Green With Envy

“I’m putting on for the people that struggled with me,” Tion Wayne tells Apple Music. “This is my give-back—we were all out here together, and we all had the vision to make waves and blow in this music game. This was always going to be our way out.” On debut album Green With Envy, the Edmonton rapper reflects on the precious details of his storied rise. He recalls his days playing UK student parties with early collaborators Afro B (“4 Life”) and NSG (“Loyal”), revisiting their sparkling Afropop sound mixed with British street slang and adrenalized, regional energy. His rep-making, high-octane mixtapes are nodded to with the irresistible anthems, ad libs, and witty punchlines—and that desire to spread across all sounds on offer. He gets gritty on drill with a searing, nine-verse remix of chart-topping single “Body”; duets with RAYE on the airy, R&B-leaning “WYS”; spins a vintage T-Pain hook with Davido and JAE5 for “Who’s True”; and unfurls a touching six-minute confessional covering half-starts and heartbreaks that nearly derailed his momentum (“Homecoming”). “All of that trauma, and all of the stuff that my people around me have been through, that’s the reason why I'm so motivated,” he says. "Now people are starting to realize, hold on, there's a common denominator here. I always try and execute something special.” Read on for Tion's track-by-track tour of his debut album.

“Where Were They”
“People didn’t expect me to rise and become the leader [in Edmonton], but I forced my way there. Now it’s undeniable, so when I say, ‘In the nine, I’m coming like Vladimir Putz,’ that’s really how life’s feeling at the moment.”

“Wid It”
“I made a few tunes with ArrDee after I got on the [‘Body’] remix, and we wanted this out first. I just like how he’s himself on the track and won’t hide it. He says, ‘I ain’t never rolled with sticks,’ because that’s him. He can rap, though. I respect it. That’s all I want from people around me, to be real, and that’s it. That’s my little bro now. I wanna see him win.”

“Anything Grr” (feat. E1, Drilla & ZT [3x3])
“Here, I introduce [Edmonton drill crew] 3x3 to the world. In a few years things can be different for them, but this is their story right now, and I always tell them to express themselves but never forget the target, and that’s to make it out of the ends.”

“Rock Dat” (feat. Polo G)
“I started rocking with Polo G over the DMs on Instagram. This was the last track I finished up for this album, and to be real, I had to send a few over before we found the right one—he wasn’t sure about some [UK drill] beats! We were struggling…but on this one, I guess, he could relate to everything I’m saying and it’s turned out hard.”

“Loyal” (feat. NSG)
“When we recorded [2018 single] ‘Options’ we agreed to do a swap, and I got this track in return. It was so long ago, but I knew what I was doing by holding this one. Whenever I link up with NSG we produce quality.”

“More Money”
“I heard the beat from [British producer] iO and it hit me, immediately. I felt to give that old-school Tion feel with this one, as a reminder: Only the surroundings have changed. We’re still the same people—just living a better life now.”

“West End” (feat. D-Block Europe)
“D-Block Europe are some workaholics, man. LB gave me his verse back 20 minutes after I sent him the track, and Young Adz was humming out this hook to me almost immediately. It was crazy. I’m thinking: ‘These are people I need to surround myself with to elevate!’ I’m a huge fan of what they do, all of their mixtapes I’ve rated. And I remember them hustling from when I was in the early days of the scene. It’s so great to link up on this album.”

“WYS” (feat. RAYE)
“I love the connection with RAYE on this track. She’s so talented and certainly another person I’d like around more! Honestly, when I hear this, I get the urge to call her up and ask, ‘Why are you so good?’ You’ll hear more of me singing in the future, though. I did record a track where I sing, the whole way through, but we couldn’t find a place for it on the album.”

“4 Life” (feat. Afro B)
“I know the old-school Tion fans will love this one. This type of vibe is probably my favorite tempo to rap over—I feel like I can properly chat to the ladies. I linked up with Afro B way back, before the scene was where it’s at now, and we were killing the streets. We’ve made another banger here. He’s in the States at the moment, but hopefully we can get a video out for this and connect with our core fans more.”

“Wow”
“This is a really big solo track for me, and I’m happy with all that it’s done. We made an iconic video too—I still can’t believe I brought a tank to the ends. We broke some rules, but the plan was: ‘organize chaos’ and bring the whole ends out on a Vladimir Putin vibe!”

“Body (Remix)” [feat. ArrDee, E1 (3x3), ZT (3x3), Bugzy Malone, Buni, Fivio Foreign & Darkoo]
“When it comes to these tunes, I feel like people don't understand how hands-on I am with everything—from the structure to the mix and video. I was at the sessions to record every verse for this track, except for Buni’s, and I knew the positioning would be everything. The way that you attack the tune can determine where your stuff lies—and I knew for a fact that ArrDee had to come in when he did.”

“Realest One”
“This is about a girl—they’ll know who they are. That’s really all I can say!”

“Spend a Bag” (feat. 6LACK)
“I linked with 6LACK last year on ‘4AM’ with Rema and Manny Norte, and we stayed connected after. I'm a fan of what he does, and he rates what I do, so it was nice to get a summer vibe together, on this fire beat from [British producer and songwriter] P2J.”

“Make It Out” (feat. Joe Black, Scorcher, Rimzee & Potter Payper)
“In a nutshell, this is my time to connect with artists that I’ve listened to for years. I’ll break down why they’re significant: I grew up on Joe Black, I’ve been a fan of his for so long. Same for Scorcher—his verse hit me right in the chest; it’s real shit the way he told my story in his words. Rimzee, I can remember from when first entered this game, we were the guys from our generation that were smoking it. And lastly, Potter: I used to rinse his projects, all of them. And his tunes with [East London rapper] Mover, I can remember getting my first car and banging those tracks all day.”

“Who’s True”
“This is me embracing my roots again, on one of the last tunes I made for this album. After I laid my verses, I wanted to get a feature from someone, and all I could think of was Davido. He came up with this hook and it’s fucking spiritual. He’s one of the biggest artists in Africa, and JAE5 is one of the biggest producers in the country—I’m just gassed. And my mum’s gassed, too!”

“Homecoming”
“The main purpose of this track is to properly tell my story. I was so inspired when I came back from jail and still got love, because I didn’t think anyone would still care. I don’t know how, but I made it through.”

“Road to Riches”
“I’m ending on a high note here. I’ve been through a lot and I’ve made it out. I wasn’t anyone, so I became someone to put my people on.”