Rack City
by Tyga

Album: Careless World: Rise of the Last King (2011)
Charted: 39 7
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Compton, California native Michael Stevenson is a rapper of Jamaican and Vietnamese descent who performs under the name of Tyga. His moniker is an acronym for Thank You God Always. Tyga's first single "Coconut Juice", featured his cousin Travie McCoy and reached the Hot 100, but his debut album No Introduction had disappointing sales. After releasing a succession of mixtapes he gained recognition with features on tracks by Chris Brown ("Deuces") and Birdman ("Loyalty") as well as an appearance on the Young Money track "Roger That."
  • This strip club anthem is the third official single from his debut album Careless World: Rise of the Last King. An unfinished version originally featured on Tyga's mixtape Well Done 2, which proved popular so he remastered it for the album. It was released on iTunes on December 6, 2011.
  • "Rack City" is another name for Las Vegas. A rack is another name for a stack of thousand dollar bills and the Nevada city is renowned for its casino resorts and adult entertainment.
  • Five hip-hop all-stars jumped on the song's remix. Newcomer Meek Mill, Jeezy, T.I., Wale and Fabolous joined Tyga on both the new version and its accompanying video, which was shot in Atlanta. "I heard the record, loved it, seen it go crazy in the club. I couldn't visualize it without a Young verse on there, so I just went ahead," Jeezy told MTV News. "The homey hit me up for the video, and we in the A-Town, we in the city, we here, turnt up."

    "For me, I got reached out to. They told me to add my two cents in, so I did just that," T.I added. "When they told me the video was coming, I picked out an outfit."
  • The beat was provided by Californian DJ Mustard who also did most of the production for YG's mixtapes Just Re'd Up and 4 Hunnid Degreez. This song came about when he was doing some beats for YG and was originally intended for the "Toot It and Boot It" rapper. He recalled to XXL magazine: "I mean that record came about so quick. I was doing a beat for YG, and he was like, 'Tyga just hit me up; he said send him some beats.' I'm like, 'I don't know what to send him.' He like, 'Send him that.' I was like, 'You sure?' He was like, 'Yeah, send it.' So, I sent it to him on like a Tuesday or a Wednesday and like on Thursday it was out. It just blew up."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.