Features : Atlanta Rapper Derek Ty’Rae Unveils New Mixtape After Collab with Hushlo

According to Atlanta hip hop artist Derek Ty’Rae, his new mixtape is a product of divine intervention.

Ty’Rae was enrolled at the Sound and Audio Engineering Institute and showed up early on the first day of class to grab a seat. Later, another student showed up late, and in a class of 60 students there was just one seat left: right next to Ty’Rae.

Turns out that straggler was a producer named Hushlo.

“He played me some beats and his beats match my vibe and my style of rap,” Ty’Rae says. “I’ve got a very different, intricate style of rap. Not the normal trap rap or normal get high rap or the swag rap or whatever. I’m really making 90’s rap modern in our era and his beats were like that. We were like hey, even if we don’t graduate we’ve still got to work with each other musically.”

After a few years of work, Ty’Rae and Hushlo are ready to release the results of that collaboration, the 16-track tape called Broken Crayons Still Color, which will be out on April 18. Ty’Rae said the duo used a tag team approach, and the project is much more collaborative than the typical producer-and-artist relationship. Full of heavy bass and hi-hat, Ty’Rae says the project is “real Southern.”

“We’re really rapping, too,” he says. “I’m rapping fast and rapping slow, saying funny stuff and serious stuff. The beat is very much trap, but Hushlo has his own style as well that’s similar to mine just in a producer’s language.”

The concept of the tape – even if you break your favorite color you can still use it to finish the picture – is meant to be inspirational and reverberates through each song.

“It’s all about preaching inspiration and good vibes but it ain’t too conceptual,” Ty’Rae says. “It’s still a fun mixtape. It’s got its ups and downs, highs and lows, light spots and dark spots. I try to do every song like a different color of the crayon box. Not one song or beat sounds the same. It’s a very dynamic project.”

Ty’Rae released a video for “Ridiculous” in early April. That single was the pair’s attempt at making something “digestible” and also cliche. Ty’Rae throws in lines about the rap lifestyle and some curse words for good measure.

“It’s my version of what is going on today with music,” he says. “It’s just a bunch of ridiculous things that rappers say, that rappers do. It’s bridging the gap between me being me and being the cliche artist that people are used to.”

Ty’Rae and Hushlo plan to release another joint project at the end of the year, and Ty’Rae is also involved in several other projects with different artists and producers.

Based in Atlanta’s Lithonia/Stone Mountain area, the 29-year-old Ty’Rae made a name for himself in 2017 when he released the popular “Half Brothers” single on a joint tape with frequent collaborator 3 Fly. He’s also collaborated with local artists like Jordan Taylor, Money Makin Myles and 1 AP.

For more, visit

www.SoundCloud.com/DerekTyrae
www.youtube.com/user/TheRealDoloMic
www.instagram.com/1derek.tyrae/
www.Loliiife.com
www.Twitter.com/derektyrae