Tyga | |
|---|---|
 Tyga in 2019 | |
| Born | Micheal Ray Stevenson (1989-11-19)November 19, 1989 (age 36) Compton, California, U.S. |
| Other names | T-Raww |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Works | |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Partners |
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| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Gardena, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Labels | |
| Website | tyga |
Musical artist | |
| Signature | |
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Michael Ray Stevenson (born November 19, 1989), known professionally asTyga (/ˈtaɪɡə/; abackronym forThank You God Always),[3] is an American rapper, singer and actor. After several independent releases, he signed a recording contract withLil Wayne'sYoung Money Entertainment, an imprint ofCash Money Records andRepublic Records in 2008. His second album and major label debut,Careless World: Rise of the Last King (2012), peaked at number four on theBillboard 200, receivedplatinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was met with critical praise. It spawned theBillboard Hot 100-top ten single "Rack City", as well as the top 40 single "Faded" (featuringLil Wayne). His third album,Hotel California (2013), was met with trailing critical and commercial response, along with his collaborative album with singerChris Brown,Fan of a Fan: The Album (2015).
Due to disagreements with Young Money, Tyga's fourth album,The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty (2015), was released independently. Executive-produced by his then-common law relativeKanye West, it became his lowest-selling album to that point with estimated sales of 5,000album equivalent units in its first week.[4] His fifth and sixth albums,BitchImTheShit2 (2017) andKyoto (2018), were both met with continued stagnation. His May 2018 single, "Taste" (featuringOffset), marked a brief period of commercial resurgence; it became his firsttop 40 single since 2015's "Ayo" (with Chris Brown)—peaking at number eight on theBillboard Hot 100—and receiveddiamond certification by the RIAA. It served as lead single and preceded the release of his seventh album,Legendary (2019).[5]
Michael Ray Stevenson was born on November 19, 1989, inCompton, California,[6] and raised there until he "was about 11, 12", before moving to adjacentGardena.[7] He was born to Jamaican and Vietnamese parents.[8] His mother, Pasionaye Nicole Nguyen (September 11, 1971 – January 18, 2025), was born in Vietnam and had the maiden nameNguyen.[9] He grew up listening toFabolous,Lil Wayne,Cam'ron, andEminem, among others.[10]
On December 3, 2012, debate arose concerning Tyga's upbringing. Tyga claimed to have been brought up in the lowsocioeconomic area of Compton, but in leaked footage from the unairedtelevision showBustas, he claimed he grew up in a "well-to-do" home inthe Valley, where his parents drove aRange Rover. He also claimed that he attained his nickname from his mother calling himTiger Woods.[11] There has been speculation that his claims on the show were satirical and not to be taken seriously. Tyga responded to the video's leak onTwitter: "When u 14 an ambitious u don't give a fuk about anything. Scripted tv isn't that what we all live for. Hahahaha."[12]
I met Tyga, he handed me a mixtape onMelrose. I was out in L.A. shopping. (...) You know, being on the road, I get demos and mixtapes all the time. Me and Matt, the drummer ofGym Class, we had this running joke like, “Let's start the record label called Roadside Records”. The joke was, “Yeah give us your demo and we’ll sign you to Roadside Records.” Our motto was “your demo hits the streets the same night” which means as soon as we get your demo, we throwing them bitches out the bus window. (laughs) For some reason, I didn’t throw Tyga’s out. I kept it and listened to it like, homie got potential and he had a lot of energy. So I took him under my wing.
