Tyga really did one of the most impressive 2018 runs for a rapper not-long-ago considered a ‘flop.’ It has been announced that he just signed a multi-million dollar deal with Columbia Records.
Joining the Sony Music label was a decision made with a global view, Tyga tells Variety.
“They definitely understand the global brand,” he says of the company. “I have a lot of fans worldwide — in places I’ve never been like South America, and in places I have been like Asia and Europe. They can help bring that to a larger scale. Doing it independently, you don’t really have those teams to help worldwide. Sony, if you look at the history from what they’ve done from Pharrell to Beyonce to Adele — then you look at Lil Nas X, one of their new artists that’s blown up this year — they’ve done a lot for artists globally, for their brand. That’s why I wanted to partner up with them.”
It’s not Tyga’s first time at a major — in 2008, he joined the roster of Cash Money, which is distributed by Republic Records — and an earlier signing with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, brokered by senior executive Shawn Holiday, brought him into the Sony fold. Once Tyga came to know Columbia Records chairman and CEO Ron Perry (pictured below with Tyga), the deal was as good as done.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Ron Perry,” says Tyga, who first became aware of the executive as president of Songs Music Publishing, home to Mustard’s 2011 track “Rack City,” one of Tyga’s biggest career hits to date. “I’ve been a fan of how he’s been able to spot talent; how he’s been able to A&R; and to publish people. And likewise, he’s been following my career for a long time. It makes sense for me to do something with Ron. If I was going to go anywhere major, I want to go somewhere where the head person in charge is really about the music and really understands me.”
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