After releasing three studio albums, Bryson Tiller decided his fourth, arriving Friday, April 5, would be a self-titled record. Speaking to Billboard, he explains why he chose his name for the project.
“One of the reasons was because people put me in a box for so long. They want me to stick to this one thing I did in 2015, which was T R A P S O U L. Rapping, singing and blending it to make it one thing. Keep doing this and everything will win,” he says. “I’m like, ‘No, I’m an artist. I feel like I’m capable of so many different things.'”
The intentionality behind the album is another reason, as it reflects his exact desires for each song.
“Everything’s intentional with me,” Bryson says. “If I choose not to do something or if I’m not doing something, it’s not because I can’t, it’s because this is what I want to do.” He notes that people may not be fans of his decisions made on this project but guarantees he has “music for everybody on here.”
Finally, Bryson feels like “this is just a great time for me to show people myself and be myself. Show people who I am and do things that are me.”
“I love sci-fi movies, which is the inspiration behind the cover. I love video games. I’m a nerd. I always kind of been one and I want to embrace that as much as I can this year,” he explains. “Embrace everything that’s me regardless if people like it or not. I’ve never been cool before and I don’t know, man, I’m just happy with who I am because I think that’s cool.”
Ultimately, Bryson’s hope is for “the masses to hear everything I’m capable of doing.”
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