Tyga has responded to the negative reaction surrounding his latest album ‘$tarface’, including Doja Cat calling him a “penis for making an AI album” and Pitchfork awarding the project a score of 0/10.
The rapper released his ninth studio album late last month, following his 2025 record ‘NSFW’. After the project arrived, Tyga acknowledged that artificial intelligence had been used as a “tool” during its creation.
“We definitely used AI as a [tool]. And I know people are going to be mad about me saying this, but it’s where technology is going,” he said at the time. “It’s no different than when Auto-Tune came out. Some people were opposed to it, but real artists took it and used it.”
Explaining where the technology appeared, he said: “We were like, you know what? I need some ’80s synths for a certain part of this song. I need a guitar solo done ASAP. It is what it is.” Tyga stressed that the album’s production and “all the vocals” were completed without AI.
The record has since attracted criticism, including comments from Doja Cat during a recent livestream. Having previously collaborated with Tyga on two tracks, she said on Wednesday, August 12: “Nobody asked me anything about Tyga, but I felt like saying this. Tyga is a penis for making an AI album.”
Pitchfork also gave ‘$tarface’ its lowest possible rating, scoring the project 0/10. The publication called the album “smug and complacent and depressing” and claimed that “its very existence has made the world a worse place.”
Tyga has now answered the criticism and spoken in defence of the record. Addressing Doja Cat’s remark on TMZ Live, he said: “Listen, I love Doja, but she made a demonic album,” although he did not specify which of her records he meant. He then added: “But I still love her”.
When discussing Pitchfork’s review, Tyga brushed aside the criticism and claimed he was unfamiliar with the outlet. “I don’t really know what Pitchfork is. All I know is the devil uses a pitchfork,” he said.
The rapper also continued defending his decision to experiment with AI, explaining that he personally wrote every song and wanted to explore a different musical direction.
“I just feel like there’s no rules anymore,” he said. “You don’t have to put yourself in a box on what things have to be creatively. I’ve been in the game for 15 years-plus. So, after a while, you just got to try different stuff.”
“This is the first project that people are seeing that’s completely different than other things that I’ve done,” he continued. “This character, $TARFACE, is a completely separate artist, completely separate aesthetic and everything.”
Artificial intelligence remains one of the most disputed subjects in modern music, and Tyga is among several performers who have openly confirmed using the technology during their creative process.
Empire Of The Sun’s Luke Steele previously said that “of course” he uses AI while making music, describing it as “just another tool” and comparing it to “a really smart guitar pedal”. Boy George also confirmed using the technology to assist with writing his reggae song supporting Israel, ‘We Will Dance Again’, which Bandcamp later removed for breaking its rules concerning AI.
Other musicians, including Mac DeMarco, SZA and Lorde, have expressed much stronger opposition to the technology’s increasing presence. Jack Antonoff described artists who use it as “godless whores”, while Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter called AI “a way to bypass the creative process”.
As music involving artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common, Apple Music and Spotify have both announced plans to inform listeners when tracks have been created using AI.
Those announcements followed research published last year which found that 97 per cent of listeners “can’t tell the difference” between music created by people and tracks produced with artificial intelligence.
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