Destined 2 Win
Studio album by
Lil Tjay
ReleasedApril 2, 2021 (2021-04-02)
RecordedDecember 2020–2021
Genre
Length64:01
LabelColumbia
Producer
  • 101Slide
  • 808Melo
  • ACG Burna
  • AriaTheProducer
  • Avery on the Beat
  • Bordeaux
  • CashMoneyAP
  • Cassius Jay
  • Cubeatz
  • D Mac
  • G. Ry
  • Jabari
  • Jay Bunkin
  • Kiwi
  • Lbeats
  • Minor2Go
  • Non Native
  • Omari Clarke
  • OG Parker
  • Othello
  • Patron
  • Petruccio
  • Ricci
  • SephGotTheWaves
  • Smash David
  • Sweet
  • Tahj Money
  • TnTXD
  • Woodpecker
Lil Tjay chronology
State of Emergency
(2020)		 Destined 2 Win
(2021)		 222
(2023)
Singles from Destined 2 Win
  1. "Losses"
    Released: October 30, 2020
  2. "Move On"
    Released: November 20, 2020
  3. "None of Your Love"
    Released: December 4, 2020
  4. "Calling My Phone"
    Released: February 12, 2021
  5. "Headshot"
    Released: March 19, 2021
  6. "Born 2 Be Great"
    Released: March 31, 2021

Destined 2 Win is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Tjay. It was released on April 2, 2021, through Columbia Records. This serves as the follow-up to his 2019 debut album "True 2 Myself". The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Smash David, CashMoneyAP, 808Melo, Cubeatz and OG Parker among others. The album also features guest appearances from 6lack, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Saweetie, Tyga, Toosii, Offset, and Moneybagg Yo.

Destined 2 Win was supported by six singles: "Losses", "Move On", "None of Your Love", "Calling My Phone", "Headshot" and "Born 2 Be Great". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. It debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 62,000 album-equivalent units, in its first week.[1] On January 12, 2023, the album was certified platinum.[2]

Background

Merritt began teasing his second studio album in 2020. The album's title describes the reflections on his highlights and accomplishments.

Recording and Composition

Merritt began recording the album in May 2020 in Los Angeles. The album was eventually wrapped up in early 2021. Destined 2 Win is a hip hop album, incorporating elements of R&B, trap, emo rap and drill.[3]

Promotion

Album documentary

Prior to the album's release, Merritt premiered the first part of the album's documentary that was directed by Sam Balaban on his YouTube channel. The documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at the album's creation.[4]

Music videos

The music video for "Run It Up" featuring Offset and Moneybagg Yo was released on April 3, 2021.[5]

The music video for "Oh Well" was released on April 4, 2021.[6]

The music video for "Love Hurts" featuring Toosii was released on April 7, 2021.[7]

Live performances

Lil Tjay and 6lack performed their song "Calling My Phone" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on April 5, 2021.[8]

Singles

The album's lead single "Losses" was released on October 30, 2020. It was accompanied by a music video on the same day.[9]

The second single "Move On" was released on November 20, 2020.[10] The song was announced on Tjay's Twitter, 3 days prior to the single's release revealing the song's covert art, title, and release date.[11] It was accompanied by a music video directed by David Karp and Courtney Loo, the following day.[12]

The third single "None of Your Love" was released on December 4, 2020. The song contains interpolates from Justin Bieber, and Ludacris' 2010 song "Baby". It was previously released on Merritt's YouTube channel but due to the sample, Bieber requested to remove the song and Merritt was unable to clear the sample. However, on December 1, 2020, Bieber eventually allowed Merritt to release the song to streaming services.[13]

The fourth single "Calling My Phone" was released on February 12, 2021, featuring American singer 6lack and was accompanied by a music video that premiered on the same day. The song was previously teased on Merritt's social media.[14][15] A teaser for the song was released on February 5 revealing its title and release date and that an unknown feature will appear on the song. Speculations on the feature for the song began to spread and was eventually confirmed on February 8 on a Twitter post that the feature would be 6lack.[16]

The fifth single "Headshot" was released on March 19, 2021, with frequent collaborator Polo G, and American rapper Fivio Foreign. The song was announced via an Instagram live stream on March 15, 4 days before its initial release. It was accompanied by a music video that was released on March 23. In an interview with Zane Lowe and Apple Music of how the song came together, Merritt said the collaborators meshed immediately. He further elaborated saying

