After more than 15 years as one of rap’s most recognizable names, Tyga is introducing himself as an entirely new artist. With $TARFACE, the 36-year-old rapper has stepped away from the sound that made him famous in favor of an ’80s-inspired alter ego rooted in synth-pop, cinematic storytelling, and vintage production techniques.
The 10-track project is more sung than rapped, featuring warm analog synths and vintage recording equipment. Tyga says the creative freedom came from creating a completely separate persona. “I just feel like there’s no rules anymore,” he told People. “You have to just be okay with taking risks and doing things that you aren’t used to doing”. The album is a tribute to his late mother, Pasionaye Nicole Nguyen, who died in 2025 at 53. “This was her era,” he said, noting their shared bond over ’80s music and films.
Tyga studied Purple Rain and Off the Wall, watched Scarface daily in the studio, and used hardware from the era rather than modern plug-ins. The album features the singles “Affection” and “GAVE U RACKS,” plus “Lavi$h” with Fenix Flexin. He plans intimate pop-up performances in New York and Los Angeles. “A Tyga fan might be like, ‘Yo, this is weird,'” he admitted. “But I felt really good and really connected to the music”.
