Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West Pay Tribute to Classic House Music on ‘Ego Death’

Ty Dolla $ign borrows from classic house music on his new single “Ego Death,” which was created with help from Kanye West, FKA Twigs, Skrillex, and serpentwithfeet.

“Ego Death” references Ralphi Rosario’s club single “You Used to Hold Me,” which included a brassy vocal turn from singer Xaviera Gold, and nods to Ultra Naté’s “Free,” a Nineties juggernaut that still lights up dance floors today. Ty Dolla $ign sings blunt, bruised lines — “It hurt my ego when you walked away/Gave me your all, that wouldn’t make me stay” — over a terse, four-note bass progression.

When West shows up, his rapping caroms from topic to topic, touching on the Super Bowl, the Grammys, birth control, and voting. FKA Twigs gets the final word, singing a club-wrecking outro that ends far too soon. 

Ty Dolla $ign and West have drawn from the house canon before, notably on their collaboration “Fade,” which appeared on West’s 2016 album The Life of Pablo. “Fade” was a collage for retro house-heads: The bass line was cribbed from Mr. Fingers’ indelible “Mystery of Love,” and the single also pulled samples from Hardrive’s “Deep Inside” and Barbara Tucker’s “I Get Lifted.” The formula proved effective — “Fade” went on to earn a platinum certification from the RIAA. 

Ty Dolla $ign’s last solo album, Beach House 3, came out in 2017.