Tyga's career began with him releasing a multitude of demo tapes and mixtapes. His 2007 debut mixtape,Young On Probation, garnered the attention of rapper andGym Class Heroes frontman,Travie McCoy. Seeing talent in the artist, McCoy led him to sign a recording contract withFall Out Boy bassistPete Wentz's independent labelDecaydence Records.[14] Tyga ended up performing on Fall Out Boy's "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" remix with McCoy and Lil' Wayne at the2007 MTV Video Music Awards.[14] He also performed at gigs with Gym Class Heroes and received mentoring from McCoy.[15][14][16] McCoy stated that he "had [Tyga] sending me verses every other day. We started doing interviews, and he was like, 'This my big cousin Trav.' So a lot of people had the misunderstanding we were blood-related".[13]
On June 10, 2008, Tyga released his debut studio album,No Introduction McCoy's imprint, BatSquad Records.[17][18] It was preceded by the single "Coconut Juice," featuring McCoy, which became his first entry on theBillboard Hot 100. In addition to McCoy, the music video featured appearances by Pete Wentz and Lil' Wayne.[14] The album peaked at number 112 on theBillboard 200 and received mixed reviews. A song from the album, "Diamond Life" was used in the video gamesNeed for Speed: Undercover andMadden NFL 2009, as well as in the 2009 filmFighting.
Around this time, Tyga formed the record label G.E.D. Inc. (Grinding every day, Getting every dollar, or Getting educated daily) around the time, the same imprint that helped launch the career of fellowWest Coast rapperSchoolboy Q, with whom he has worked with early in his career. Tyga also has aG.E.D. Inc tattoo above his right eyebrow.[19][20]
In late 2008, Tyga signed a new record deal withLil Wayne'sYoung Money Entertainment, which was a subsidiary ofCash Money Records at the time. He appeared on the label'sposse cut hit single "Bedrock" shortly after his signing. He later released the mixtapeFan of a Fan with singerChris Brown and producers DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar. It featured other artists such asBow Wow, Lil Wayne, andKevin McCall featured in several tracks. Four tracks — "Holla at Me", "G Shit", "No Bullshit" and "Deuces" — were accompanied with music videos. The track "Deuces" was released as the lead single for the mixtape and reached number 14 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number one on theBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; it was also nominated forBest Rap/Sung Collaboration at the53rd Grammy Awards.[21][22] Tyga told MTV in an interview that the mixtape's production took just short of a week.[23] "Deuces" was eventually included on Brown's fourth studio album,F.A.M.E. (2011).
Careless World: Rise of the Last King was his second studio album. The album was released on February 21, 2012, on Young Money Entertainment,Cash Money Records, andUniversal Republic Records. It was a shift from thepoppy dance sound exemplified on his previous effort,No Introduction, and geared towards thegangsta rap style first heard in his collaborative album with Young Money,We Are Young Money (2009).[24] Tyga stated that the album shows he has grown up but still relates to the kids. In preparation for the album, Tyga released the mixtape#BitchImTheShit in December 2011.
The album was preceded by four singles. Its first, "Far Away" (featuringChris Richardson), was released on May 17, 2011, and peaked at 86 on theBillboard Hot 100. Its second, "Still Got It" (featuring labelmateDrake), was released on October 4, 2011, and peaked at 89 on theBillboard Hot 100. Its third single, "Rack City", was released on December 6, 2011. It first appeared on Tyga'sWell Done 2 mixtape, and was later listed to the album following its commercial success. It debuted at number 94 on theBillboard Hot 100, and peaked at number eight. Its fourth single, "Faded" (featuring label bossLil Wayne), was released on January 13, 2012. It peaked at number 33 on the chart.
For the remainder of that year, Tyga made several guest appearances on other singles, most notably on theBillboard Hot 100 entries "Snitches Ain't…" byYG, "Ayy Ladies" byTravis Porter, and "Get Low" byWaka Flocka Flame. In August, he released the mixtapeWell Done 3, which spawned by the single "Do My Dance" (featuring2 Chainz). The song peaked at number 79 on theBillboard Hot 100.
