The first thing you take note of when listening to Tyler Thomas rap is his flow. The L.A.-based spitter has been grinding since 2012, and in the intervening years his powers have grown exponentially. While he honed his craft, he also secured big looks, like last year when Pusha-T included him in a handpicked group of rising artists to be on his personally curated album for 1800 Tequila. Push took his co-sign one step further, hailing Tyler as a "musical Mensa."
That was the tail end of 2018. In 2019, Tyler hopes to channel that energy to keep the wave going and give himself more momentum than ever before. The first phase of that movement comes with his new release this week, "Dipped in Gold." Over a hard-hitting beat, Tyler dazzles with a slick double-time flow that showcases his wordplay, wry humor, and casual confidence. Bars are crucial, but in today's climate so is melody, and the song's hook works in a solid earworm to guarantee replay value. All told, this represents a sliver of the heat Tyler's sitting on that he played for Complex during an office visit late last year. If all goes according to plan, tapping him for your next artists to watch list will be an afterthought sooner than later.
Listen to "Dipped in Gold," which features Don Zio P, below, and look for the single to hit DSPs Friday at midnight.
