Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "
One Night", the
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
from his debut
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
(EP), ''Summer Songs''. He released his debut
mixtape
In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
''
Lil Boat Lil Boat may refer to:
* Lil Yachty, American artist and rapper also known as Lil Boat
* ''Lil Boat'' (mixtape), the debut commercial mixtape by Lil Yachty, 2016
*''Lil Boat 2'', second studio album by Lil Yachty, 2018
*''Lil Boat 3
''Lil Boat 3' ...
'' in March 2016, and signed a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
record deal with
Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
,
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, and
Quality Control Music
Quality Control Music, LLC (also known as Quality Control or QC) is an American hip hop record label founded by Kevin "Coach K" Lee ( COO) and Pierre "P" Thomas (CEO) in March 2013. The label's releases were distributed through Universal Music Gr ...
in June of that year.
His debut studio album, ''
Teenage Emotions'' (2017), peaked at number five on the
''Billboard'' 200 despite mixed critical response. His second album, ''
Lil Boat 2
''Lil Boat 2'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on March 9, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Quality Control labelmates Quavo and Offse ...
'' (2018), peaked at number two on the chart, while his third, ''
Nuthin' 2 Prove
''Nuthin' 2 Prove'' is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on October 19, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Juice Wrld, Lil Baby, ...
'' (2018), peaked at number 12; both were met with continued unfavorable critical reception. His fourth album, ''
Lil Boat 3
''Lil Boat 3'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 29, 2020, by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music. The album serves as the third and final installment of the ''Lil Boat'' ser ...
'' (2020), peaked at number 14, while his fifth album, ''
Let's Start Here
''Let's Start Here'' is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Lil Yachty, released on January 27, 2023, through Motown and Quality Control Music. The album was recorded over the course of six months between 2021 and 2022, with sessions ...
'' (2023), marked a departure from hip hop in favor of
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
and saw a critical incline. His collaborative album with English singer
James Blake, ''
Bad Cameo'' (2024), further experimented with the genre and was met with continued praise despite failing to chart.
McCollum is also known for guest his appearances on the 2016 singles "
Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the Brassicaceae, cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large Pseudanthium, flowering head, plant stem, stalk and small associated leafy gre ...
" by
DRAM
Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to:
Technology and engineering
* Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey
* Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...
and "
ISpy
I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
" by
Kyle. His cherry-red hairstyle, lighthearted tone, and optimistic image are also centers of mainstream attention. Yachty was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for his work on "Broccoli".
Early life
McCollum was born in
Mableton, Georgia
Mableton ( ) is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. Voters of the unincorporated area of Mableton approved a referendum to incorporate on November 8, 2022, and six council members were elected on March 21, 2023, with Michael Owens (p ...
.
He attended
Alabama State University
Alabama State University (ASU, Bama State, or Alabama State) is a public historically Black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, during the Reconstruction era, it was one of about 180 " normal schools" established by state gove ...
in fall 2015 but soon dropped out to pursue his musical career. He adopted the name "Yachty" and moved from his hometown of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
to New York City to launch his career. In New York, he lived with a friend and networked with online
street fashion
Street style is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the population at large. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Magazines and newspapers co ...
personalities, while he built up his own
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
following.
He worked at
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
to supplement his income early in his career.
Career
2015–2017: "One Night", ''Lil Boat'', and ''Teenage Emotions''
Yachty first came to prominence in December 2015 when the
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
version of his song "
One Night" was used in a viral comedy video.
In February 2016, Yachty debuted as a model in
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
's
Yeezy Season 3 Yeezy may refer to:
*Kanye West (legally Ye), whose nickname is Yeezy
**Yeezy (brand), or YZY, a brand owned by West
**Adidas Yeezy, a former fashion collaboration between Adidas and West
**Nike Air Yeezy, a former fashion collaboration between Nik ...
fashion line at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. Yachty's debut mixtape ''
Lil Boat Lil Boat may refer to:
* Lil Yachty, American artist and rapper also known as Lil Boat
* ''Lil Boat'' (mixtape), the debut commercial mixtape by Lil Yachty, 2016
*''Lil Boat 2'', second studio album by Lil Yachty, 2018
*''Lil Boat 3
''Lil Boat 3' ...
'' was released in March 2016.

In April 2016, Yachty collaborated with
DRAM
Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to:
Technology and engineering
* Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey
* Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...
on the hit song "
Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the Brassicaceae, cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large Pseudanthium, flowering head, plant stem, stalk and small associated leafy gre ...