Also that year, Tyga also produced and co-directed (with Justice Young) a multi-AVN Award-nominated crossoveradult film,Rack City: The XXX Movie, which starredSkin Diamond, Jada Fire,Ice La Fox, Sophie Dee,Lexington Steele, Kristina Rose, London Keyes and Daisy Marie.[25][26] He also signed the soundtrack, which includes the hits "Rack City" and "Faded" together with several original songs, and he appeared in the film in a non-sex role.[27][28][29][30][31][32]
Tyga's third studio album,Hotel California, was released on April 9, 2013. The first single, "Dope", was released on December 25. The sported a feature from rapperRick Ross.[33] Before the single dropped Tyga released a nine-track mixtape under the name 187.[34]187 the mixtape was released on November 30, 2012. It features remixes to songs such as2 Chainz's "I'm Different",Meek Mill's "Young & Gettin' It" andGOOD Music's "Clique", among others and new material.[35][33] On episode three of Tyga's tour vlog Tyga confirmed four features on the upcoming album, includingRick Ross,Nicki Minaj,Chris Brown, andWiz Khalifa.[36] Tyga performed at Harvard University's Yardfest in the Spring of 2013, despite opposition from critics who've signed a petition seeking to keep him away over what they call his "violentlymisogynistic lyrics".[37] At this time, Tyga collaborated with singerSabi on her song "Cali Love".[38]
Hotel California was released on April 9, 2013. The album featured guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz,Game, Wiz Khalifa,Future andJadakiss. Along withproduction byCool & Dre,D. A. Doman,DJ Mustard,Detail, Mars of1500 or Nothin',The Olympicks, andSAP among others. The album was supported by three official singles — "Dope" which features Rick Ross, "For the Road" featuring Chris Brown, and "Show You" featuring Future, along with the promotional single "Molly". The album was met with generally mixed reviews frommusic critics.[39] It also was less successful than his debut album commercially, debuting at number seven on the U.S.Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 54,000 copies in the United States.[40]
On August 27, 2013, Tyga released a new single with DJ Mustard, "Throw It Up". It was also revealed that he was working on two new mixtapes,Black Thought 3 andWell Done 4, as well asThe Gold Album.[41] On October 21, 2013, Tyga premiered "Wait for a Minute" featuringJustin Bieber. It was released toiTunes the following day.[42] He then confirmed that an album would be released in early 2014. He also explained that the album would, be more "way less commercial". He also said "I felt likeHotel California was more commercial and I made more radio-type records. This album is straight rap."[43]Then on April 9, 2014, Tyga released a song called "Hookah" which features the rapperYoung Thug.[44]
On May 1, 2014, Tyga made a tweet referring toKanye West,Mike Dean, and his own producer Jess Jackson with a hash-tag The Gold Album. Kanye West served as the executive producer for the album, which was slated for release on November 18, 2014.[45][46] Tyga was also featured onChris Brown's single "Loyal", he was featured on the video version, the song since then peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.[47] On May 28, 2014, Tyga released a new song entitled "Real Deal" viaSoundCloud.[48] "Real Deal" was later released oniTunes on August 1, 2014.[49] On September 12, 2014, Tyga announced via hisinstagram that his new single titled "40 Mill" would be produced byKanye West,Mike Dean, Dupri and his own producerJess Jackson, artwork, The release date was not revealed though.[50] The album was set to have features fromJustin Bieber,Young Thug,Kanye West,Chris Brown, andDrake. Tyga criticized Drake in an October 2014 interview, calling Drake "fake" and said that he did not likeNicki Minaj.[51]
On October 21, 2014, Tyga lashed out on his record label Young Money Entertainment, reporting that his album was completed, but that his music was being "held hostage" by the label, who would not allow him to release it, and stated that he was considering leaking the album.[52] On December 4, 2014, Tyga made a tweet declaring his project,The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty would be released independently due to not being on good terms with labelCash Money Records.[53]In February 2015, Tyga released a collaborative album with Chris Brown, titledFan of a Fan: The Album. Supported by the No. 21 peakingBillboard single "Ayo", the album peaked at No. 7 on theBillboard Hot 200 and featured guest appearances from50 Cent,T.I.,Pusha T,Wale,Ty Dolla Sign,Schoolboy Q,Boosie Badazz, andFat Trel. On June 23, 2015, Tyga releasedThe Gold Album for streaming exclusively onSpotify then later onApple Music. The album became his worst selling album to date, selling roughly 2,000 units on its opening week.[54]
