On his debut EP for the Atlantic label, singer, rapper, and producer
Ty Dolla $ign comes off as a hip-hop and street-level alternative to
R. Kelly or
T-Pain, one who's able to sling the slang like it ain't no thing (key track "Paranoid" goes "I got a bad light skin from the Valley/She be in the club with not panties") while making epic musical moments (opener "Work" sounds like a suite that travels across pop-rap, gangster music, and dubstep). There's no filler, which isn't so stunning since this is an EP, and before there's even a moment of lackluster music, the large guest roster rotates another exciting name through, with
Wiz Khalifa,
Casey Veggies, and
B.o.B at the top of the list. ~ David Jeffries