", which peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
He
featured
Feature may refer to:
Computing
* Feature recognition, could be a hole, pocket, or notch
* Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob
* Feature (machine learning), in statistics: individual measurable properties of the phenome ...
on
Chance the Rapper
Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...
's
''Coloring Book'' mixtape, released in May 2016.
On June 10, 2016, he announced he had signed a joint venture record deal with Quality Control Music,
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, and
Motown Records
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
.
Yachty released his second mixtape ''
Summer Songs 2
''Summer Songs 2'' is the second commercial mixtape by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on July 20, 2016, exclusively on Apple Music, with other streaming services following the release. The mixtape features guest appearances from TheGo ...
'' in July 2016 with features from
G Herbo
Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper. He signed with the Chicago-based record label Machine Entertainment Group in 2011, at the age of 16. His debut ...
,
Offset, and his former collective the "Sailing Team".
In June 2016, Lil Yachty appeared in
''XXL'' magazine as part of their
2016 Freshman Class. As part of this appearance, Yachty performed a 'freshman cypher' alongside
Denzel Curry
Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper. Born and raised in Miami Gardens, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape, ''King Remembered Underground Tape 1991–1995 ...
,
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, they gained initial recognition following the release of the commer ...
,
21 Savage
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is an American-British rapper. Born in London and raised in Atlanta, he began his recording career in 2013 and released three independent mixtapes to regiona ...
, and
Kodak Black
Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997), known professionally as Kodak Black, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He gained initial recognition following the release of his 2014 songs " No Flockin" and " Skrt", both of ...
. As of March 2021, this cypher has received over 180 million
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
views, by far the most for the XXL channel.
In December 2016, he was featured on the hip hop single "
iSpy
I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
" by
Kyle. He was featured in
Tee Grizzley
Terry Sanchez Wallace Jr. (born March 23, 1994), known professionally as Tee Grizzley, is an American rapper. He first began posting music online following a two year prison sentence, he released the song "First Day Out (Tee Grizzley song), Fir ...
's single "From the D to the A", released in March 2017.
On May 26, 2017, Lil Yachty released his debut studio album, ''
Teenage Emotions''. It features guest appearances from
Migos
Migos () were an American hip hop group founded in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2008. The group was composed of rapper Quavo, his nephew Takeoff, and their "cousin" friend Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia, while Offset and Takeoff were bo ...
,
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...
, and
YG, among others. Three promotional singles were released to coincide with the album. The first promotional single, "Harley", produced by K Swisha, was released on April 14, 2017. The second promotional single, "Bring It Back", produced by Free School, was released on May 4, 2017. The third promotional single, "X Men", produced by 30 Roc and Tillie and featuring a guest appearance from American rapper Evander Griiim, was released on May 18, 2017. He featured in a remix of "With My Team" by Creek Boyz, released December 15, 2017.
In 2017, Yachty appeared in several high-profile promotional campaigns. He starred alongside
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...
in a
Sprite commercial, where he is seen in an ice cave playing the piano. Lil Yachty was picked to be the face of the new
Nautica
Nautica is an American apparel brand owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and manufactured and marketed by Catalyst Brands featuring primarily men's, women's, children's apparel and accessories, as well as home, watches, and fragrance. Nautica ...
and
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland, the United Arab Em ...
collection for the Spring 2017 season. Yachty also appeared in the "
It Takes Two" video with
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
for
Target
Target may refer to:
Warfare and shooting
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artille ...
.
2018–2022: ''Lil Boat 2'', ''Nuthin' 2 Prove'', and ''Lil Boat 3''
In January 2018, it was reported that Lil Yachty and
Takeoff
Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff.
For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a tr ...
were working on a collaborative project. This project has yet to be released as of 2023, especially following the death of Takeoff in November 2022. Yachty's second studio album, ''
Lil Boat 2
''Lil Boat 2'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on March 9, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Quality Control labelmates Quavo and Offse ...
,'' was released on March 9, 2018. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, ''Lil Boat 2'' performed well commercially, debuting at number two on the US
''Billboard'' 200, with 64,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s. The album featured
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Ci ...
,
Quavo
Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the now-defunct hip hop group Migos. Formed with his nep ...
