Ty Dolla $ign opened up about his ongoing work as a producer, mentioning his placement on Lil Wayne’s upcoming Carter 6 album. He revealed that to land one beat on Wayne’s project, he sent over 25 options. That one track stood out to Wayne, showing just how much persistence and volume it takes to get a single placement. “I’ve got 150 more beats that nobody’s even heard,” Ty said, reinforcing that rejection is part of the grind.
Ty revealed a story about a beat originally made for his unreleased album with DJ Mustard, following the “Featuring Ty Dolla $ign” era. The song, titled “Five in the Morning,” never saw the light of day due to label interference. According to Ty, the label felt Mustard wasn’t “hot” enough at the time, shelving the project.
Eventually, Kendrick Lamar ended up using the same beat for “Say Now” (also referred to as “Hey Now”) on one of his own releases, a track Ty admits originally belonged to him. Ty didn’t express any resentment, but the anecdote painted a broader picture of how the industry works—and how artists often lose control of their unreleased material.
Ty was transparent about his frustrations with labels prioritizing what’s hot over what’s creatively strong. The shelved project with Mustard was an example—despite the album being solid, it was benched because of industry perception. Still, Ty isn’t bitter. “They were wrong,” he said, but acknowledged the label’s goal is always to protect their financial interests.
Asked if he’d ever retire, Ty said it’s possible someday—but probably not for a while. He compared music-making to eating the same meal repeatedly—eventually, you want something different. But as a producer and someone who’s deeply tied to sound, he finds it hard to walk into a studio and not start creating. If someone’s 808 is out of key, for example, he hears it instantly and has to say something.
In a deeper conversation about production and sound quality, Ty expressed a love for human imperfection in music. He criticized modern dependency on tools like FL Studio that automate keys and tuning. Instead, he praised older songs from the ’80s and ’90s, which often had off-key 808s but still slapped. “It felt good,” he said. “That’s what I’m chasing.”
The topic of AI-generated music came up, especially regarding Timbaland’s controversial AI collaborations. Ty didn’t take a hard stance against AI but emphasized the irreplaceable “human factor” in songwriting and slang. “They ain’t figured out how to emulate our slang yet,” he joked. Still, he acknowledged that every musical evolution—from drum machines to DAWs—was initially met with resistance. “Let Timbaland do his art,” he said. “Do your own shit.”
DJ Clue, also present, shared a hilarious yet humbling tale of booking four flights just to carry vinyl crates during tours. If any of the luggage got lost (which happened often), he had to improvise using the opening DJ’s records. It was a sobering contrast to the digital age, showing how much easier things have gotten—and how much harder they once were.
This episode of Bag Fuel wasn’t just a sit-down with a hitmaker—it was a masterclass in music industry survival, evolution, and authenticity.
