About Pi’erre Bourne & TM88’s album Yo!88

On their own, few duos have meant as much to the last decade of rap as TM88 and Pi’erre Bourne. TM88 is the GRAMMY®/NAACP nominated producer behindthe best of mainstream hip-hop, crafting beats for the likes of Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Waka Flocka Flame, Moneybagg Yo, Gucci Mane, Future, and Young Thug to name a few. His unique blend of window-rattling bass and thumping drums has become more or less synonymous with the sound of trap. So when rapper/producer Pi’erre Bourne got a chance to collaborate with TM, he knew he had to come correct. In his own right, Pi’erre has become a big name in rap over the last few years, providing production work to Young Nudy, Playboy Carti, and Drake, and earning a GRAMMY®win in 2021 for his contribution to Kanye West’s Jesus is King. Still, the 28-year-old grew up, in part, on TM’s music—to work with him is to work with a legend. When they eventually came together, there was an immediate spark, which soon turned into the upbeat joint project Yo!88.

“My approach was to just go crazy,” Pi’erre says with a laugh. “I was just trying to impress TM!” Turns out the admiration was mutual. Pi’erre’s flow forced TM back to the studio to add more breaks, flips, and transitions. “He was killing a lot of the beats,” TM recalls fondly—the two have formed a genuine friendship founded on respect. “I was like, ‘Man, I gotta come with it.’”

Consequently, Yo!88 is full of jubilant TM88 beats and high-spirited rhymes meant to celebrate Pi’erre’s ascendance and the tough times Pi’erre endured to arrive at this level. In some moments, like on “Richer Dreams,” he envisions an even steeper plateau—bigger chains, faster cars, an even flashier lifestyle. As Pi’erre sees it, it’s hard enough to live as a Black person in America, so why not celebrate your wins? Elsewhere, the album’s first single “Block boy” is about staying grounded no matter how much you thrive. The hook—“everywhere … I go I bring my block with me”—is repeated like a mantra to never forget your roots. There’s a palpable energy to the track and album that makes Yo!88feel uniquely relatable and downright fun. “TM’s beats just make you talk shit,” Pi’erre says. “We didn’t have to do this, but the fact that we’re doing it is so cool.”

The beginnings of Yo!88 date back a few years. It was the early 2010s, and TM was the co-leader of the 808 Mafia production team, which made beats for all the top rappers in the industry. When he went to the studio, he often saw Pi’erre, then a studio engineer, who he said would stay later than everyone else. “He’d be in the next room, I’d be in the other one,” TM recalls. “We always expressed that we wanted to collab at some point, but it didn’t happen at the time.”TM would later go on to produce Lil Uzi Vert’s 7x platinum record “XO Tour Llif3.” Then Pi’erre’s career took off: In 2016, he produced several tracks on Playboi Carti’s debut project and landed a Billboard hit with the track “Magnolia.” From there the production credits started rolling in: 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Yachty, to name a few.During this time, Pi’erre also became a respected rapper through his Life of Pi’erre series. They had each evolved into stars, with unique styles of their own, even if their paths diverged for a while.

The two reconnected on social media in 2020 and decided to work together after years of delays and busy schedules. TM sent Pi’erre a handful of beats on which the rapper could perform. “When I heard the songs I was like, ‘Dang, Pi’erre’s going crazy,” TM says. “That got us to the point we’re at now, where we’re able to drop Yo!88. It’s been a long time coming: two producers getting to work together and do something for the culture.” To that end, both TM and Pi’erre say this album is for the fans who’ve longbeen asking them to join forces. TM is coming off producing Drake’s number 1 record “Way 2 Sexy” and Pi’erre is coming off his headline tour and his critically acclaimed album The Life of Pi’erre 5.

As a result, Yo!88 marks a new chapter for both artists: one in which TM stretches himself conceptually, while giving Pi’erre a broad sonic canvas to unpack his innermost thoughts, no matter his mood. Altogether, the record feels like an expansion of their sounds, but it’s also a victory lap for their individual contributions.“I want listeners to hear me in a new light, as more of an artist,” Pi’erre says. TM continues: “By going to his world and bringing him to mine, we’re able to create a whole new world. It’s something to pop out with and have fun with your gang.”