Tyga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tyga
Tyga in 2019
Born	Michael Ray Stevenson (1989-11-19) November 19, 1989 (age 35) Compton, California, U.S.
Other names	T-Raww
Occupation	Rapper songwriter actor
Years active	2004–present
Works	Discography filmography
Spouse(s)	Jordan Craig ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2011)​
Partner(s)	Blac Chyna (2011–2014) Kylie Jenner (2015–2017)
Children	1
Relatives	Travie McCoy (cousin)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Gardena, California, U.S.
Genres	West Coast hip hop
Labels	Columbia Last Kings EMPIRE GOOD Interscope Cash Money Young Money Republic G.E.D Inc. Decaydance

Michael Ray Stevenson (born November 19, 1989), known as Tyga, is an American rapper. His stage name "Tyga" stands for "Thank You God Always."

After releasing music independently, he signed with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in 2008. His second album, Careless World: Rise of the Last King (2012), was very popular. It reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over a million copies. This album included hit songs like "Rack City" and "Faded" (featuring Lil Wayne).

His third album, Hotel California (2013), and a joint album with Chris Brown, Fan of a Fan: The Album (2015), also did well. Later, Tyga released his fourth album, The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty (2015), on his own. This album was produced by Kanye West.

His albums BitchImTheShit2 (2017) and Kyoto (2018) had less success. However, his 2018 song "Taste" (featuring Offset) became a huge hit. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold millions of copies. This song helped Tyga become very popular again. It was the first song from his seventh album, Legendary (2019).

Early Life and Background

Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson was born in Compton, California, on November 19, 1989. He lived there until he was about 11 or 12 years old. Then, his family moved to Gardena.

His mother was born in Vietnam, and his family also has Jamaican roots. Growing up, Tyga listened to many famous rappers like Fabolous, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron, and Eminem.

In 2012, there was some discussion about his childhood. Tyga had said he grew up in a tough area of Compton. But in an old TV show clip, he seemed to say he grew up in a comfortable home in the Valley. He later said the TV show was just for fun and not serious.

Tyga's Music Career

Starting Out: No Introduction and Mixtapes

Tyga started his music journey by releasing many demo tapes and mixtapes. His first mixtape in 2007, Young On Probation, caught the attention of rapper Travie McCoy. McCoy saw Tyga's talent and offered him a record deal with DCD2 Records.

Around this time, Tyga also started his own record label called G.E.D. Inc. (which stands for Grinding every day, Getting every dollar, or Getting educated daily). This label helped start the career of rapper Schoolboy Q. Tyga even has a "G.E.D. Inc" tattoo above his right eyebrow.

On June 10, 2008, Tyga released his first independent album, No Introduction. The song "Coconut Juice", featuring Travie McCoy, was released before the album. Another song from the album, "Diamond Life," was used in video games like Need for Speed: Undercover and Madden NFL 2009. It was also in the 2009 movie Fighting.

In late 2008, Tyga signed a new deal with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. He met Lil Wayne at the 2008 VMAs. Tyga was first featured on the Young Money song "Bedrock." Later, he released a mixtape called Fan of a Fan with singer Chris Brown. This mixtape included other artists like Bow Wow and Lil Wayne. The song "Deuces" from the mixtape became a big hit, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Careless World: Rise of the Last King

Careless World: Rise of the Last King was Tyga's second studio album. It was released on February 21, 2012. Tyga said this album showed he had grown up but could still connect with young people. Before the album, he released the mixtape #BitchImTheShit in December 2011.

Several songs from the album became popular singles:

• "Far Away" was released in May 2011.
• "Still Got It" came out in October 2011.
• "Rack City" was released in December 2011 and became a top 10 hit.
• "Faded" was released in January 2012 and reached number 33 on the Hot 100.

Tyga's sixth single, "Do My Dance" featuring 2 Chainz, was released in October 2012. He also released other mixtapes like #BitchImTheShit and Well Done 3.

Hotel California Album

Tyga in 2013

Tyga's third studio album, Hotel California, came out on April 9, 2013. He performed at Harvard University's Yardfest that spring.

