With a not so grand Rollout, Teyana Taylor’s sophomore album, K.T.S.E., seemed like only a taste of what her talent holds. After waiting 4 years, fans expected more. But more, sometimes comes in a different way than you expect. Fans of Teyana Taylor since her first appearance on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16, like myself, have long understood the talent and unique creativity she possesses. She has been in the entertainment industry for 10 years now and I believe as a fan and lover of music we did receive more just not in the way we wanted or expected. The more we received is greater than anything we could have possibly ever asked for. Teyana has shown growth in diversity of music style/influence as well grown to be one of the dopest R&B artists with the pen game of this generation. The lyrics on this project are so raw, honest, real and show evolution in what R&B singers are “supposed” to sing about.

The Rollout problems were not the best PR and marketing practices on G.O.O.D Music’s part. However, it does not take away from what really matters and that is the music. One reason I love Teyana is because she has an amazing ear to make sure every detail of productions adds to and not take away from the overall music (which you can tell on the production where Kanye West took the lead on certain bits and pieces of the beats he produced closer to the release). She pours her heart into everything she does, each note is sung with the hopes, dreams, and passion of a young girl from Harlem, New York. This is why she is relatable and loved by her fan base — not sure if we have an official agreed upon name yet but according to Teyana it would be The Petunias and for the fellas Neutch Nation.

Even the press runs seems to be very isolated as she is now on what seems to be the second big press run with interviews with Big Boy TV, The Angie Martinez Show, The Breakfast Club,and Ebro in the Morning. Interviews that have allowed the public to fully understand where Teyana’s head is at with all this.

“I ain’t making no more promises. I’m just going to wait for that mother f*cker to drop. You know what I’m saying, like I’d rather have the link ready.” — Teyana Taylor via The Breakfast Club

“I lived with these records, you know this is very vulnerable for me.” — Teyana Taylor via The Breakfast Club

“You know, when you wake up the morning the album come out and you hear, like, a completely different album…I was hurt, I was feeling a type of way.” — Teyana Taylor via The Breakfast Club

Teyana Taylor was finally able to make it clear that she loves her album, but wishes it was the completed version with all the songs and missing verses whether it be from clearance issues or otherwise.

“On Never Would Have Made It, I actually have a verse, like, if you noticed only one verse on Never Would Have Made It. I got two whole other verses that didn’t make it, which the second verse…the first verse was about my mom, second verse was about Junie and the third verse was just about anybody who ever doubted me, you know, like still thanking them as well. So, that and you know that didn’t make it. So, all you hear is really just Junie’s voice in the background and then you hear the verse about my mom. So, I was like hearing that like just because it was about my daughter most importantly, like I felt a way.” — Teyana Taylor via Ebro in the Morning

In one of these interviews, with Ebro in the Morning, we received a problem with the album I believe many people were overlooking and that is the songs are great but the sequence of the tracks where off. In the interview a reordering of the songs was discussed, and I have been listening to the album in that order ever since and it sounds more — COMPLETE.

It finally feels like it is telling a concise story that gives some insight into the layered world of Teyana Taylor, a wife, mother, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. Ultimately the album is not a throw away but simply not what many expected, it shows growth in areas of vulnerability, music styles, and pen game. The world has asked for more from Teyana Taylor over the years and I believe K.T.S.E. is just the warning we need to fully understand that her time as a staple in music is coming.