True to Self is the second studio album by American singer Bryson Tiller. It was released on May 26, 2017, by RCA Records.[2] Recording sessions took place from 2016 to 2017, while the production was handled by several producers from Teddy Walton, J-Louis, Mahxie, NES, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, Illmind, Hollywood Hot Sauce, Keyz, Soundz, T-Minus and Wondagurl, among others.

True to Self
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 26, 2017 (2017-05-26)
Recorded2016–17
Genre
Length58:19
LabelRCA
Producer
Bryson Tiller chronology
Trapsoul
(2015)
True to Self
(2017)
Anniversary
(2020)
Singles from True to Self
  1. "Somethin Tells Me"
    Released: May 11, 2017
  2. "Run Me Dry"
    Released: July 25, 2017

The album was supported by the two singles: "Somethin Tells Me" and "Run Me Dry". In August 2017, Tiller started the Set It Off tour to promote the album. True to Self debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 107,000 album-equivalent units and 47,000 copies in the first week.

Background and release edit

On January 17, 2017, Tiller announced that he was working on his second album, titled True to Self.[3] While talking about the recording of the album in an interview with Rolling Stone, Tiller said; "I posted something on Instagram like, "album almost done", then I met this producer named Nes, and the way he produces his beats just changed everything. So I started my whole album over."[4]

On May 11, 2017, he revealed the album's artwork, announcing that it would be released on June 23; also he later released three new songs, titled "Honey", "Somethin Tells Me" and "Get Mine"; the latter features American rapper Young Thug.[5] On May 23, Tiller posted the complete tracklist on his Instagram account.[6] On May 26, he released True to Self a month early before the intended release.[7] In an interview with Billboard, Tiller explained the motivation behind the album's early release; "I can't take the credit for that. It was just my manager; it was his plan [to] drop it a month early. I've been ready to get the music to the fans as soon as possible, so why not?"[8] In a 2020 interview with Billboard, he stated that he did not put energy or time into the album because he did not want to make or release the album due to legal and personal matters.[9]

Promotion edit

The album's lead single, "Somethin Tells Me", was released on May 11, 2017.[10] The music video for the song premiered on Tiller's Vevo channel on May 25, 2017.[11] The song has peaked at number 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[12] "Run Me Dry" was sent to the rhythmic contemporary radio as the album's second single on July 25, 2017.[13] The single's music video premiered on September 12, 2017.[14] It has peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100.[12] Tiller also released a music video for the song "Self-Made".[15]

In May 2017, Tiller announced the dates for the Set It Off tour in North America across the United States and Canada, which started on August 3, 2017.[16] In North America he was joined by R&B singer H.E.R. and record producer Metro Boomin.[16] The second leg of the tour was announced in July 2017 taking place across Europe, which started on October 17, 2017.[17] In Europe he was joined by R&B singer SZA.[17] In September 2017, Tiller announced the third leg of the tour in New Zealand and Australia, which started on September 22.[18]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [20]
Clash6/10[21]
Exclaim!6/10[22]
Pitchfork6.6/10[23]
XXL4/5[24]

True to Self received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 63, based on six reviews.

Commercial performance edit

True to Self debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 107,000 album-equivalent units (including 47,000 copies as pure album sales) in its first week.[25] This became Tiller's first US number one debut on the chart.[25] In its second week, the album dropped to number 13 on the chart, earning an additional 29,000 units.[26] In its third week, the album dropped to number 22 on the chart, earning 20,000 more units.[27] On August 3, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[28]

Track listing edit

Credits were adapted from Tidal.[29]