The album featured many guest artists, including Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, and Wiz Khalifa. It included the singles "Molly". The album received mixed reviews and sold 54,000 copies in its first week.

The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty

On August 27, 2013, Tyga released a new song called "Throw It Up." He also announced he was working on new mixtapes and The Gold Album. On October 21, 2013, he released "Wait for a Minute" featuring Justin Bieber. Tyga said this album would be "straight rap" and "way less commercial" than his previous one.

Kanye West was the main producer for The Gold Album. Tyga was also featured on Chris Brown's hit song "Loyal." On September 12, 2014, Tyga announced his new single "40 Mill" would be produced by Kanye West and others.

In October 2014, Tyga said his record label, Young Money Entertainment, was preventing him from releasing his album. He said his music was being "held hostage." On December 4, 2014, Tyga announced that The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty would be released independently because he was not getting along with Cash Money Records.

In February 2015, Tyga released a joint album with Chris Brown called "Fan of a Fan: The Album." It included the popular song "Ayo." On June 23, 2015, The Gold Album was released for streaming. It became his lowest-selling album at the time.

Tyga also had a reality show called Kingin' with Tyga, which started on July 24, 2015, on MTV2.

Joining GOOD Music and BitchImTheShit2

On September 7, 2016, Kanye West announced that Tyga had signed with his record label, GOOD Music.

On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Tyga would join the TV show Scream as a regular actor. He played the role of Jamal Elliot. The season aired in July 2019.

On July 21, 2017, Tyga released his fifth studio album, BitchImTheShit2, which was a follow-up to his 2011 mixtape.

Kyoto, Comeback, and Legendary

Tyga in 2018

On February 16, 2018, Tyga released his sixth studio album, Kyoto. This album did not do well with critics or sales.

However, on May 16, 2018, Tyga released the single "Taste" featuring Offset. This song became a huge hit, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Tyga's first big hit in three years and is considered his "comeback" song. It has sold millions of copies.

After "Taste" became successful, Tyga released other popular singles in 2018, like "Swish" and "Dip" featuring Nicki Minaj. He was also featured on Iggy Azalea's popular song "Kream." Tyga's seventh album, Legendary, was released in June 2019.

In 2019, YG released the song "Go Loko", which featured Tyga. Tyga said they wanted to create something that would bring people together.

In July 2020, Tyga started a virtual kitchen brand called Tyga Bites. It uses existing restaurant kitchens to make boneless chicken wings for delivery.

In 2021, Tyga appeared on the TV show The Masked Singer as "Dalmatian." He was the first contestant from his group to be eliminated.

In 2024, he announced his eighth album, NSFW (short for "Not Safe for Work"), which is set to be released on January 31, 2025.

Personal Life

Tyga married Jordan Craig in September 2010 but filed for divorce a month later. It was finalized in 2011.

Tyga met model Blac Chyna in October 2011. She appeared in his "Rack City" music video. They got engaged in November 2011. Their son, King Cairo, was born on October 16, 2012. The couple separated in 2014.

After many rumors, Tyga confirmed his relationship with reality TV star Kylie Jenner in August 2015. They broke up in April 2017.

Tyga also dated British model Demi Rose for a short time in 2016. In 2021, he was in a relationship with Camaryn Swanson. In 2023, Tyga dated Canadian singer Avril Lavigne.

Discography

Studio albums

• No Introduction (2008)
• Careless World: Rise of the Last King (2012)
• Hotel California (2013)
• The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty (2015)
• BitchImTheShit2 (2017)
• Kyoto (2018)
• Legendary (2019)
• NSFW (2025)

Collaborative albums

• Fan of a Fan: The Album (with Chris Brown) (2015)
• Hit Me When U Leave the Klub: The Playlist (with YG) (2023)

Tours

Opening act

• Between the Sheets Tour (with Chris Brown and Trey Songz) (2015)
• Pink Friday 2 World Tour (with Nicki Minaj) (2024)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Tyga para niños