This article originally appeared on Noisey UK.
Ever since Tyga confessed his love for Kylie Jenner on Instagram with the caption “certain things catch your eye, but only few capture the heart” placed underneath a picture of her face, things have been a little problematic. At the time, Tyga was 25 and Kylie was merely 17, meaning any sexual relationship—which Tyga had previously negated as saying they were “just friends”—could be considered statutory rape in Californian courts. Even if a legal challenge was unlikely, the relationship, for many, seemed unpalatable.
A few weeks ago Kylie Jenner turned eighteen, which, judicially speaking, makes her “legal”. That may sound dehumanising - the term rescinds Jenner to a definition usually found in porn site banner ads rather than an independent, forward thinking woman - but it’s also fact. As a result, the pair’s alleged relationship no longer needed to be hidden and soon after, Tyga released a video for the track “$timulated”, which seems to be a celebratory ode to “coming out.”
Alongside employing a sample of Robert Miles’ “Children” in what feels like luxurious frottage, “$timulated” has a few other questionable moments. Namely: Tyga rapping about what could be having sex with his longtime-and-until-recently-underage girlfriend. Here are a few select lyrics:
“They say she young, I should've waited / She a big girl, dog, when she stimulated”
And
“I'm puttin' in, I'm penetratin”
I suppose Tyga could still roll out the “it’s not about one girl” defense, but then he went ahead and cast Kylie Jenner in the video, where they make out on a balcony next to a sun-drenched beach. It seems as though he wants to make it flagrantly clear the song is about his girlfriend.
Which is why Tyga’s decision to accelerate into the second verse with the line “Shut the fuck up and let me finish, baby / I’ll let you finish later / Why the fuck you so opinionated?” is especially grim, as it’d be hard to believe that he’s not referring to sex with a then underage Kylie Jenner.
Not everyone agrees. Over on Rap Genius they think the lyric refers to the fact that Tyga wants to shut down everyone who has criticized him in the past. Perhaps they are going off the scenes in the video where Tyga is seen scrawling lyrics in a notepad like he’s hip-hop’s poet laureate; a theme that’s surely been included in the video as an attempt to suggest Tyga has the ability to write thoughtful lyrics. But considering Tyga wrote “Rack City” and “the least creative major-label rap album in recent memory” though, and it feels like the suggestion he’s writing multi-bars would be giving more credit than he has warranted.
Interestingly, “$timulated” isn’t the only recent track where Tyga has drawn attention to his relationship with Jenner. His latest mixtape Fuk What They Talkin About seems to refer to his relationship. The title alone could be seen as a lean into the accusations that have been levelled at Tyga over the past year, starting when Drake seemingly referred to the pair’s seven-year age gap relationship on his mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, rapping “act your age, not your girl’s age.” On “Glitta” Tyga boasts “can’t complain when your chick name Jenner.” The aptly named “Scandal” features the line, “Say she young, she was askin’ for it / She was askin’ for it, I had the answers for her.” “Ice Cream Man” sees Tyga stating “She like to fuck me, suck me, suck then fuck me.” Most astonishingly, “A Voice 4rm Heaven Pt 2” samples an interview with Michael Jackson where he complains about being labeled a “child molester” and calls the persecution a “big conspiracy.”
Based on the content of Fuk What They Talking About, it’s clear Tyga’s response to the accusations levelled at him is centered around a shrug-face with two middle fingers in the air. Now that Jenner is of age, there is nothing to say they’re not embroiled in the sort of fairytale romance that the average person spends their life pining for. What’s unfortunate though, and undeniably gruesome, is how Tyga has chosen to tackle the situation. Lines like “shut the fuck up and let me finish baby” and “she a big girl, dog, when she stimulated” do nothing more than relegate what could well be the love of Tyga’s life to a sexual commodity. If Tyga does indeed care for Jenner, it’s distressing to see that these sort of demeaning viewpoints towards young women continue to be something to brag about.
You can find Ryan on Twitter: @RyanBassil