Tyga reveals $TARFACE alter ego lets him make music without expectations

Tyga has revealed that his new $TARFACE alter ego has allowed him to make music without expectations.

The rapper officially introduced his 1980s-inspired persona earlier this month when he began teasing his new single, GAVE U RACKS, under the $TARFACE name.

He then announced his latest album, $TARFACE, on 22 July before releasing it on Friday.

Speaking to People, Tyga, whose real name is Micheal Ray Stevenson, explained that adopting the $TARFACE alter ego has given him the freedom to experiment creatively without the expectations associated with his established stage name.

"I just feel like there's no rules anymore," he said. "You don't have to put yourself in a box on what things have to be creatively. I've been in the game for 15 years-plus. So, after a while, you just got to try different stuff."

The Taste hitmaker continued, "You have to just be okay with taking risks and doing things that you aren't used to doing and get different results."

Tyga, 36, went on to note that $TARFACE is entirely separate from the stage persona he has built over the past 15 years.

"This is the first project that people are seeing that's completely different than other things that I've done," he told the outlet. "This character, $TARFACE, is a completely separate artist, completely separate aesthetic and everything."

The music star also revealed that his new record was heavily inspired by his mother, Pasionaye Nicole Nguyen, who died in 2025 at the age of 53.

"Honestly, it was really just inspired by my mom," he shared. "This was her era, and this is something that always felt like we shared a close bond with the '80s. Just '80s music mostly, but really '80s films and just the whole culture of the '80s."

Explaining how he developed the $TARFACE character, Tyga said the idea evolved from another creative project.

"What was crazy (was) I started with another project," he recalled. "Last year I wrote a movie and filmed the '80s movie (Baby, You're a Star). From there, I spun off into the $TARFACE character, which is completely separate than the movie."