On August 12, Pitchfork published a review of Tyga's album $TARFACE, awarding it a score of 0 out of 10. The last time the publication gave a zero rating was in 2007 for the compilation This Is Next.
The album was released on July 31 and is Tyga's ninth studio project, created under his alter ego, Starface. This conceptual work consists of 10 tracks influenced by the 1983 film "Scarface" and the sounds of the 1980s, including synth-pop, funk, and R&B.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6sP5Exlpl3wK4nWnvwksQ4
On the day of the release, the rapper shared with People his experience working with analog equipment from that era. He mentioned that his team even handled mixing on vintage gear. A week later, in an interview with VIBE, he confirmed the use of artificial intelligence, likening the technology to auto-tune. Some of the instrumentals were created using the Suno service.
“We definitely used AI as a tool. I know people will be upset by this, but technology is heading in that direction,” Tyga stated.
Reviewer Drew Millard referred to the release as "slop-pop." He input tags with Tyga's name and 1980s genres into a free generator called Treblo, which produced a track that sounded exactly like $TARFACE. Millard clarified that he did not label the album as generated.
On August 14, music critic Anthony Fantano released a video analysis of $TARFACE, marking it with the label "not music" instead of a numerical score.
It’s worth noting that in April, the French music service Deezer reported that AI-generated tracks now account for 44% of all new daily uploads.