The most disposable hip-hop hit in recent months has been Tyga’s “Rack City,” a slinky, sleazy snake of a strip-club anthem, all vibrating bass tones and filthy come-ons. It’s a grower — empty on first listen, more and more primal over time. The beat, though, is the star; Tyga is merely percussive drizzle atop it.
This Compton, California, rapper has been on the B team of Lil Wayne’s Young Money crew for some time, displaying the occasional flash of charm, as on the hit single “BedRock.” Last year he was nominated for a Grammy for his collaboration with Chris Brown and Kevin McCall, “Deuces.”
“Careless World” is Tyga’s major-label debut, and it sounds like it. Even though he remains a cipher, his surroundings are lush. A collaboration with Nicki Minaj with an unprintable name has a gyrating beat built on a sea of digitized giggles, and smooth gospelesque coos drive “Do It All.” Those songs, and several others on this album, are produced by Jess Jackson, who proves a strong match for Tyga, supplementing his hollowness with density and feeling.
Tyga is a labored rapper at best, though he’s capable of a variety of cadences. He’s bouncy on “Potty Mouth” and pleasingly nasal on “Faded.” But his method can’t redeem his sometimes clunky word jumbles: “You fold up under pressure/I’m good, straighter than stretchers” on “I’m Gone”; “The world so cold you gonna need a Moncler” on “This Is Like".
Overall, this is just a lukewarm album but I am glad that he is able to stand his own given the extreme popularity of his label mates Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil' Wayne.
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