His reality showKingin' with Tyga premiered on July 24, 2015, onMTV2.[55]
On September 7, 2016, Kanye West, who, like Tyga, was in a relationship to aKardashian at the time, announced that he had signed Tyga to hisGOOD Music imprint, under the aegis ofDef Jam Recordings.[56]
On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Tyga will join as a series regular in the third season of theVH1 slasher television seriesScream. He starred in the role of Jamal Elliot.[57] The season premiered on July 8, 2019.[58]
On July 21, 2017, Tyga released his fifth studio album,BitchImTheShit2, the sequel to his 2011 mixtape#BitchImTheShit.[59]
On February 16, 2018, Tyga released his sixth studio album,Kyoto. The album was panned by critics and sold poorly, becoming his first album to fail to chart anywhere.[60][61]
On May 16, 2018, Tyga released the single "Taste" featuringOffset ofMigos. The song was a hit, becoming one of the biggest songs of summer 2018 and peaking at number 8 on the USBillboard Hot 100. It marked Tyga's first entry on the Hot 100 in three years, since 2015's "Ride Out", and is certified 9×platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[62] The song is considered the catalyst for Tyga's return to the mainstream music spotlight after almost 5 years of poor sales and negative reviews, being considered his "comeback" record.[63][64][65]
Following the success of "Taste", Tyga released a number of other singles throughout the latter of 2018, beginning with "Swish", which was certifiedgold,[62] and later released "Dip" featuringNicki Minaj, which was certified platinum.[62] He was also featured onIggy Azalea's platinum single, "Kream" in 2018, and "Sip It" in 2021.[62] Tyga's seventh albumLegendary was released in June 2019.[66]
In 2019, YG released the single "Go Loko", which featured Tyga. He stated, "We wanted to do something different to kinda try to bring all Latins together" and "Even YG could tell you, he grew up around all Mexicans, so we really wanted to do something to give back to the culture."[67]
In July 2020, Tyga partnered with businessmanRobert Earl to launch a virtual kitchen brand called Tyga Bites, which uses existing restaurants' kitchens to produce branded menu items such as boneless chicken wings for delivery service only.[68]
In 2021, Tyga competed on thesixth season ofThe Masked Singer as "Dalmatian". He was the first of Group B to be eliminated.[69]
In 2024, Tyga announced his eighth studio album, titledNSFW (short for "Not Safe for Work"). It was released on February 7, 2025.[70]
In May 2025, Tyga arrived inRussia and performed at theCSKA Arena in Moscow.[71]
In 2025, Tyga featured on theCiara single "Dance with Me", appearing on the latter's eighth studio album,CiCi, which was released on August 22, 2025.[72][73]
On September 6, 2010, Tyga married Jordan Craig.[1] He filed for divorce one month later, and it was finalized in 2011.[74]
Tyga met modelBlac Chyna on October 5, 2011, at The F.A.M.E Tour After Party with Chris Brown at King of Diamonds inMiami.[75][76] Blac Chyna was cast as Tyga's leading lady in his "Rack City" music video.[77] They became engaged on November 9, 2011, and posed for the cover ofUrban Ink magazine in March 2012.[78] On October 16, 2012, their son, named King Cairo,[79] was born,[80] and Tyga purchased a $6.5 million mansion inCalabasas, California that same month.[81] Both parents have tattoos of their son's name.[82][83] The couple split in 2014.[84]
After months of speculation, Tyga confirmed his relationship with reality starKylie Jenner in August 2015. However, this relationship sparked controversy due to the age disparity, and the fact that they were reportedly dating since Jenner was 16. The legal age of consent in the state of California is 18.[85][86] Photos of him and Jenner first seen holding hands inMexico went viral a few days after her 18th birthday.[87] The couple split in April 2017.[88]
Tyga dated British social modelDemi Rose for a short time in 2016.[89]
