The DMV is littered with underrated gems, but one of the area’s brightest is undeniably TyFontaine.
A bona fide hit-maker able to mend and meld his voice to virtually any genre (hear: WTF is P!NK and Black Truck Life), it’s clearer than ever that the 23-year-old singer-rapper has ascended off the strength of his underground (and soon-to-be “mainstream”) prominence.
Love At All Cost ✅
The Revive ✅
BTL ✅
YUHEAME ✅
BTL DELUXE + Chopped & Screwed Mix . . .
264 . . .
C R A N K . . .
ASCNESION2 . . .
By The End of The Year I’ll b “MAINSTREAM”
Just to shut y’all niggas up. And give my Fans the amo they need to say I’m the BEST. K
— TyFontaine (@tyfontaine1800) July 31, 2023
Fontaine’s latest project, YUHEAME, is a further glimpse at his foray into more experimental, alt-pop sounds. Tackling Jersey Club-adjacent jams on BTL, Ty multiplies this energy ten-fold, creating perhaps his most cohesive (sonically) tape to date.
Seamlessly cascading each electro-laced cut into the next, the sequencing from “Epic Disco,” “Ma Deserves ChaNayNay” and “SOSO” is the most enticing; it flows so gracefully that it all feels like one track. The curation from SJR is the pièce de résistance, though, who keeps Ty and fellow DMV native Joony in tempo on “C’Mon.” Interestingly, the pair have teased a joint mixtape since last summer, as the track is another chemistry-clad extension of past efforts in “Life B Changin,” “Outta Town” and “Hand Her The Gun,” among others.
Ty’s presence continues to be show-stopping; a refined deviation from the majority of singer-rapper hybrids that rose out of the SoundCloud 2.0 wave in 2019-21. His knack for blending drawled melodies with inescapable lyrics and infectious vibes is “one of ONE.” For those who have never listened, Fontaine is a Young Thug disciple (citing him as one of many inspirations) who sings most of his bars — contorting and layering his voice to craft a pocket only he can curate.
“Stop fakin like you Ja Morant, tryna point the red dot,” he skates on “On Ya Head,” complementing these menacing yet atmosperhic dance anthems with bouncy, 1800-High Tide fashioned bangers like “Fleek” and “Magic Magic.” “I turnt up the shit and hit the kill switch / if it’s bout the business, yes sir I’m hard to deal with,” Ty hungrily raps on the latter — dousing this sugary cadence on other highlights like “On Timing.”
With already three projects released in 2023, the former Internet Money star is refusing to slow down. Amid revealing a slew of other tapes on the way, his anticipated follow-up to his independent debut, Ascension, is sure to garner Ty the flowers he rightfully deserves. Pulling respect as a new wave mainstay, Fontaine is on a mission to prove he’s the “best” to the doubters that fuel him — doing so on YUHEAME.
Listen to ‘YUHEAME’ below!