Ty Dolla $ign, Fetty Wap Join ‘Mic Pass at SXSW’
Pepsi puts a hip-hop spin on its Out of the Blue campaign, enlisting 8 artists to record impromptu freestyles during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin in March. Hit makers Ty Dolla $ign, Fetty Wap and Young Money’s Shanell were joined by up-and-comers Young Star, Lex Lu, Scholar and Q. Guyton.
In keeping with the Out of the Blue concept, some of the artists were recruited on the spot. Ty Dolla $ign said he is glad Pepsi selected him to be a part of the program. “I’m excited,” he told Yahoo Music. “I can’t wait to see what people think about it. Even better they chose me to do the hook.”
Ty is one of hip-hop’s most sought after featured artists. His current single “Drop That Kitty” features Charli XCX and Tinashe and he has recorded songs with Wiz Khalifa, YG, Kid Ink, Snoop Dogg, B.o.B, Zendayah, among others. He approached recording “Mic Pass at SXSW” the same way he handles all of his projects. “When it comes to making a song, whatever the beat tells me to do, I do,” he said.
It also wasn’t difficult for him to connect to the Out of the Blue concept, noting that some people assumed that he was an overnight success. “Really, I’ve been working forever, just doing music, and then all of a sudden, out of the blue, everybody is just on it. I’m happy and thankful that people are messing with the Dolla $ign.”
Ty, whose official debut album Free TC is due this year, thinks the segment turned out great and made a special nod to fellow featured artists, his friend Fetty Wap and female MC Lex Lu. “I’m a big fan of Fetty Wap. We also got some songs coming out he’s on my album as well,” he said. “He killed his verse.” Ty gave Lex her props, saying, that she “came in a bodied everybody so salute to her.”
“Mic Pass at SXSW” revisits the Pepsi Smash Mic Pass series that ran on Yahoo Music from 2005-2010 and featured all-star lineups of hip-hop artists recording songs together at various locations across the U.S. Original Mic Pass producers, creator and executive producer Chris Slater, and music producer Tone Toven, helmed this SXSW episode. Any subsequent segments have not been announced.
