherever" (featuring Big TC and D-Loc)	Griffin, Jr. Emile II Wayne Nate "3D" Welsh Gabreal Griffin Christopher "TeeFlii" Jones Angel Griffin	D'Mile Nate 3D Ty Dolla $ign	8:15
9.	"Guard Down" (featuring Kanye West and Diddy)	Griffin, Jr. Kanye West Sean Combs Chauncey Hollis Paris Jones	Hit-Boy	4:56
10.	"Sitting Pretty" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)	Griffin, Jr. Cameron Thomaz Benjamin Levin Ben "BenZel" Ash Noah "Breakfast" Beresin Jazzae de Waal	BenZel 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 Wesley "Wheezy" Glass	Cardo Soundz Wheezy Juliano	3:34
12.	"Blasé" (featuring Future and Rae Sremmurd)	Griffin, Jr. Nayvadius Wilburn Khalif "Swae Lee" Brown Aaquil "Slim Jxmmi" Brown Hill Marquis Medina	DJ Spinz BenZel^[b]	4:46
13.	"Only Right" (featuring YG, Joe Moses and TeeCee4800)	Griffin, Jr. Keenon Jackson Joseph "Joe Moses" Allen Marquise "TeeCee4800" Newman McFarlane Glass 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 London Holmes	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 Jones Drumaticz Kingdom Stephen Bruner	Husayn DJ Khalil Thundercat The Drumaticz D'Mile^[b]	2:53
Total length:				01:12:34

Deluxe version (bonus tracks)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"Like a Drug"	Griffin, Jr. Terrell "YungFlamez" 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:				01:27:37

Notes

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

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20]	87
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21]	132
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22]	45
French Albums (SNEP)[23]	159
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	93
US Billboard 200[25]	14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[26]	4

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
United Kingdom	November 12, 2015	CD digital download	Atlantic
United States	November 13, 2015		Atlantic Taylor Gang
	April 20, 2016	Vinyl[27]

References

1. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/wavy-feat.-joe-moses-single/id1076122909
2. "Ty Dolla $ign Announces "Free TC" Release Date With Cover Art". Hotnewhiphop.com. 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
3. "Ty Dolla $ign on Twitter: "F R I D A Y - N O V E M B E R 1 3 PRE-ORDER NOW: http://t.co/ec2Tq01ppZ http://t.co/wUABW0Ocbq"". Twitter.com. 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2015-10-30. External link in |title= (help)
4. "Ty Dolla $ign Reveals Official Tracklist For "Free TC"". Hotnewhiphop.com. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
5. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/wavy-feat.-joe-moses-single/id1076122909
6. http://www.metacritic.com/music/free-tc/ty-dolla-ign
7. Slingerland, Calum (November 25, 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
8. Haithcoat, Rebecca (16 November 2015). "Ty Dolla $ign: Free TC". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
9. "The Top 25 Albums Of 2015". HipHopDX. December 23, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
10. "NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2015". NPR. December 7, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
11. "The Top 26 Overlooked Albums of 2015". Noisey. December 23, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
12. "20 Best R&B Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
13. "The Best Albums of 2015". Complex. December 1, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
14. "The Smoking Section Ranks The 15 Best Rap Albums Of 2015". Uproxx. December 23, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
15. "Best of hip-hop albums: Class of 2015". New York Daily News. December 15, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
16. "Best Albums of 2015". Pigeons & Planes. December 15, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
17. "Top 25 Albums of 2015". The Hundreds. December 28, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
18. "The Best Albums of 2015". The New York Times. December 9, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
19. http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.36376/title.hip-hop-album-sales-jeezy-logic-ty-dolla-ign
20. Ryan, Gavin (November 21, 2015). "ARIA Albums: Justin Bieber Beats One Direction to No 1". Noise11. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
21. "Ultratop.be – Ty Dolla $ign – Free TC" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
22. "Ty Dolla $ign – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Ty Dolla $ign. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
23. "Lescharts.com – Ty Dolla $ign – Free TC". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
25. "Ty Dolla $ign – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ty Dolla $ign. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
26. "Ty Dolla $ign – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ty Dolla $ign. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
27. "Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC - warnermusic.com Music". Retrieved April 11, 2016.