"WusYaName" (stylized in all caps[1]) is a song by American rapper Tyler, the Creator featuring fellow American rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again and American singer Ty Dolla $ign. It was released on June 22, 2021, alongside a retro-themed music video, as the second single from Tyler's seventh studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost. A '90s-inspired R&B record, it samples H-Town's "Back Seat (Wit No Sheets)", and sees Tyler rapping and singing to a mysterious woman he becomes love-struck with while on a road trip. The song was noted for its production and Tyler's delivery, and is the highest-charting track from the album.

"WusYaName"
Single by Tyler, the Creator featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla Sign
from the album Call Me If You Get Lost
ReleasedJune 22, 2021
Genre
Length2:01
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator singles chronology
"Lumberjack"
(2021)
"WusYaName"
(2021)
"Cash In Cash Out"
(2022)
YoungBoy Never Broke Again singles chronology
"Everything Different"
(2021)
"WusYaName"
(2021)
"Nevada"
(2021)
Ty Dolla Sign singles chronology
"I Won"
(2021)
"WusYaName"
(2021)
"I Believed It"
(2021)
Music video
"WusYaName" on YouTube

Background

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The song was first teased by Tyler on June 22, 2021, when he posted the music video, which omitted YoungBoy's verse.[2] Tyler said one of his favorite moments on the album is when YoungBoy says "think so" on the song.[3] Following the song's release, Tyler, while at a pop-up concert, called YoungBoy a "sweetheart" and said they hung out a number of times.[4] "WusYaName" was produced solely by Tyler.[5]

Composition

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Regarded as a departure from Tyler's previous musical style, it contains G-funk synths[6] and a "distinct throwback" sound,[7][2] courtesy of the sampled track, "Back Seat (Wit No Sheets)" (1994) by R&B group H-Town,[8] paired with a New Jack Swing-styled R&B.[7] Ryan Rosenberger of Elevator Mag said the song "carries the same soulful, cinematic vibes as Igor did, with its lush, intricate vocal arrangements and hardknocking boombap drums".[9] The song's intro starts off with a monologue by Tyler in which he delves into California's car culture and reflects on having a love at first sight.[5] After the monologue ends, the "romantic, '90s infused melody" kicks in, in the form of the repurposed sample which uses four loops in the song with a pitch and tempo increase.[8] Deemed a "sexy", "flirty" R&B ballad,[8] it sees Tyler delivering his "signature" wordplay, rapping and singing about pouring syrup on eggs, looking for brioche a friend recommended, and envisioning flying the woman he likes to Cannes to watch independent movies.[1][7] Furthermore, he lists off all the experiences and journeys he wants her to have, before realizing he is in over his head and does not even know her name, which leads into the chorus in which he asks her name. Tyler affectionately refers to his romantic interest as "She".[10] HipHopDX's Michael Saponara noted: "Tyler uses his verse as a lyrical exercise as he shows off his rhyming ability telling the girl they should go to Cannes to watch some movies they never heard of or how he could give her skincare routine tips".[11] The song features background vocals from, among others, Ty Dolla Sign,[6] Odd Future's Jasper Dolphin, a "wistful"[12] rap verse from YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and ad-libs from DJ Drama.[13]

Critical reception

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HipHopDX named "WusYaName" among the best hip hop songs of the first half of 2021, and said it "stands out with its lush instrumentation and teed up features from YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign. Tyler always brings out the best in his guests and this is yet another example".[14] Naming it among the best new releases of the week, Complex's Jessica McKinney called it a standout from Call Me If You Get Lost, lauding NBA YoungBoy for being in "rare form" on the track.[15] Closed Cap was highly positive of the song, writing: "His (Tyler's) narrative is calming and sets the stage for his lyrical explosion. The beat is magical and flocked with nineties R&B while he raps like a machine gun over the music. Tyler is at the top of his game here lyrically and musically. The song pops with a fresh approach mixed with hints of nostalgia and works from the jump".[16] Lyrical Lemonade's Danny Adams said the song is "gentle, soulful, and dreamy, much like many of his recent records have, and the swagger he has behind his delivery is unmatched".[10]