True to Self[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)[30]Length
1."Rain on Me (Intro)"
  • NES
  • Walton
2:25
2."No Longer Friends"
2:14
3."Don't Get Too High"
  • Skyz Muzik
  • NES
3:29
4."Blowing Smoke"
3:00
5."We Both Know"
  • Tiller
  • Coleman, Jr.
NES2:40
6."You Got It"Hollywood Hot Sauce2:56
7."In Check"
3:18
8."Self-Made"
NES2:47
9."Run Me Dry"
2:49
10."High Stakes"NES3:02
11."Rain Interlude"
  • Tiller
  • Coleman, Jr.
  • Walton
  • NES
  • Walton
0:46
12."Teach Me a Lesson"
3:27
13."Stay Blessed"
  • NES
  • Wow Jones
4:06
14."Money Problems / Benz Truck"
  • Part 1 produced by Pro Logic
  • Mahxie
    Part 2 produced by Boi-1da
  • Illmind
  • Rob Holladay[b]
4:59
15."Set It Off"
  • Walton
  • IAMNOBODI
3:37
16."Nevermind This Interlude"Soundz2:14
17."Before You Judge"NES4:46
18."Somethin Tells Me"T-Minus3:14
19."Always (Outro)"
2:30
Total length:58:19

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer

Sample credits[30]

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from Tidal.[29]

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[46] Gold 40,000
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ tiller (2017-05-26). "tiller on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  2. ^ a b "True to Self by Bryson Tiller". iTunes. 26 May 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "Bryson Tiller Announces New Album 'True to Self'". Rap-Up. January 18, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  4. ^ "Trap-Soul Hitmaker Bryson Tiller Talks 'Upbeat' Second LP 'True to Self'". Rolling Stone. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  5. ^ "Bryson Tiller Returns With 3 New Songs, Announces Release Date for 'True to Self'". Complex. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  6. ^ "Bryson Tiller Releases Tracklist For True To Self". The Fader. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "Bryson Tiller Drops 'True to Self' Album a Month Early". XXL. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "Bryson Tiller Reveals Motivation Behind The "True To Self" Early Drop". HotNewHipHop. May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Carl, Lamarre (September 23, 2020). "Bryson Tiller Knows His Last Album Wasn't Good Enough. Now, He's Ready To Return With His A-Game". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  10. ^ "Bryson Tiller - Somethin Tells Me". HotNewHipHop. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  11. ^ "Bryson Tiller – Somethin Tells Me". OnSMASH. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Bryson Tiller - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ "Bryson Tiller Delivers Intimate "Run Me Dry" Video". HotNewHipHop. September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  15. ^ "Watch Bryson Tiller's video for "Self-Made"". The Fader. October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Bryson Tiller Plots 'Set It Off' Tour". Rolling Stone. May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Bryson Tiller Adds SZA to Set It Off Tour". Rolling Stone. July 10, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  18. ^ "Bryson Tiller's Instagram". Instagram. September 20, 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  19. ^ "True to Self by Bryson Tiller". Metacritic.
  20. ^ "True to Self - Bryson Tiller | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  21. ^ "Bryson Tiller - True to Self".
  22. ^ Patrick, Ryan B. (May 30, 2017). "Bryson Tiller True to Self". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  23. ^ David Turner (2017-05-31). "Bryson Tiller: True to Self Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  24. ^ "Bryson Tiller Remains 'True to Self' on New Album - XXL".
  25. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (June 4, 2017). "Bryson Tiller Notches His First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'True to Self'". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  26. ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: XXXTentacion, Gucci Mane & Lil Yachty All Drpp". HipHopDX. June 15, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: SZA's "Ctrl" Debuts on Billboard 200". HipHopDX. June 19, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  28. ^ a b "American album certifications – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. ^ a b "True to Self / Bryson Tiller TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  30. ^ a b "Here Are the Production and Sample Credits for Bryson Tiller's 'True to Self'". Complex. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  31. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bryson Tiller – True to Self" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bryson Tiller – True to Self" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  34. ^ "Bryson Tiller Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  35. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  36. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bryson Tiller – True to Self" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  37. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 22, 2017)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  38. ^ "Charts.nz – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  39. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  40. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  41. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  42. ^ "Bryson Tiller Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  43. ^ "Bryson Tiller Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  44. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  45. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  46. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bryson Tiller – True to Self". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 September 2021.

External links edit