barryorchestra presents 2020: A Playlist - #49.
#49. “Your Turn” by Ty Dolla $ign featuring Musiq Soulchild, Tish Hyman, & 6lack
Ty Dolla $ign has proven to be one of the most prolific collaborative artists and songwriters of the past decade. While he is perfectly capable at cranking out the ubiquitous hits like “Work From Home” with Fifth Harmony, or “Pyscho” with Post Malone, he can hold his own with the more artsy crowd like Jacob Collier, Thundercat, and serpentwithfeet. On top of all of that, Ty can hold his own as a producer and guitarist, creating these unique soulful moments that sit somewhere between the vibes you’d get during special music at church & a raw freestyle on a street corner. “Miracle/Wherever”, a tribute to his brother who has wrongfully imprisoned, still ranks as one of my favorite songs ever. On Ty’s 3rd project, “Featuring Ty Dolla Sign”, he manages to ground his sound without allowing the features to dominate the record. He has the hip hop bangers he’s known for, but he digs back into his soulful bag, and that makes me happy.
“Your Turn” is a song that reflects on the nature of love and the fact that love is not synonymous with ownership. The refrain exclaims, “Nobody’s truly yours, it’s just your turn baby..”, which goes against the grain of all the love songs and ideals we’ve seen that hold up the “you are mine” sentiment. What does it mean to fall in love? Can you fall in love with more than one person at the same time? At different times? Who came up with the concept of a soulmate? Or that there’s a predestined person that you have to meet? Why does love HAVE to be jealous? Is any of that true or is there a way of looking at love that’s less black and white and makes more practical sense? This song explores that in a very honest way. The blend of vocals from the featured artists, in addition to Ty’s vocals that drive the whole piece backed with an intimate funk band sound bring the message home with spiritual fervor. Love is bigger and wider than we think it is.
