A love letter to Lil Yachty

In 2015, I was a junior in high school standing in my school’s portable bathrooms when I heard Lil Yachty for the first time on SoundCloud. I had never heard a voice like that before; he used so much autotune in his music that I didn’t think it sounded real - but I was still into it.

Fast forward to 2016, I saw what Lil Yachty looks like for the first time when he modeled on Yeezy’s runway in Madison Square Garden. I realized if someone was going to have that voice, it has to be this goofy looking guy with beads in his red braids. That year, he dropped “Minnesota,” and the rest is history. Yachty is an internet success story.

This week, Yachty brought us Lil Boat 3.5. I honestly hadn’t paid much attention to Yachty in recent years - I got over his voice and style pretty quickly and just listened to a couple of his features now and then. I didn’t really enjoy the type of music he was trying to force himself into, although I respect the hustle to try different things. This album, however, took me back to that portable bathroom in 2015.

Songs like “Wock in Stock” and “Top Down” bring that totally over the top vibe with the autotune that was so fresh back in high school. Yachty shows listeners the 0 fucks he gives when it comes to delivering his art.

He’s not Kendrick Lamar with crazy lyricism or bars or anything like that; Yachty is just teenage energy, and I’m here for it.

Yachty also tapped in Future and Playboi Carti for the hit of the album, “Flex Up.” I don’t really care if we’re living in a pandemic; if I hear this song while I’m out anywhere, I’m moshing with the first group of people I see - with masks, of course. I have not heard a song with so much energy since “Take a Step Back” by XXXTentacion.

I’m excited that Yachty found his true calling in what gave him the ride to the top: ridiculousness. This album is ridiculous in its production, style and everything, really.

I just want my vaccine so I can fly to LA and give Yachty a big hug.

Top tracks:

“Flex Up” ft. Future and Playboi Carti

“Coffin”

“Wock in Stock”