On February 21, 2025, Tyga announced that his mother, Pasionaye Nicole Nguyen, had died at age 53 a month earlier on January 18.[90]
In June 2008, Tyga was robbed of his jewelry by unknown assailants. A pair of diamond chains would end up in the hands of local rapper40 Glocc, who showed them off in an online video.[91] Tyga would eventually admit to the robbery, but said 40 Glocc wasn't behind it. "Some niggas seen me and ran up on me with a little burner... I guess 40 Glocc's peoples robbed the peoples that got me, and then hopped onYouTube, talking about they robbed me."[92]
In late 2012, Tyga was sued by two women who appeared in the "Make It Nasty" video for $10 million each; they claimed he had shown their nipples without their consent. They were assured that this would be edited out and the unedited version would not be released, but Tyga proceeded to release a fully unedited version.[93] On September 21, 2013, another woman from the video sued Tyga forsexual battery, fraud, invasion of privacy, and infliction of emotional distress. She claims, like the two other women who have filed suit against him, that she was convinced to dance topless and assured her breasts would be edited out.[94]
On September 4, 2013, it was reported Tyga had been sued byBeverly Hills-based jeweler Jason Arasheben for allegedly not paying for roughly $91,000 worth of jewelry. Arasheben claims that Tyga agreed to pay $28,275 for the jeweler's diamond pantheon watch in August 2012 and that he borrowed a $63,000 diamondCuban link chain in December 2012 and never returned the item, so he sued Tyga for the cost of both pieces, plus late fees, which totaled up to $185,306.50 in damages, double the original total cost.[95] Tyga fell ill before the interrogation of this debt and was considered not able to proceed. He also did not bring the documents he was supposed to, however, he paid $100,000 of the $200,000 owed to his client.[96]
In June 2015, a judge ordered Tyga to pay an $80,000 settlement to a former landlord, who rented a home to the rapper in the city of Calabasas, California.[97] It was the second ruling in the case, following a judgment in May 2015, in which he was ordered to pay $90,000, though the debt was never paid.[98] In September 2015, the state of California placed atax lien on Tyga for $19,000 in unpaid taxes.[99] On his birthday, he was given a lawsuit in 2016.[100]
In October 2021, Tyga was arrested by police over domestic abuse charges.[101]
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
Opening act
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mac & Devin Go to High School | Student | |
| 2015 | Dope | De'Andre | |
| 2016 | Barbershop: The Next Cut | Yummy | |
| Boo! A Madea Halloween | Himself | ||
| 2017 | Once Upon a Time in Venice | Salvatore | |
| Welcome to My Life | Himself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Scream: Resurrection | Jamal "Jay" Elliot | Main role (season 3) |
| 2019 | All That | Himself | Musical guest; Episode 1113 |
| 2021 | The Masked Singer | Dalmatian | season 6 contestant |
| Year | Awards[citation needed] | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | "Deuces"(withChris Brown andKevin McCall) | Nominated |
| BET Awards | Best Collaboration | |||
| 2012 | BET Awards | Best Collaboration | "The Motto"(withDrake andLil Wayne) | |
| Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice | ||||
| BET Hip Hop Awards | Reese's Perfect Combo Award | |||
| Best Club Banger | ||||
| MuchMusic Video Awards | MuchVIBE Hip-Hop Video of the Year | Won | ||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best US Act | Himself | Nominated | |
| American Music Awards | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | |||
| 2014 | World Music Awards | World's Best Male Artist | ||
| World's Best Live Act | ||||
| World's Best Entertainer of the Year | ||||
| World's Best Song | "Bubble Butt"(withMajor Lazer,Bruno Mars andMystic) | |||
| World's Best Video | ||||
| World's Best Song | "Wait for a Minute"(withJustin Bieber) | |||
| World's Best Video | ||||
| World's Best Album | Hotel California | |||
| World's Best Song | "Loyal"(withChris Brown andLil Wayne) | |||
| World's Best Video |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilations | |
| Mixtapes | |
| Singles |
|
| Featured singles |
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| Other songs | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