Music video

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The song's official video was directed by Tyler under his Wolf Haley moniker,[7] alongside director of photography Luis Panch Perez and producer Tara Razavi.[17] It features the same "grainy oversaturated visual style" of other videos from Call Me If You Get Lost.[2] The video follows Tyler as he drives through the countryside in a Lancia Delta Intergrale,[17] arriving at a French patisserie, struggles to win over a woman who catches his eye, and, as Vulture's Zoe Haylock noted, appears in a "garden seating filled with black and brown people riding bikes, playing games, enjoying their day".[1] Chron.com's Shelby Stewart summarized the ending: "the video concludes with a villain origin story plot twist: it turns out that Tyler's crush was totally unaware of his singing".[8] She instead walks to her date, Odd Future's Taco Bennett, who sits at a table nearby.[18] It was suggested that the video is a prequel to "Side Street", a teaser video Tyler released prior to the album,[2] as both videos feature the same woman (played by Helena Howard[19]) as Tyler's love interest and sees him sport the same mint-green nail polish.[7][20][21] Closed Cap commended the video for having "a flair of style you don't commonly see today", emphasizing: "Even the shots of the hills as he drives are done so with prestige and professionalism".[16]

Chart performance

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The song debuted at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting song from Call Me If You Get Lost.[22] On the Rolling Stone Top 100, it was the highest entry from the album, debuting at number four with 19 million streams.[23] In the UK, the song also had the biggest success, debuting at number 25.[24]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "WusYaName"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[40] Gold 40,000
United States (RIAA)[41] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "WusYaName"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States July 13, 2021 Urban contemporary radio
  • Columbia
[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Haylock, Zoe (June 22, 2021). "Lose Yourself in Tyler, the Creator's 'Wus Ya Name' Music Video". Vulture. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Price, Joe (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, the Creator Previews Music From New Album With "Wusyaname" Video". Complex. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  3. ^ @tylerthecreator (June 26, 2021). "tooo many. when nba says "think soooo" or fana when she says "him and i got some things that we're try-innnnnng" on i thought, good harmony under it. its tooo many to name" (Tweet). Retrieved July 5, 2021 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "Tyler, the Creator Shout Out NBA YoungBoy". HotNewHipHop. 2 July 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Mench, Chris (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator Drops New Song "Wusyaname" Ahead Of 'Call Me If You Get Lost' Release". Genius. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator – "WusYaName"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Darville, Jordan (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator shares new song/video "WusYaName"". The Fader. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d Stewart, Shelby (June 29, 2021). "Tyler The Creator samples this Houston ballad for his new song 'WusYaName'". Chron.com. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Rosenberger, Ryan (June 23, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator Drops New Track "WusYaName"". Elevator Mag. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Adams, Danny (June 22, 2021). "WUSYANAME – [Tyler, the Creator] - Lyrical Lemonade". Lyrical Lemonade. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  11. ^ Saponara, Michael (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator Drops -Wusyaname' Video". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Wood, Mikael (June 30, 2021). "Review: On ambitious new album, Tyler, the Creator comes into his own". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Tyler The Creator - Wusyaname Video". Contactmusic.com. June 22, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Best Hip Hop Songs of the Year ...so far". HipHopDX. June 24, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  15. ^ McKinney, Jessica (June 25, 2021). "Best New Music This Week: Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat, Ski Mask the Slump God, and More". Complex. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Tyler, The Creator Drops New Jam "WusYaName". Closed Captioned. June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Threadcraft, Torry (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, the Creator Takes A Road Trip in Scenic "WusYaName" Video". Okayplayer. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Medcalf, Caitlin (June 23, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator Shares New Track 'WusYaName'". Music Feeds. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Doria, Matt (June 23, 2021). "Tyler, The Creator drops a lush new single and video, 'WusYaName'". NME. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  20. ^ Aderoju, Darlene (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, the Creator Just Wants to Know 'WusYaName' in New Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Kent-Smith, Jasmine (June 22, 2021). "Tyler, the Creator releases video for new track Wusyaname". Crack Magazine. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  22. ^ "This Week's (07/10/21) Must-Hear Debuts on the Hot 100". Billboard. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Blake, Emily (July 6, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Good 4 U' Breaks Record With Sixth Straight Week at Number One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  24. ^ "Ed Sheeran scores 10th UK Number 1 single with Bad Habits: "This is an amazing thing"". Official Charts Company. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  25. ^ "Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign – WusYaName". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  26. ^ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  27. ^ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  28. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  29. ^ "2021 26-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  30. ^ "Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign – WusYaName" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  31. ^ "Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign – WusYaName". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  32. ^ "Tyler, the Creator feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign – WusYaName". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  33. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 26" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  35. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  36. ^ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  37. ^ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  38. ^ "Tyler the Creator Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  39. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  40. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – WusYaName". Music Canada. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  41. ^ "American single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – WusYaName". Recording Industry Association of America. September 21, 2021.
  42. ^ "Urban/R&B Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.