, and
Offset
Offset or Off-Set may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Off-Set", a song by T.I. and Young Thug from the '' Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''
* ''Offset'' (EP), a 2018 EP by singer Kim Chung-ha
* ''Offset'' (film), a 200 ...
,
Ugly God
Royce Cornell Davison-Rodriguez (born September 19, 1996), better known by his stage name Ugly God, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2016 single "Water", which peaked at number 80 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In June 2017, he w ...
, among other guests. On October 19, 2018, Yachty released his third album, ''
Nuthin' 2 Prove
''Nuthin' 2 Prove'' is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on October 19, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Juice Wrld, Lil Baby, ...
''. The project received similarly mixed reception and debuted at No. 12 on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
. Also in 2018, Yachty appeared on
Bhad Bhabie
Danielle Peskowitz Bregoli (born March 26, 2003), better known by her stage name Bhad Bhabie (, "bad baby"), is an American rapper and Internet personality. During an appearance on the talk show ''Dr. Phil (talk show), Dr. Phil'' in September ...
's platinum single "
Gucci Flip Flops" and
Social House
Social House is an American musical duo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As of 2020, the duo has released five singles and an EP.
History
Michael "Mikey" Foster and Charles "Scootie" Anderson formed Social House in 2015 after moving to Los Ang ...
's gold single "
Magic in the Hamptons
"Magic in the Hamptons" is the debut single by American musical duo Social House, released on June 8, 2018 through SB Projects and Interscope Records. It features American rapper Lil Yachty. The song was produced by Mikey Foster of Social House, A ...
", and worked with
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...
to create a theme song for
Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products owned by Hometown Food Company. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1928.
History
After leaving his position as head chef at the Plaza ...
titled "Start the Par-dee". In December 2018, E-sports group
FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan, or simply FaZe, is a professional esports and entertainment brand. Founded on May 30, 2010, as FaZe Sniping, the organization has professional players and content creators from around the world, across multiple games.
In October 20 ...
announced that Yachty had become their newest member. Yachty took on the name "FaZe Boat", in reference to his 'Lil Boat' nickname and mixtape.

After a relatively quiet 2019, Lil Yachty teamed up with fellow Atlanta artists
Lil Keed
Raqhid Jevon Render (March 16, 1998 – May 13, 2022), known professionally as Lil Keed, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He was signed to Young Thug's record label YSL Records, as well as 300 Entertainment. His song " Nam ...
,
Lil Gotit
Semaja Zair Render (born August 6, 1999), known professionally as Lil Gotit, is an American rapper and singer.
Early life
Semaja Zair Render was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of seven children. Render was initially raised on Southeas ...
, and veteran producer
Zaytoven
Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Young Dolph, Mig ...
in February 2020 for a collaborative mixtape, ''A-Team''. Yachty released the lead single for his next studio album, ''
Lil Boat 3
''Lil Boat 3'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 29, 2020, by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music. The album serves as the third and final installment of the ''Lil Boat'' ser ...
,'' on March 9, 2020. The song, titled "
Oprah's Bank Account
"Oprah's Bank Account" is a song by American rappers Lil Yachty and DaBaby featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Produced by Earl on the Beat, it was released by Quality Control on March 9, 2020 alongside a comedic video, where Lil Yachty portrays talk ...
", features
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals and creatures
* A male duck
* Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
and
DaBaby
Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he signed with Interscope Records in January 2019 in a joint ...
. The release was accompanied by a 9-minute
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
directed by
Director X
Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian music video director. Having trained under Hype Williams, Lutz has been credited for directing over a hundred music videos spanning various genres si ...
, in which Yachty dresses up as a parody of
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
. ''Lil Boat 3'' was released on May 29, 2020 and debuted at number 14 on the US
''Billboard'' 200.
A deluxe version of the album titled ''Lil Boat 3.5'' was released on November 27. On October 19, 2020, Lil Yachty announced his intention to release a mixtape before the end of 2020. ''
Michigan Boy Boat
''Michigan Boy Boat'' is the third commercial mixtape by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on April 23, 2021, through Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control. The mixtape features guest appearances from Tee Grizzley, Veeze, ...
'' was released on April 23, 2021. The project draws heavily from the burgeoning Detroit rap scene, in contrast with Yachty's usual
pop rap
Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, pop hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop with pop's preference for melodic vocals, catchy hooks, and positive lyrics on pop-like p ...
and
Atlanta trap style.
