Tyga Reveals His “Wavy Baby” Sneaker Collaboration with MSCHF & His 8th Studio Album

Multi-platinum Grammy-nominated artist and entrepreneur, Tyga continues to maintain his position at the forefront of the music and entertainment industry. Since breaking out into the scene in early 2008, Tyga has continued to expand his portfolio and cultural influence in nearly every facet of the mainstream media. Racking up multiple accolades and certifications throughout his illustrious career, including the quadruple-platinum single “Rack City” , triple-platinum single “Faded” and double platinum single “Ayo” featuring Chris Brown. His last album “Legendary” debuted in 2019 with a Gold certification on its debut week landing the Top 20 on the Top 200 charts. The album accumulated over 5 billion streams in under a year. “Legendary” features his six-times platinum single “Taste” featuring Offset and “Swish” which soared on the charts landing on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Tyga perennially holds a place in the Top 30 of the “Most Streamed Artist on Spotify.” His influence continues to grow with each subsequent album. 

Tyga’s 8th studio album which is slated to be released in early summer. The musical icon debuted his latest single, “Freaky Deaky” featuring global superstar Doja Cat, which landed at #43 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” list. The new track marks the second collaboration between the two artists and ranked as the highest debut of the week, raking in roughly 25 million streams globally in the first week and nearly 14 million views on Youtube. 

Here at Galore we had the chance to sit down with Tyga and interview him on his journey and future ventures. He filled us in on his collaboration with MSCHF to create the “Wavy Baby” sneaker, his upcoming 10-year anniversary since he released quadruple platinum single “Rack City”, his collaboration with Doja Cat on the single “Freaky Deaky”, future collaborations with Young Money, and more!

FEATURE INTERVIEW

1) Tell us about your collaboration with MSCHF to create the Wavy Baby sneaker. This isn’t your first shoe venture. Tell us more about your involvement and the process it took to create the shoe. The bottom sole is quite different than anything that we have seen on the market.  

Tyga: I really wanted to get back into the product game and I like what MSCHF does as a company. I just wanted to do something different this time around and really switch it up. Something innovative that would make people go, what the fuck?  At the same time, I still wanted to make the shoes cool so if you were to go out with a certain outfit you could wear the shoes and look good no matter what. It was also important to keep it fun and youthful.  

2) Tell us a little bit about the process. How did you guys come up with the design? 

Tyga: The creative process took about eight months. There were nine different revisions, nine different shoes that we just kept making changes to. It’s hard to make a wavy bottom that’s still functional for walking. That was the hard part, but I think MSCHF did a great job with the execution of everything.  

3) Who do you envision wearing these shoes?  

Tyga: Anybody that wants to have fun with their fashion. Someone who’s free with fashion. Whether you’re somebody older who likes to dress colorfully, somebody younger who likes to skate, or an artist that likes to wear it on stage with a certain custom wardrobe, Wavy Babys are for you. I just think these shoes need to be associated with fun. That’s the whole thing around the shoe.  

4) What is an ideal outfit for the shoe? 

Tyga: I think they look better with shorts, honestly, but I like a baggy pant with them too. I personally like wearing them with shorts.  

5) You are a multifaceted artist and entrepreneur who has worked on many other projects. What do you look for in a brand that you want to invest in or collaborate with? 

Tyga: First of all, I have to actually like their product and what they’re doing as a company, and I have to see where I can add value to it. I don’t take deals where I promote a product just to cash a check. I have to actually be passionate about it. That’s why I don’t do a lot of deals. So, with the shoe specifically, I wanted to work with MSCHF because I respect the work they put out. I was the one who originally approached them. Everything I do is stuff that I’m really into or passionate about or a real fan of.  

6) “Rack City” is approaching its 10-year anniversary and the single has now hit quadruple platinum since it debuted. What does this mean to you and how has your life changed since then?  

Tyga: I mean, yeah, it’s crazy. Because now it’s considered a classic for me and my catalog, which is really cool. And it introduced “Mustard”. It really broke “Mustard” [onto the scene]. I mean, it helped break me as an artist – as a solo artist outside of Young Money and my mixtape that I did with Chris – as well.  

7) How has it changed your life?  

Tyga: It definitely helped evolve my sound. It helped me to establish a signature sound, which has been career changing and life changing all around.  

8) What was it like working on your latest single freaky with Doja who recently won Grammy for best pop duo?  

Tyga: It was good. I love working with Doja because she’s an artist’s artist. She’s very creative and she stands out on any kind of track. I like doing records with people like that. That kind of creativity challenges me to stand out as well. Her voice is so unique and her tone is so unique, and I just feel like it was the right record for us. I had this idea for this song for probably a year and a half, almost two years. And I just wanted to wait until the right time to do it with her, and we were also able to do the video as well. Shout out to her for that.  

9) Women are making a big splash in the music industry. Who are some of your favorite female artists?  

