Nothing stops Tyla Yaweh from raging with his fans — Not even frigid NYC weather for Rolling Loud or backlash for performing during a pandemic.
“It wasn’t stopping us. But, then there was a state of emergency when we were in Colorado with four or five more shows left,” Yaweh told REVOLT. “We all watched that shit on TV, but we still did the last show when we weren’t supposed to. We got some backlash, but we were already there. What were we supposed to do?”
In this installment of “Tour Tales,” the rager rapper explains performing at Rolling Loud NY, wild times on the road with Post Malone, and more. Read the chat below!
How was it performing at Rolling Loud NY?
It was cool. It was fun. It was relaxing. It was raging. My fans were out there and you could see I have a core following that fucks with my music. It was dope.
How long have you been connected with Rolling Loud?
I’ve watched Rolling Loud come up from nothing. I was there at the first one. I used to sleep on Matt [Zingler] and Tariq [Cherif]’s couches. They helped my whole career. They took me in and put me on every show. I used to open up shows for them. There was a company called Dope ENT that would book Post Malone. That’s how I met Post Malone in late 2014.
How has your live show progressed over the last seven years?
I’m still a rager. I’m still the same performer. I’ve always raged, crowd-surfed, and got in the mosh pit. The only things that have got bigger are my shows and production. I just love hopping on stage and doing whatever.
What tours have you made your mark on?
Posty and I did Europe; and then we did me, Posty, and Roddy Ricch in Europe. We did then did me, Jaden Smith, and Posty in Australia. Then, we did a bunch of one-off shows around Europe and Johannesburg, South Africa. It was like a world tour. Then, we came back to the United States to do two legs of the “[Runaway] Tour.” We had a half leg after that, but then COVID shit happened. That didn’t stop us.
Were you on the road as the pandemic hit?
Yeah, I was still doing my thug thizzle. It really changed in March. We were still on tour and every time we were hitting COVID. We’d do the show, leave, and then there would be a shutdown. We’d go to the next place and it’d shut down. We went to Toronto and it got shut down after we left. We went to New York, that shit got shut down. We were like, “Damn, we’re road running.” It wasn’t stopping us. But, then there was a state of emergency when we were in Colorado with four or five more shows left. We all watched that shit on TV, but we still did the last how when we weren’t supposed to. We got some backlash, but we were already there. What were we supposed to do?
How was that last show?
We were weird about everything. I had a meet-and-greet of about 100 people. I didn’t even want to touch the people at first. Shit had me so scared because I didn’t know what was going on. I’m 26 years old and the world was shutting down. I never went through anything like that. It is what it is.
What was your first show during the pandemic when you felt things were getting back to normal?
I went back to Florida and they started booking me. Then, Texas started booking me. We were still doing our things in places that really didn’t shut down. There were places that stayed open the whole time. So, we were outside.
Let’s go back to before the pandemic. How did you adjust to being on the road for your first tour with Posty?
My first tour was way before Posty, so I got used to being on the road. I went on tour with another artist back in the day called Caskey. Then, I went on tour with SAINt JHN. Then, I went on tour with Yung Pinch. Then, I hopped on tour with Posty and it was up from there.
How would you describe a typical Tyla Yaweh show?
Rage at your own risk at all times. Honestly, it’s all emotions. You just live your life and be yourself. There are no barriers and no stuck-up energy. It’s just people being free.
What songs get the best crowd reactions?
There are a few. “High Right Now” goes crazy. “Tommy Lee” goes crazy. “Chiquita” and “Stuntin’ On You” go crazy. There are a bunch of different records people want to hear. We’ve built that fanbase.
When it came to touring with Post Malone, did you ever get into any of the beer pong matchups with him?
Yeah, we had a television show for celebrity beer pong and I won with MGK. He wants his rematch and I’m there. We want all the smoke.
What’s your camaraderie like backstage with Post on these tours?
That’s my friend. It was all love. It was nothing but love. Performing at MSG was an honor and dope, but we were so rockstar’d out on tour, we didn’t really give a fuck (laughs). We were just like, “Fuck it, we’re going to live the fucking life.” We ended up trashing the room. I didn’t trash. We all contributed in a way. It was amazing doing two nights at MSG. Who else can say that?
What do you have coming up for the rest of the year and 2022?
Rager Boy: The Album. We’re on tour right now. I’ll be back out here in New York City at Terminal 5 with SAINt JHN on Nov. 10, so pull up. I also got a new single that’s out featured my brother Morray called “Hands Up” and we have more singles coming out after that.