Home Team • Ty Money
In a way, Ty Money’s name is at odds with the way he’s been working his way through the game. He’s got honest music that’s not necessarily the most commercial; really, the “money” addresses the high value rhymes he’s been flipping. Watch a Ty Money video and you’ll see a confidence that’s almost smirking through the camera, and it’s not unearned. Over the last couple years Ty Money has been steadily pumping out quality tracks, at his core an artist who recognizes that depth and energy don’t have to be mutually exclusive. The Harvey, IL native is best known for his project from last summer, Cinco De Money, but the unswerving focus audible in his music has always been a feature of his work, whether one of many high voltage loosies or his first mixtape, Turn-Up God.
Hailing from Harvey, a suburb just south of the city, Ty Money loves his town and brings it to life in his words. His crew's name is Sibley Boyz Music Group or SBMG, named after Harvey’s Sibley Boulevard, and frequently shouted out by the rapper mid flow. Despite being so close to Chicago, Ty Money makes it clear that Harvey is what he represents. The myopic take on this would be seeing it as a potential weakness in the realm of politicking, but really it has preserved his music and allowed him to explore various styles, not beholden to whatever flavor of the month we're on. The emphasis is on the music, and the rest is falling into place.
At this point, Ty Money’s music experiments with many different soundscapes in terms of beat while still keeping the cold and tempered vibe that has become his calling card. Much of it, especially early on, could be described as drill for lack of a better word (an unpopular catch-all to some at this point, but it applies), but that’s only a backdrop to whatever Ty Money is ready to let loose, and it’s definitely not the only type of production he uses. Take the amazing “Rickey Killa”, there’s nothing conventional about it. Alternatively, recent demonstrations show his capability of pulling out a hot remix , like his floating take on “Jumpman” or the explosive "Just Bars". He’s far from a one trick pony and his more serious tunes are just as important to his sonic DNA (see the powerful “United Center”).
Ty Money has a flow that falls weirdly between casual and hype, and when that fuses with the engrossing stories in motion he's spinning, it means you’re hanging onto his words as carefully as he’s doling them out. It's because Ty Money occupies this unique, adventurous, and not necessarily marketable place that you get the impression his remaining an independent artist has been wise in the long-run, as is usually the case nowadays. Why not? Ty Money has revealed the talent, know-how and creativity to do this on his own terms, and he's well aware. His career and his music both come off as patient; he’s got a long tale to tell and one single just ain’t sufficient. Without a doubt this strengthens his music – for all the places he goes, he’s never had to adjust his sound or change in a way that’s felt anything but natural.
The Harvey hard-hitter values the power of his voice as an artist and doesn’t usually go after features. He has worked with a number of interesting artists around the area, including Twista, Chief Keef, Chin Chilla Meek and Bo Deal, but it's no sort of dependency, and from what it seems he's content to carry the burden himself. And why shouldn't he be? Re-listening to old Ty Money in the process of writing this, one understanding crystallized instantaneously. Cinco De Money may have gotten the big look, but Ty Money is far from new or fresh-faced. The beat, the scenery, the style may play a chameleon but it's still the same Ty Money from Harvey, rocking SBMG and bringing the same icy words off the paper and into the airwaves. In fact, he's been this good all along. Ka-Ching.
