As the saying goes, “Game Recognize Game.” So, who better for Tyla Yaweh to team up with for “Tommy Lee” — a song all about “living life like a rock star” — than none other than the “rockstar” rapper himself, Post Malone? Like peanut butter and chocolate (or, in this case, like a stretch limo and case of Bud Light), Tyla and Post pair up to “pull up with the drum like I’m Tommy Lee.” This new song, via Epic Records, features a low-key trap beat, dreamy instrumentals, and Tyla basking in his current success. Sure, Post drops in to rap a few playful bars, but this song is all about Tyla taking the first of what will be many victory laps.
Born and raised in Orlando, Tyla started his career to his “rock star” destiny by booking shows all around Florida. That hustle, for better or worse, would eventually send him west. “I’ve been on my own since I was 15. My parents were in my life, but it was on my choice and my decisions that I made, that were kind of bad decisions like I was selling drugs, got caught, and got kicked out of the house,” he told L’Officiel in 2019. “I made music, moved to LA when I was 19, was homeless, and did a lot of sacrificing to get where I am today.”
https://open.spotify.com/track/5QZKcQDp0tCcvMdyqEciBV
That sacrificing ultimately caught the attention of Post Malone. The “Circles” rapper signed Yaweh to his label and took him as an opening act on his arena world tour. In 2019, Yaweh released HEART FULL OF RAGE, a project that amassed close to 250 million streams features appearances from French Montana and PnB Rock.
“It’s a cool body of work that I worked on for a year and some change,” he told L’Officiel. “Almost two years. I had made a bunch of records and then when the time was right, we were like, ‘It’s time to drop a project.’ I just mixed everything that I listen to today into one pot and tried to create my own genre. If you think about it, you can hear it has a lot of influences. Some songs sound like Aerosmith, and I have Metallica vibes at the beginning. It’s just worldly.”
Though COVID-19 put Tyla’s plans on hold (he, Post, and Swae Lee were on the final leg of Post’s world tour in the U.S. when the coronavirus hit), he will not be deterred in becoming the biggest star in music. “I just want to travel the world and become a household name!” he told NME. “Just keep making music, dropping videos, and be the best fashion icon in the world. And just love the people!”