"It was just magic, on-site. It was no, no copy and paste. It was magic," Merritt said. "I mean, it was just like, it was high energy. You know, everybody wants to come poke their chest out on the record. Everybody wants to perform, you know what I’m saying? So I felt like, in my opinion, I feel like the song just sound like three stars."[17]

The sixth and final single "Born 2 Be Great" was released on March 31, 2021.[18] The song reminisces Merritt's troubled childhood in which he and his friends went through trouble to get where he is today.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Clash Music7/10[20]
HotNewHipHop(positive)[21]

Robin Murray of Clash Music praises Lil Tjay progression, calling the album a "A deft step outside of hood braggadocio". Murray also said the album truly thrives when Lil Tjay leaves his feelings and his creativity exposed. Overall, Murray gave the album a rating of 7 out of 10.[20] Rose Lilah of HotNewHipHop also praised Tjay's progression with this album, stating that "While Destined 2 Win may keep certain themes intact from Tjay’s debut album, True 2 Myself, and his early success in general, the growth on this album is still evident, and it’s part of what makes Tjay such an exciting artist to follow." Lilah also said that "As a fan, we are able to clearly witness an evolution in real time." Lilah also spoke highly about the progression of Tjay's sophomore effort saying that "It also leaves the listener wanting more: whether that be through a quick replay or through the next song, it reels you in to Tjay’s personal journey, from juvenile detention to worldwide fame." Overall, Lilah believes Lil Tjay is manifesting his destiny, stating that "On Destined 2 Win, the young artist makes it known that this is a role he not only takes seriously, but one he plans to succeed in, no matter what."[21]

Commercial performance

Destined 2 Win debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 62,000 album-equivalent units, (including 3,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[1] This became Lil Tjay's second US top ten debut on the chart, matching True 2 Myself which also peaked at number five.[1] The album also accumulated a total of 86.14 million on-demand streams from the album’s songs.[1] In its second week, the album dropped to number eight on the chart, earning an additional 38,000 units.[22] On July 12, 2021, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[2] As of September 2021, the album has earned 570,000 album-equivalent units in the United States.[23] On January 12, 2023, the album was certified platinum.[2]

Track listing

Destined 2 Win track listing[24]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Destined 2 Win"
Othello1:03
2."Born 2 Be Great"
  • Bordeaux
  • Non Native
2:50
3."Calling My Phone" (with 6lack)
  • Bordeaux
  • Non Native
  • G. Ry
3:25
4."What You Wanna Do"
  • Merritt
  • Jabari Voss
  • Aria Izadpanah
  • Dekembe Perry
  • Onton Mitchell
  • Sheldon Lawrence
  • Rojay Laboissiere
  • Jabari
  • AriaTheProducer
4:05
5."Hood Rich"
  • Merritt
  • Jay Bunkin
Jay Bunkin3:09
6."Oh Well"
  • Merritt
  • Bunkin
Bunkin3:13
7."Headshot" (with Polo G and Fivio Foreign)
  • Bordeaux
  • Non Native
  • Tahj Money
  • TnTXD
  • Dmac
  • 101Slide
2:24
8."Gang Gang"
  • Merritt
  • Lester Williams, Jr.
Lbeats3:50
9."Go Crazy"
3:48
10."Irregular Love"
  • Merritt
  • Walsh
  • Tampozano
  • Omari Clarke
  • Lopeti Halatuituia
  • Jamaal Jones
  • Bordeaux
  • Non Native
  • Omari Clarke
  • Ricci
  • Joseph Davinci
2:18
11."Move" (with Tyga featuring Saweetie)
3:34
12."Slow Down"
Cassius Jay2:51
13."Love Hurts" (featuring Toosii)
Kiwi3:42
14."Run It Up" (featuring Offset and Moneybagg Yo)
Petruccio3:04
15."Part of the Plan"
  • Merritt
  • Craig Edwards
ACG Burna4:20
16."No Cap"
  • Merritt
  • Gunnlaugur Sumarlidason
Glazer3:01
17."Life Changed"
  • Merritt
  • Joseph Boyden
  • McDowell
  • SephGotTheWaves
  • Dmac
3:00
18."Nuf Said"
  • Merritt
  • Jahaan Sweet
Sweet1:39
19."Losses" (bonus track)
  • Merritt
  • Levi De Jong
Woodpecker3:15
20."Move On" (bonus track)
  • Merritt
  • Avery Cockerill
  • Avery on the Beat
  • Minor2Go
2:57
21."None of Your Love" (bonus track)
CashMoneyAP2:33
Total length:64:01

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[24]

