Album Review: Hotel California by Tyga

Rapper Tyga debuted as a Gym Class Heroes-styled alt-rapper, but when his simple and somewhat nasty single "Rack City" took off, he became the kind of cocky thug who would drop a mixtape titled 187. Hotel California, his third official release, goes the full nasty, jamming its songs with lyrics chock-full of sex, drugs, violence, bling, and ultra-swagger, so much so that sometimes, the hook is a second thought. Supposedly, it's a concept album with the state of California its topic, but the advice-filled "Drive Fast, Stay Young" strictly deals with what's in Tyga's left coast mirror ("I'm dope man, you so plain") while the sore winner dubbed "Diss Song" ("Ignorance is bliss so I can't blame your ignorance/It's irrelevant/I'm relevant/It's a big event so go ahead and vent") is California only in that it's summery and pleasant, shuffling along to a near-bossa nova beat from Pioneer Crew member Sap.

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It’s easy to pinpoint what Tyga’s good at, after a pair of summers propped by “Rack City”, “Deuces”, “Bitches Ain’t Shit” and “Bitch Betta Have My Money”. Tyga is good at talking mean, mad game to women of indistinguishable design other than their designer apparel. In the case of the latter two songs listed above, he may have leaned heavily on early-90s west coast classics to do so (the guessing game’s not hard, given the titles), so throw in “Faded” and that remix of “The Motto”, but he was certainly a part of making those songs work.

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Tyga :: Hotel CaliforniaYoung Money/Cash Money/Republic RecordsAuthor: Steve 'Flash' Juon"Weak bitch probably get seasickOn the yacht eat shrimp, see my name on a blimpIt read T-Raw's a pimpNigga I ain't dancin but my hand on my hipFull clip, movie shit, Bruce Wayne, AlfredNiggaz want a verse, can't even get an ad-lib" There are more than a few people asking. Tyga has been floating around the hip-hop scene since at least 2008, but he blew up in a major way with 2012's "Careless World" album, particularly the crossover success of his "Rack City" single. An infectious DJ Mustard instrumental was arguably more important to the song's success than Tyga's vocal performance, particularly given "Rack City" peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top 100 and none of the album's other singles charted higher than #33.

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Though it hasn’t defined Tyga’s musical career (yet), the 23-year-old Los Angeles rapper has become synonymous with his salacious 2011 single “Rack City.” Not only did the song chart exceptionally well on the Billboard Hot 100, it also spawned various business opportunities, none more striking than the release of his adult film Rack City: XXX. Such reinforcement unfortunately can then give way to Hotel California, a project rot with sleazy lyricism and a nefarious demeanor to match. It’s only appropriate that his latest album opens with the Lil Wayne-assisted “500 Degrees.” Over pervasive synth and mind-numbing drums, Tyga shells out tasteless rhymes (“Got bars, front gate, face shot, blind date”) with ease.

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California rapper Tyga's first major-label release, Careless World, was a really good pop-rap album. Big, beautiful production and unforgettable hooks masked frequently amateurish lyrics. If Tyga could build on the self-awareness hinted at in standout track Do It All, we might have ourselves a legitimate player. But on Hotel California, he's emotionally regressed.

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On last year’s Careless World: Rise of the Last King, Tyga went to great lengths to prove he was deeper than “Rack City”. And he actually fared pretty well in doing so. Attempts at displaying emotion and having substance, like on the nearly eight-minute “Love Game”, hit their mark, and Tyga surprised us, showing more versatility than most people thought he had in him.

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