Tink
Although one of the lesser known artists in the 2016 Spring Weekend lineup, Tink is gonna be a standout. Just listen to this song. Tink, born Trinity Home, is an R&B singer and rapper from Chicago, who at only 21 has already released six mix tapes and has a debut album set to release this year under the mentorship of Timbaland. Her music strikes a difficult balance between the gritty, violent rap that comes form the Chicago drill scene and emotional, gentler R&B vocals, showing a wide range of talent, and she has been compared the Aaliyah and SW alumna Lauryn Hill.At just 15, Tink began rapping and recording in the studio of her father, who was a sound engineer and a huge supporter of his daughter's ambitions. In 2011, while still in high school, she released her first mixtape, Winter's Diary, leaving me sad that I spent all of high school just figuring out how to talk to boys. And as if her musical skill wasn't enough, Tink is also a strong advocate of female empowerment and the Black Lives Matter movement, making her even more of a badass.
Tink first gained national attention after the release of her fourth mixtape in 2013 through her collaboration with Future Brown on the single "Wanna Party." Big record executives began to contact her, but Tink turned them down, saying she liked being independent (see? total badass). Tink kept spewing out mix-tapes, and in 2014, Winter's Diary 2: Forever Yours catapulted her to fame. Both Billboard and Rollling Stone named Winter's Diary 2 one of the top ten R&B albums of the year, and she was invited to perform at SXSW with Sleigh Bells. Timbaland claimed that the ghost of Aaliyah appeared to him at SXSW and told him Tink was "the one." Despite the weirdness of that sentence, Timbaland started working with Tink, and with him she released "Million," a rendition of Aaliyah's "One in a Million." Tink's desire to make music that means something sets her apart, and in an interview with Noisey, she said that she wants to send a real message to females that goes beyond just partying. In an interview with Complex magazine, she described her use of rapping to tell people what they want to hear and her use of singing to tell a story and try to be truthful, which "is the true passion." As part of her mission of female empowerment, Tink also said that she wants to change the status quo of how women work together, breaking down the idea that there has to be competition between them, calling out the fact that women in rap and R&B rarely collaborate with other women.
To fully enjoy her Spring Weekend set, you probably want to be semi-familiar with Tink. Start with "When it Rains," off of Winter's Dream 2, to give you a taste of her slower beats and emotional lyrics. One of her most recent singles, "Ratchet Commandments," has received some backlash because of it's sexist lyrics—but I gotta be honest, it's hilarious and infectious. Also check out "Lullaby" and "HML," both from Winter's Dream 2. Her music might not be conducive to random DFMOs, but it'll definitely put you in a sexy mood [maybe for after the concert ;)]. Despite performing among the likes of Fetty Wap and Mac Demarco this Spring Weekend, Tink is an artist who will hold her own against the big names. She might not be the most hyped artist of the week, but she definitely promises to put on a fantastic show.Images via, via, and via the Blog Graphics Team.