Frustrated with the many flaws of major party nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Ty Dolla $ign is throwing his name into the race with his ninth mixtape, Campaign. Complete with 16 tracks and a 56-minute runtime, the Los Angeles producer/singer/rapper’s latest project introduces us to the first-ever candidate with a dollar sign in lieu of a standard ‘s’ in their last name.
Why is he qualified? Well, besides the previously mentioned incredibly bold and original spelling of his name, a litany of Dolla’s extremely relevant and comforting accomplishments are provided in hook form by Future on the album’s title track, “Campaign.”
“I brought them bottles on bottles, I fuck with models on models,” says Future in the song’s hook/candidate advertisement. “I’ll take that molly with molly, I got the racks on racks.”
Other than showing that Dolla $ign would clearly take the youth vote in a previously unfathomable landslide, the aux-cord bangers of the album, “Campaign,” “$,” “??? (Where) [feat. Migos]” and “3 Wayz (feat. Travis Scott)” ease the skeptical listener into the areas of the artist’s diverse wheelhouse in which he shines brightest. Able to flip-flop approaches as well as any politician, Dolla is at his best crooning smooth R&B with a hint of gruffness. On “Stealing,” a stripped-down, guitar-based instrumental allows Dolla $ign to be powerfully open with his audience.
“Momma please don’t judge me, cuz I’m a criminal,” pleads Dolla $ign with a T-Pain-meets-Sinatra sound. “Momma I know you love me, even though I’m a criminal.”
I know what you’re thinking, and I agree. Just like you, I too worry that the crime that led Dolla to have to sing this lovely appeal to his mother may have been a felony, thus immensely complicating his candidacy. However, in a shocking move of continued political transparency equivalent to when B-Rabbit highlighted all his own misgivings to leave Papa Doc without any fodder for battle, Dolla sings a melodious list of the drugs he’s done on the wavy “Clean.”
“Got my vans on yeah, smoke a joint yeah yeah,” says Dolla $ign before transitioning into a mentioning of more alarming substances. “Pop a xan yeah yeah, eat some shrooms, yeah yeah.”
While he’s pretty much heaved his candidacy out the window by this point, Dolla $ign’s music is hitting its stride. Both “My Song” and “Pu$$y” provide radio-friendly jams in the lead up to the beautiful “No Justice.” Featuring Big TC, Dolla $ign’s brother who is said to currently be in prison, the song poetically speaks on the issues of police brutality that have dominated the 2016 news cycle. Hauntingly, TC provides insight into the thought process of a black man being unlawfully pulled over.
“He say you look suspicious, and you fit the description of a call about a robbery,” sings TC in explanation of why he’s been pulled over. “I keep my hands where they can see ’em/ I know this could be the end of me.”
It’s a disgusting reality, one illustrated by the recent shooting deaths of Keith Lamont Scott and Terence Crutcher. These heartbreaking truths become increasingly troublesome upon learning that Dolla $ign says TC is currently in prison for a murder that he did not commit.
We need more of this, and less bangers, from artists like Dolla $ign and his brother capable of producing socially conscious tracks that illuminate our nation-plaguing issues. This is why Ty Dolla $ign wants to be in the race. This is a presentation of reality, and this is why we shed tears.
