Photo courtesy of Atlantic
This past fall, LA singer, songwriter, and all around musical genius Ty Dolla $ign released his debut record Free TC, an album dedicated to his brother who’s currently incarcenated on a life sentence for murder, a charge that Ty believes is false. Around the release of the record, Noisey spoke extensively with Ty about the sentence, and about the issue of mass incarnation in America in general. At the time, Ty compared being in prison to being “in hell.” Ty has continued to voice his support for his brother and his critiques of the prison system.
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“Shit’s crazy as fuck,” Ty said. “But it’s been so many years that I’m almost humbled, and now I think, ‘What can I do?’ It’s a tough feeling. I’m doing all I can. I’m thankful that people fuck with me, because I feel like we’re going to change the situation. A lot of other people feel that way as well.”
TC is not only Ty’s younger brother, but is a singer himself. He was featured on YG’s 2014 breakout album, My Krazy Life, on a track called “Thank God.” TC’s voice is beautiful, and it’s immediately apparent upon hearing it that he’s the brother of Ty, who then went on to feature TC all over Free TC.
Ty has since made a documentary—a 12-minute film that looks at not only what is going on with TC but how mass incarceration affects every day Americans—which Noisey is premiering below. Of the doc, Ty has this to say: “I called my album Free TC because I’m on a mission to free my brother TC. He’s been wrongly accused and by me releasing this album, my goal was to raise awareness to the racial and social injustices and mass incarceration that’s going on in our country right now. This is really more than just an album; it’s about a movement. This documentary is meant to give the world a closer look at TC’s story and what I’m trying to do with this album.”
Watch Free TC below, and read Noisey’s extensive interview with Ty Dolla $ign about his brother’s incarceration.
Ty Dolla $ign is on tour:
4/20 – Klub Proxima – Warsaw, Poland
4/21 – Halo Club – Hamburg, Germany
4/22 – Theaterfabrik – Munich, Germany
4/22 – PM Club – Untermeitingen, Germany
4/23 – Rush Hour – Dortmund, Germany
4/23 – Revolution – Neuss, Germany
4/24 – Pumphuset – Copenhagen, Denmark
4/25 – Debaser Medis – Stockholm, Sweden
4/26 – Pustervik – Gothenburg, Sweden
4/27 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway
4/28 – Tavastia – Helsinki, Finland
4/29 – Red Bull Sound Select at Opera House – Toronto, ON
5/6 – Rolling Loud Festival – Miami, FL
5/7 – SLS Foxtail Pool – Las Vegas, NV
5/29 – SLS Foxtail Pool – Las Vegas, NV
6/10 – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre – Englewood, CO
6/12 – Mysteryland USA Festival – Bethel, NY
6/16 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA
6/25 – BET Experience at STAPLES Center – Los Angeles, CA
7/7 to 7/9 – Openair Frauenfeld Festival – Frauenfeld, Switzerland
7/8 – Les Ardentes Festival – Liege, Belgium
7/9 – Splash Festival – Gräfenhainichen, Germany
7/10 – Wireless Festival – London, UK
7/12 – Fresh Island Festival – Pag Island, Croatia
9/2 to 9/4 – North Coast Music Festival – Chicago, IL
Eric Sundermann is Noisey’s editor-in-chief. Follow him on Twitter.
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