Meet $tarface: Tyga Trades 808s for Synths in a Fully Realised ’80s World

Tyga is stepping into an entirely new creative universe with $tarface — a character-driven project rooted in 1980s synth-wave, pop, R&B, funk and cinematic storytelling that the rapper says is designed to exist completely separately from his established catalogue.

The debut single “GAVE U RACKS,” alongside its official music video, is out now via Empire.

“I wanted this character and music to live on its own,” Tyga says. “This needed to exist separately, to give me complete freedom creatively.”

Rather than a standard Tyga release, $tarface is a fully realised alternate persona built around a fictional early-1980s world loosely inspired by the mythology and visual language of Scarface — while telling an entirely original story.

The aesthetic is early-’80s Miami: silk tailoring, white suits, vintage luxury, nightlife, romance and excess. The 10-track project features “Lavish” with Fenix Flexin and is intentionally vocal-led — more sung than rapped — with warm analogue synths, pitched vocals, soulful melodies and vintage production techniques crafted to sound as though the music could have been released in 1983 rather than borrowing from ’80s references through a modern lens.

“I didn’t want modern drums or modern mixing,” he explains. “I wanted it to sound authentic to that time.”

The idea for $tarface first emerged while Tyga was developing his forthcoming film Baby, You’re a Star. While that project explores the late 1980s, it inspired him to dive deeper into the earlier part of the decade — the era of Thriller, Purple Rain, Madonna and Rick James — ultimately leading to the creation of an entirely separate artist and creative universe.

The project was also partly shaped by Tyga’s personal connection to the music his mother loved, an emotional thread he has described as central to why the ’80s resonated so deeply.

The “GAVE U RACKS” music video, shot in Los Angeles, serves as the visual introduction to $tarface — establishing the look, mood and identity of the new persona from the first frame as part of a larger story that will continue to unfold across the project.

Tyga chose to release tarface under a separate identity because the sound, styling and character are so distinct from his existing work. He has additional projects in development under his own name — including an Afrobeats-inspired global project and a rap album — and keeping tarface separate allows him to fully commit to the character without diluting either lane. A future concept show in an intimate 500-capacity room setting is also being explored.

Born Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson in Compton, California, Tyga has logged 41 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 across his career, including six top 10 hits. His 2012 single “Rack City” peaked at No. 5, while “Taste” featuring Offset reached No. 7 in 2018 and has since been certified diamond by the RIAA. He has also featured on Chris Brown‘s No. 1 hit “Deuces” and the No. 4-peaking “Loyal.”

With $tarface, the artist who built his name on West Coast rap is betting that his audience will follow him into an entirely different sonic and visual world — one where the 808s are replaced by drum machines and the Compton streets give way to neon-lit Miami nights.