Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982),[2] known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he first gained recognition for his guest appearance on hometown rapper YG's 2010 single "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 as his first minor hit. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2012, and Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Entertainment the following year.[3]
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr.
Ty$
April 13, 1982
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
- multi-instrumentalist
- record producer
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
- bass guitar
2004–present
- Motown
- EZMNY[1]
- The MVMNT
- Pushaz Ink
- Taylor Gang
- Atlantic
1
Griffin saw further mainstream recognition for his debut commercial extended play (EP), Beach House EP (2014). Its release was supported by his 2013 single "Paranoid" (featuring B.o.B), which marked his first entry—at number 29—on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. Its 2014 follow-up, "Or Nah" (featuring Wiz Khalifa and DJ Mustard, remixed with the Weeknd) was met with continued success and received sextuple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His debut studio album, Free TC (2015) peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the platinum-certified singles "Blasé" (featuring Future and Rae Sremmurd) and "Saved" (featuring E-40). His second album, Beach House 3 (2017) peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200, while his third album, Featuring Ty Dolla Sign (2020) peaked at number four. He has released the collaborative albums MihTy (2018) with Jeremih, Cheers to the Best Memories (2021) with Dvsn, and Vultures 1 (2024) with Kanye West—the latter became his first to debut atop the Billboard 200.[4]
Along with his own career, Griffin is known his frequent guest appearances on songs by other artists; these include the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "Work from Home" by Fifth Harmony, "Swalla" by Jason Derulo, "Hot Girl Summer" by Megan Thee Stallion, "Hit Different" by SZA, "WusYaName" by Tyler, the Creator, and "Psycho" by Post Malone—the latter became his first to peak the chart and received diamond certification by the RIAA. Furthermore, Griffin has been credited with songwriting and production work for other artists, most notably on the singles "Loyal" (2013) by Chris Brown, "Post to Be" (2014) by Omarion, and "FourFiveSeconds" (2015) by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney, among others. He has received five Grammy Award nominations.[5]
Early life[edit]
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. was born on April 13, 1982, in Los Angeles, California.[6][7] He is the son of musician Tyrone Griffin, a member of the band Lakeside.[8] He has said that through his father's involvement in Lakeside, he met singers like Earth, Wind & Fire and Prince as a child, which led to his love and interest for soul music.[9] Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Griffin was a gang member, being part of the Bloods, while his brother was in the rival gang of the Crips.[10]
Career[edit]
2004–2011: Career beginnings[edit]
Griffin began his music career by learning how to play the bass guitar and later learned how to play drums, guitars, keyboards, and the MPC.[11] Griffin and his writing partner Kory began working together after meeting in New York City in 2004, forming the duo Ty & Kory.[12] The duo also made guest appearances on studio albums by other artists such as Sa-Ra Creative Partners and Black Milk. They also performed the song "U", which was featured on the latter's album Popular Demand (2007).[13] The duo signed a recording contract with Venus Brown's Buddah Brown Entertainment and subsequently released their debut mixtape, Raw & Bangin Mixtape Vol 2 (2008). Eventually, Ty & Kory had a falling out related to these ventures.
After the dispute, Griffin began working with Los Angeles-based rapper YG.[14] Griffin's initial claim to fame was with the success of YG's 2010 single "Toot It and Boot It",[15] which he co-performed and produced.[16] In 2011, Griffin released his first solo song, "All Star" (featuring Joe Moses; remixed featuring Kid Ink) and his debut mixtape, House on the Hill (2011).[17] His follow up single, "My Cabana" (featuring Young Jeezy) was ranked on Complex's Best 50 Songs of 2012 list at number 23.[18] Griffin co-founded and was a member of the production team D.R.U.G.$., alongside fellow music producers Chordz (or Chordz 3D) and G Casso, the latter of whom was murdered in 2011.[19] Other producers later joined D.R.U.G.$., including Nate 3D, Buddah Shampoo, Fuego, DJ Mustard, and DJ Dahi.[20]
Personal life[edit]
Griffin has a daughter, Jailynn Griffin (born 2005).[39] He was in a relationship with Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui from 2017 to 2019.[72][73]
On December 10, 2018, it was revealed that Griffin was facing up to fifteen years in jail in relation to cocaine and marijuana possession charges.[74] These charges resulted from a traffic stop in Atlanta, Georgia, where in a car with multiple people, Griffin was the only one charged with the drugs due to him being in close proximity to them.[75] Later, all charges were dropped upon completion of a drug prevention program.[76]
In 2020, Griffin formally endorsed the presidential campaign of fellow rapper and frequent collaborator Kanye West.[77]
Collaborative albums