True 2 Myself

True 2 Myself
Studio album by
Lil Tjay
ReleasedOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)
Genre
Length55:57
LabelColumbia
Producer
  • CashMoneyAP
  • Drü Oliver
  • Dystinkt Beatz
  • Hemmieonthebeat
  • JD On Tha Track
  • JTK
  • VZNARE
  • Nagra
  • Nick Cavalieri
  • Protegé Beatz
  • Relly Made
  • TnTXD
  • Zay Love
  • Ziggyonthekeyboard
Lil Tjay chronology
F.N
(2019) 		True 2 Myself
(2019) 		State of Emergency
(2020)
Singles from True 2 Myself
  1. "Brothers"
    Released: July 9, 2018
  2. "Leaked"
    Released: September 6, 2018
  3. "Goat"
    Released: December 21, 2018[1]
  4. "Ruthless"
    Released: May 3, 2019[2]
  5. "Laneswitch"
    Released: July 26, 2019[3]
  6. "F.N"
    Released: August 22, 2019
  7. "Hold On"
    Released: September 27, 2019

True 2 Myself is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Tjay. It was released on October 11, 2019, through Columbia Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including CashMoneyAP, TnTXD, JD On Tha Track and Dystinkt Beatz among others. The album also features guest appearances from Rileyy Lanez, Jay Critch, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and Lil Wayne.[4]

True 2 Myself was supported by seven singles: "Brothers", "Leaked", "Goat", "Ruthless", "Laneswitch", "F.N" and "Hold On". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. It debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart earning 45,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[5] The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in February 2023.[6]

Background

The artists announced his debut studio album on October 9, 2019, via his social media and revealed the tracklist as well as the cover art of the album.[7] Being asked about the album title, he explained that he wants "to make sure that I put myself first and accomplish what I need to accomplish". To him, the album represents his "next level of success" and as a result, he needs "be true to who I am and focus on that main goal".[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundB+[9]
HotNewHipHop73%[10]
Pitchfork6.5/10[11]

Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork rated the album 6.5/10, stating that the album "is a playlist of soon-to-be singles grouped under the industry-formality heading of an "album".[11] In a positive review, M. T. Richards at Consequence of Sound complimented the production, emphasizing how the beats are "very pretty second fiddle, never crowding Tjay out but always making their presence felt".[9]

Commercial performance

True 2 Myself debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 45,000 album-equivalent units (including 1,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[5] This became Lil Tjay's first US top-ten debut on the chart.[5] In its second week, the album dropped to number eight on the chart, earning an additional 31,000 units.[12] On February 21, 2023, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units in the United States.[6]

Track listing

Track listing and credits adapted from Apple Music and Tidal.[4][13]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."One Take"
Ziggyonthekeyboard2:48
2."Hold On"
  • Merritt
  • João Duarte
  • Jugraj Nagra
  • JD On Tha Track
  • Nagra
3:09
3."F.N"
  • Merritt
  • Artem Romanov
  • Matthew Bell
VZNARE3:44
4."Dream That I Had"
  • Merritt
  • Jordan Knight
JTK2:45
5."Post to Be" (featuring Rileyy Lanez)
  • Merritt
  • Drü Oliver
  • Nick Cavalieri
  • Haley Smith
  • Oliver
  • Cavalieri
3:09
6."Ruthless" (featuring Jay Critch)
Relly Made4:04
7."Mixed Emotions"
  • Merritt
  • Harvey
  • Jason Patterson
Relly Made3:01
8."Decline" (featuring Lil Baby)
  • Hemmieonthebeat
  • TnTXD
3:45
9."Sex Sounds"
  • Merritt
  • Xavier McKoy
Zay Love2:42
10."Leaked"
  • Merritt
  • Tomislav Ratešić
Dystinkt Beatz3:40
11."Laneswitch"
  • Merritt
  • Duarte
  • Nagra
  • Warren McQueen
  • JD On Tha Track
  • Nagra
2:30
12."Brothers"
  • Merritt
  • Demetrie Glover
  • Duarte
  • JD On Tha Track
  • Protegé Beatz
3:30
13."Goat"
CashMoneyAP4:02
14."Top of My Game"
  • Merritt
  • Mckoy
Zay Love2:27
15."No Escape"
  • Merritt
  • Esmerlyn Toribio
  • Ratešić
Dystinkt Beatz3:44
16."Brothers" (Remix) (featuring Lil Durk)
  • JD On Tha Track
  • Protegé Beatz
3:30
17."Leaked" (Remix) (featuring Lil Wayne)
Dystinkt Beatz3:20
Total length:55:57

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 40,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[27] Platinum 20,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] Platinum 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[6] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Goat by Lil Tjay on Apple Music".
  2. ^ "Ruthless (feat. Jay Critch) by Lil Tjay".
  3. ^ "Laneswitch by Lil Tjay".
  4. ^ a b "True 2 Myself by Lil Tjay on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Caulfield, Keith (October 20, 2019). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Nabs First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (October 9, 2019). "Lil Tjay Details New Album True 2 Myself, Which Is Out This Week". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  8. ^ High, Kemet (October 15, 2019). "'I'm Going to Take Over the World': An Interview With Lil Tjay". Complex. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Richards, M. T. (October 15, 2019). "Lil Tjay Shines When Acting His Age on True 2 Myself". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  10. ^ Cavaseno, Maxwell (October 15, 2019). "Lil Tjay "True 2 Myself" Review". HNHH. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Pierre, Alphonse (October 14, 2019). "Lil Tjay: True 2 Myself Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Keith Caulfield (October 27, 2019). "Post Malone's 'Hollywood's Bleeding' Bounces Back to No. 1 for Fourth Week on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "True 2 Myself / Lil Tjay". Tidal. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  14. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #547". auspOp. October 19, 2019. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  16. ^ "Post Malone Returns To No. 1 On Albums Chart". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  18. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 18 October 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  20. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 20, 2019). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Nabs First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Lil Tjay Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  23. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  24. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  25. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself". Music Canada. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  27. ^ "Danish album certifications – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  28. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself". Radioscope. Retrieved December 20, 2024. Type True 2 Myself in the "Search:" field.
  29. ^ "British album certifications – Lil Tjay – True 2 Myself". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 28, 2021.