The story of Bryson Tiller’s 2015 debut album, T R A P S O U L, really begins with the release of his single “Don’t”. When the rapper and R&B singer dropped the glacially paced track about wanting to make a move on a woman with a deadbeat boyfriend in late 2014, it proved a runaway success. “Don’t”, which Tiller made in his living room, went seven times Platinum, established the Kentucky native as an heir—and maybe usurper—to the throne Drake built by seamlessly combining rapping and singing, and gave Tiller the momentum he needed to make T R A P S O U L a commercial dominator, too. It helped that T R A P S O U L tapped into the same alienation and celebrated the same kind of shadowy, late-night lifestyles and attitudes as his contemporary The Weeknd (who became a collaborator). But Tiller as protagonist isn’t on the same world-conquering bent as The Weeknd; his songs are about a regular guy who makes mistakes, engages in petty behaviour, worked at a pizza place and caught Drake’s attention. He provides details on the breakneck bars of the aggressive “Ten Nine Fourteen”. Over the skittering hi-hats of “Let Em’ Know”, he asks for a second chance from an ex while also sniffing around about whom she’s been seeing. On the Timbaland-produced “Sorry Not Sorry”, he shuts down a woman looking for a post-fame romantic rekindling. The soulful “Right My Wrongs” finds him begging forgiveness and seeking understanding. T R A P S O U L swiftly made Tiller a peer of R&B’s biggest names; the deluxe version arrived in 2020 with four extra tracks, including the high-energy “Rambo (Last Blood)”, featuring The Weeknd. Tiller would explore similar themes and sounds on his follow-up, 2017’s True to Self.