$tarface Got Me Through a Long Road Trip

Welcome to Golden Dragon, a newsletter by Eric Diep about Asians in hip-hop and my takes on trending topics in AAPI pop culture. Golden Dragon is a rotation of interviews, reviews, news, critical perspectives, and random blogs about music I recommend.

• Tyga’s $tarface ‘80s project has got critics mad because he used AI to make it. Tired from many hours of driving on my way back to Texas, this album was my lifeline.

• Diep Cuts featuring Audrey Nuna, P-Lo, Tiffany Day, and EZ MIL.

• Send It: Pop and R&B singer Chloe Tang is going on her first tour.

In late July, my fiancée and I drove from Oregon to Texas after throwing an engagement party in Portland. It was a decision made to see friends on the way home, stop in cities we’ve never been to, and to check out potential wedding venues in California.

When I’m taking a road trip, I load up a bunch of albums on a playlist so I don’t have to search for what I want to listen to while driving. On my way to New Mexico from Arizona, Tyga’s $tarface started playing. $tarface is Tyga’s alter ego, a character inspired by the ‘80s and films like Scarface. When he first announced it for July 31, Tyga, in a vintage silk look and Jheri curls, stated that this character and its music lived on their own. It’s separate from Tyga, the brand he has built since “Coconut Juice” almost 20 years ago.

The 10 tracks were a breeze. $tarface was pretty mindless listening, delivering on the Miami vibes and the tug-and-pull of a Tony Montana-Elvira Hancock love story. It was the soundtrack to Vice City, filled with synthwave ballads in a revival of the ‘80s. It reminded me of another mindless song, Fenix Flexin’s “Rubberz,” which had a bizarre, posh aesthetic also taken from the ‘80s. Now imagine making a whole album of those and slapping the “Rack City” creator behind it.

When I describe music as “mindless,” it’s songs that I can play in the background when I’m doing a task or can listen to on repeat. Before you judge my taste in music, let me just say I listen to tons of new albums and songs every day, dissecting lyrics, finding songs to add to my playlists, and gathering my thoughts on a big-event album for a take to share online. On some occasions, it’s nice to turn off your brain and enjoy new music without immediately overanalyzing it.

$tarface is pretty hollow in its substance. I can probably speak for everyone when I say you’re not listening to Tyga for lyrical miracle bars, but using his songs to soundtrack your pregame. He told VIBE’s Mikey Fresh that he wrote all the songs on $tarface, even if he admitted to using AI to make the album. 

When it comes to recorded music, my opinion on AI is that it shouldn’t replace human connection in the creative process. Although I do see the benefits of guys like Beanie Sigel and The D.O.C. using AI to recreate their tones, too many artists are leaning on it as a shortcut. Tyga admitting that he used AI and Suno to get ‘80s synths and a guitar solo more quickly than paying an actual musician to do it already makes the music feel disingenuous. It cheapens Tyga’s statement about wanting complete creative freedom with $tarface; instead, he’s relying on generative tools to boost his efficiency.

However, I’m on the same wavelength about giving me an experience and a feeling: with all the negative reviews of $tarface coming out, there are also people out there who just need an album to get them through the day. For me, $tarface was 30 minutes of uninterrupted driving straight through the vast fields of nothingness in Arizona, getting closer to home. In my state of fatigue, I liked it. It made me escape, letting my mind wander to a Tommy Vercetti world where unemployment was the least of my problems.

As I was nearing the New Mexico border, I decided to play $tarface again. I know I could’ve thrown on Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, or Prince and gotten the same comfort-music satisfaction of ‘80s hits from a legit catalog. But when “Gave U Racks,” “Time Is Currency,” and “Affection” came on, I wondered if Tyga was embracing his Vietnamese side and drawing inspiration from Vietnamese New Wave, calling back to a California subculture from the ‘80s influenced by eurodisco and synth-pop. Three years ago, I profiled Demonslayer (Dan Nguyen) for Banana about his preservation efforts of VWave, unearthing and editing old formats found in random record shops in Little Saigon in Westminster and in Vietnam. I’ve been obsessed with VWave ever since (I highly recommend Elizabeth Ai’s New Wave documentary), and I wondered if Tyga was paying homage to his late mom, who was of Vietnamese descent.

Tyga stated to VIBE that he mostly listened to Prince, Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, Rick James, The Police, and Tom Petty. Overall, he wanted to capture that sound of the ‘80s. Maybe VWave was played in his household, and he subconsciously drew from that too. 

I’d be remiss not to mention that Tory Lanez did the retro-futuristic thing on Alone at Prom under his own alter ego, Ashton Rain. Instead of calling out Tyga for biting, I’m just going to tell you to listen to $tarface, the first AI slop album of the year. Then I’m going to tell you to listen to Lil Wayne’s Rebirth because, out of everyone with alter egos in the Young Money camp, Wayne’s rap-rock reinvention was 100% him.

Hate if you want to, but we all know Tyga is the biggest wave rider. Remember “Go Loko?”

Stream $tarface now.

Audrey Nuna - “superHuman”

Audrey Nuna has been one of my favorite artists long before her contributions to “Golden.” She gets back to her rapping shit on “superHuman,” produced by Cirkut. I love the beat switch to showcase her singing. She says of the song:

P-Lo “DUMBLR” f/ Kreayshawn and E-40

I’ve been sitting with songs from the new P-Lo album for a minute, so I’m glad he’s choosing this song as his next single. P-Lo and E-40 have worked together on many records, a no-brainer to get him and Kreayshawn, who went viral in 2011 for “Gucci Gucci.” “DUMBLR” is taking us back to the 2010s. We need another version with Kreay spitting some bars. Out The Box is out on August 14. You can read my interview with P-Lo on JoySauce.

Tiffany Day - “CONSTANTLY” f/ Slayr

The future looks bright for the next pop and hip-hop stars to blow up from the underground. Tiffany Day, a Wichita-raised, Los Angeles-based singer, makes hyperpop, and her album HALO is one of my favorite albums of 2026. I’m sad I missed her at Head in the Clouds in LA. So I’m revisiting her “CONSTANTLY” collab with Slayr to heal my soul. Slayr just made the XXL Freshman list. The cypher he’s in is below.

EZ MIL - “SINDAK”

I’m glad EZ MIL is staying consistent with his music videos. It means the Shady Records/Aftermath front office is giving him a push. “SINDAK” apparently has a diss in it, but the rawness and overall aggression of the song reminds me of Eminem. You don’t need to know Tagalog to hear that this kid can rap.

Chloe Tang is going on her first tour! I admire that she funded it herself and created her own opportunity. See the dates below.

Here’s “Hoes Have Feelings Too” to warm you up for her show.