Like many rappers involved in the UK scene, Ty has been kicking around since time, is hugely talented yet never really got his props.
Thanks to the increasingly high profile of our home grown movement however, many are finally getting some attention and right about now it's Ty's turn to shine.
Never one to indulge in gratuitous talk of violence, misogyny or fickle material worship, Ty has always ventured a little deeper than most in his rhymes and this album (which follows on from a low key long player in 1995 on IG Culture's One Drop Inter Outer imprint) is to all intents and purposes his opportunity to flex his skills on all levels.
Consequently, 'Awkward' (so called because of apparent refusal to conform to ill defined pigeonholes) moves through various musical flavours to complement Ty's variegated rhyming styles.
'Mind Made Up' is the opener, a laid back cut underpinned by tuff beatwork (produced by Unsung Heroes) that sees Ty on dope storytelling form.
'Trippin' Over Words' then comes off on a jazzier, more soulful tip as Ty teams up with London multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Eric Appapoulaye.
In contrast to both of these, the quirky 'Nonsense' takes a slightly rock angle musically as Ty takes a subtle pop at certain aspects of the industry. And while Ty may not hold much truck with sexist lyrics, he's not utterly impartial to the opposite sex as tracks like 'The Tale' illustrate, though there's always a message lurking around somewhere.
Similarly, he addresses the green eyed issue head on from a male perspective on 'Jealousy' and makes his feelings on bullying with 'Hercules'. On a rootsier level, there's some African stylings present on 'Zaibo', which sit next to smooth bump-along riddims on 'You're So', and deep jazz on the Sparkii produced 'Move'.
Overall, it's a well produced, varied and even 'responsible' debut that, once imbued with Ty's mellow messages and erudite wordplay, is endlessly listenable.