Tyga: I definitely have to say Doja. Doja is number one among my favorite female artists right now. I also like Billie Eilish. I like her style. I like her visuals. I think her music is cool to be so young and she sounds so mature and so different. The story behind her music is also really mature for her age.  

9.5) Anyone else or no?  

Tyga: I like this girl Money Long. She’s kind of cool. I think she was a writer first. Now she’s a singer, but her voice—there’s a lot of soul to it, yet it’s very smooth at the same time. She’s an R&B singer.  

10) Anyone that’s on your top list of collaborations outside of Doja? 

Tyga: I’m always open to working with female artists because I like the dynamic. I like the duet kind of vibe. I’ve worked with a lot of female artists so far and I’m always open to collabs because that’s where a lot of magic is. I would say maybe somebody like SZA would be fire. I like Jhene [Aiko]. Even a Summer Walker, you know?  

11) Your eighth studio album is slated for release this coming summer. Can you tease anything about it?  

Tyga: Yes, it is definitely going to be a summer/fall album. It’s very versatile. There are a lot of bright, upbeat songs, but there’s also a moody, nighttime-driving vibe to it too. So, it’s club bangers, afro-centric, pop-infused, R&B-infused. It’s a really great mix that’s perfect for summer through fall and beyond.  

12) How did you celebrate reaching new milestones and accomplishments? Do you have special tradition?  

Tyga: Not really. I honestly just keep going. I don’t even really keep track. Every once in a while, I think to celebrate something special. Then I’m just back to grinding, thinking about the next thing. I should start celebrating things more, now that I think about it.  

13) I’ve had the pleasure of talking with some of your team members and representatives and they are great. Who are some members from your team that you would like to shout out? And what does it mean to you to have a team that has supported you on your journey?  

Tyga: I think everybody deserves a shoutout — from management to publicists, to my close friends. I think it all helps because there are a lot of different moving parts to really drive the vehicle and get things done. Even having a really good lawyer is essential too. Having good label partners as well, like with Empire. I think everybody is really good at what they do. And you know, when you put all that together, it’s a super team.  

14) If you could create your own festival, give us the names of artists you would like to perform. And then where would this festival be?  

Tyga: I don’t know exactly where the festival would be, but it would have to be somewhere hot. I always thought a festival inside a theme park could be crazy. Somewhere that’s just associated with fun, you know? For the lineup, I would definitely do early 2000’s artists mixed with some young current artists. I just would love to pick people that I know. I feel like festival curation is like putting together a Spotify playlist—I would just curate it with artists that I love, and that other people would love to enjoy live.  

15) We can’t believe that your son King is turning 10 years old later this year. Tell us more about fatherhood and what it has been like to watch him grow up.  

Tyga: It’s kind of crazy to say that he’s about to be 10 because I remember him just being born. Now I’m like, damn, was it really almost 10 years ago? Time really flies. So, you really have to enjoy a lot of these moments—especially if you do have kids or people that you care about. And it’s kind of crazy because he puts me up on stuff, you know what I mean? Like, I’m learning from him. He’s a real kid, he’s in it. You know what I’m saying? Like, I’m in the culture and I’m youthful, but he’s really the youth and the future. He discovers things in lingo. I’m just like, who taught you that? It’s kind of crazy to see that he’s really a mini version of me.  

16) What is your approach to each project? Your music has remained consistent and has topped charts and cemented your legacy as an artist. So how do you approach each project?  

Tyga: I think always evolving the sound and trying to tell a different story, but still not shying away from what people liked you about in the first place is really important. At the same time, still trying to get people to grow with you and trying to get people that may not listen to you, to listen to you and get to know you more. I think the more people know about you, the more they can relate. For me, it’s figuring out how to do that better and better on every project and every single.  

17) What secrets and tips would you share with upcoming artists? There’s so many out there. So, what is some advice you’d give them?  

Tyga: I think you just have to go with your gut instinct when you make a record. You don‘t want to overthink things or sit on a record for too long. You opinion can change quickly because music changes a lot. It’s moving at a high speed. You just have to be in a mix with it and create based on your emotions and what you feel, because you’re not going to feel what you feel now in six months. You’re going to have different feelings on different songs in the future. So, it’s better to get your emotions out while you feel certain things and let people experience that part of your life with you. That’s basically what music is to me.  

18) We could not close out this interview without asking about your relationship with fellow Young Money artists, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. Are they featured on this album? Anything in the works with them in the future and anything you want to say about them?  

Tyga: I have a few unreleased songs with Wayne. I don’t know if I’m going to put it on the album, but we have a few that are new. I have something I do want to get Nicki on. I haven’t gotten it to her yet because I would just want to make sure it’s the right track. I mean, I’m always down to collab with them. Young Money is just always going to be family. 

CREDITS

Interviewed and Edited by SHIRLEY REYNOZO @moyamusic_

Photography and Creative Direction: PRINCE CHENOA 

Graphic Artist: Sebastián Chicchón @jager.noon

Fashion Director ZOE COSTELLO

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