It’s special when an artist can dedicate an entire project to someone or something that embodies the motivation or inspiration behind creating a body of work. For Ty Dolla $ign, Free TC is dedicated to his younger brother who is currently incarcerated (and also featured on the song "Miracle/Wherever"). Though the album has big-name guests and covers a range of topics lyrically—partying, lust, and separation, among them—it’s Ty’s singing and production that make the album such a full, expressive statement that goes beyond his radio hits. The cover shows Ty talking to his brother on the phone with tattooed knuckles that read “Free TC” pressed up against the prison glass. Ty’s face is slightly out of focus; in a way, he represents others who have to speak to family members they’ve lost to the prison system through a barrier. It’s a powerful cover made even more meaningful by the fact that Ty Dolla $ign first shared the tracklisting for the album through a phone conversation he recorded with his brother.

 

Art Direction and Design - Virgilio Tzaj

Photography - Jory Lee Cordy

 

BEST ALBUM COVER 2015 -http://www.complex.com/style/2015/12/best-album-covers-2015/