  • Bordeaux – mixing engineer (all tracks), mastering engineer (7, 19), recording engineer (7)
  • Eric Lagg – mastering engineer (1–6, 8–18)
  • Todd Hurtt – recording engineer (1)
  • Tweek Tune – recording engineer (2, 9, 20)
  • JT Gagarin – recording engineer (3)
  • Barrington Hall – recording engineer (3, 4, 8–10, 14, 17, 18)
  • Mitch Kenny – recording engineer (4, 17)
  • Drü Oliver – recording engineer (5, 7, 15, 19)
  • Randy Urbanski – recording engineer (6)
  • Christian "CQ" Quinonez – recording engineer (11)
  • David Cabrera – recording engineer (12)
  • Jadon John – recording engineer (13)
  • Brandyn Marko – recording engineer (16)
  • Nick Cavalieri – recording engineer (21)

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Destined 2 Win
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[47] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[2] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Caulfield, Keith (April 11, 2021). "Justin Bieber's 'Justice' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "American album certifications – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Lil Tjay - Destined 2 Win". clashmusic.com. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  4. ↑ Findlay, Mitch (April 1, 2021). "Lil Tjay Drops "Destined 2 Win" Album Documentary". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ Cho, Regina (April 3, 2021). "Lil Tjay, Offset, and Moneybagg Yo "Run It Up" in latest video". Revolt. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  6. ↑ Williams, Aaron (April 6, 2021). "Lil Tjay Throws A Parking Lot Party In The Jaunty 'Oh Well' Video". Uproxx. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ Williams, Aaron (April 7, 2021). "Lil Tjay And Toosii Contemplate Heartbreak In The Grisly 'Love Hurts' Video". Uproxx. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ TIGG, FNR (April 6, 2021). "Lil Tjay Announces Fall Tour, Performs 'Calling My Phone' With 6lack on 'Fallon'". Complex. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ↑ Grant, Shawn (October 30, 2020). "Lil Tay Prepares Winter Takeover, Releases New Video 'Losses'". The Source. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  10. ↑ Powell, John (November 30, 2020). "Lil Tjay is ready to "Move On" with new single". Revolt. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  11. ↑ TJAY, lil (November 18, 2020). "Friday ! 💔🌟". Retrieved April 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Lil Tjay - Move On (Official Video)". November 21, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Williams, Aaron (December 4, 2020). "Lil Tjay Samples Justin Bieber On 'None Of Your Love'". Uproxx. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  14. ↑ TJAY, lil (December 18, 2020). "WHOO YA WANNA HEAR ON THIS 🔥🔥👂👂👂🤔👀👀🤔 lmk ASAP !!". Retrieved April 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ "Destined 2 Win Loading ..." December 21, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021 – via Instagram.
  16. ↑ "Sometimes u gotta switch it up... hit emm with something they never expected ✍️🔥🔥 TJAY X @6LACK 2/12 make sure ya hit the link to presave 🤞🏽✅ #callingmyphone liltjay.lnk.to/CallingMyPhone". February 9, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  17. ↑ Rose, Jordan (April 2, 2021). "Listen to Lil Tjay's New Album 'Destined 2 Win' f/ 6lack, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, and More". Yahoo. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  18. ↑ Williams, Aaron (March 31, 2021). "Lil Tjay's Reflective 'Born 2 Be Great' Offers A Preview Of His Album, 'Destined 2 Win'". Uproxx. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  19. ↑ Thomas, Fred. "Destined 2 Win - Lil Tjay | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  20. 1 2 Murray, Robin (April 2, 2021). "Lil Tjay - Destined 2 Win A soulful rap document of real breadth..." Clash. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  21. 1 2 Lilah, Rose (April 9, 2021). "Lil Tjay "Destined 2 Win" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  22. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (April 19, 2021). "Taylor Swift's Re-Recorded 'Fearless' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Year's Biggest Week". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Biggest Albums At Nine-Month Mark". Hits Daily Double. September 22, 2021. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  24. 1 2 "Credits / Destined 2 Win / Lil Tjay". Tidal. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Lil Tjay Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 14, 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Albumit 14/2021" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 14 (dal 2.4.2021 al 8.4.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  35. ↑ "2021 14-os SAVAITĖS (balandžio 2-8 d.) ALBUMŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  36. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  37. ↑ "VG-lista – Lil Tjay". VG-lista. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Veckolista Album, vecka 14". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  42. ↑ "Lil Tjay Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Lil Tjay Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Album Top-100 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  45. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  47. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  48. ↑ "British album certifications – Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
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