Throughout 2020, Yachty was one of the many celebrities to gain a large following on social media app
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
. Yachty performed the theme song for the
2020 revival of ''Saved by the Bell'', which was a remixed version of the theme from the
original television series. In early 2021, Yachty was reported to be producing and starring in a live-action movie based on the
UNO card game, which is being developed by
Mattel Films
Mattel Films is the film production Division (business), division of Mattel originally formed on October 16, 2013, as Mattel Playground Productions as part of Mattel Global Brands, a unified media structural and strategy unit.
On March 31, 20 ...
. Yachty is featured in the ''
Pokémon
is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
''
25th anniversary music album.
On October 11, 2022, Yachty released the non-album single "
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
", which went viral online right after.
2023–present: ''Let's Start Here, Bad Cameo''
In December 2022, Yachty's fifth studio album, then rumored to be called ''Sonic Ranch'', was leaked online. The album was a departure from Yachty's signature
trap sound, and was instead heavily influenced by
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
. On January 27, 2023, the album, entitled ''
Let's Start Here
''Let's Start Here'' is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Lil Yachty, released on January 27, 2023, through Motown and Quality Control Music. The album was recorded over the course of six months between 2021 and 2022, with sessions ...
'', was released to positive reviews. Yachty's label and collective Concrete Boys, which includes
Karrahbooo,
Dc2trill, and Draft Day, released their debut single, "Mo Jams", in December 2023. ''
Bad Cameo'', a collaborative album with English producer
James Blake, was released on June 28, 2024. On 23 October, 2024, it was announced Yachty would open for
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...
on his
Chromakopia World Tour alongside
Paris Texas
Musical style
Lil Yachty has called his style "
bubblegum
Bubble gum (or bubblegum) is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble.
Composition
In modern chewing gum, if natural rubber such as chicle is used, it must pass several purity and cleanliness tests. However, ...
trap."
His songs have sampled sounds from ''
Mario Bros
is a 1983 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for arcades. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi exterminate turtle-like creatures a ...
.'',
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the Protagonist, principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily newspaper, daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown ...
, the theme from ''
Rugrats
''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-d ...
'', the startup sound of a
GameCube
The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
console, as well as
J-pop
J-pop (often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in trad ...
singer
Daoko
is a Japanese singer and rapper born in Tokyo. Her career began when one of her videos uploaded to Nico Nico Douga in 2012, when she was 15, received attention.
Career
The name Daoko (ダヲコ) was originally her web nickname.
Her first tour ...
.
Other themes in his works include clouds,
cotton candy
Cotton candy, also known as candy floss (candyfloss) and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool ...
, the
Super Nintendo
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
, and scenes from
Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
films. His friend
TheGoodPerry
Perry Paris Moise (born September 21, 1996), better known by his stage name TheGoodPerry (formerly known as Burberry Perry), is an American record producer and hip hop recording artist. Perry gained recognition for his production in Lil Yachty's hi ...
is heavily involved in the production of his songs.
Yachty's style has also been described as
mumble rap
Mumble rap (sometimes referred to as SoundCloud rap or non-lyrical rap) is a loosely defined microgenre of Hip-hop, hip hop that largely spread via the online audio distribution platform SoundCloud in the 2010s. The term implies "mumbling", or ...
.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' described his music as "catchy, intentionally dinky-sounding tunes packed with off-color boasts delivered in a proudly amateurish singsong."
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called his music "fun, hook-first pop rap oblivious to songcraft and structure that doesn't take itself too seriously, with very little interest in legacy and even less in rap canon."
Personal life
Yachty expressed support for
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
in the
2016 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*7 January: Kiri ...
, and praised Sanders for his work during the
civil rights movement.
On October 20, 2021, Yachty announced the birth of his first child, a girl. The identity of the child's mother was not disclosed.
On December 20, 2018, Yachty signed with
FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan, or simply FaZe, is a professional esports and entertainment brand. Founded on May 30, 2010, as FaZe Sniping, the organization has professional players and content creators from around the world, across multiple games.
In October 20 ...
. He has also participated in competitive ''
Fortnite
''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...
'' tournaments.
2022 SafeMoon lawsuit
On February 18, 2022, in a class-action lawsuit filed against the
cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it.
Individual coin ownership record ...
company
SafeMoon
SafeMoon LLC was an American cryptocurrency and blockchain company created in March 2021. The company created the SafeMoon token (SFM) which traded on the Binance#Binance coin (BNB), BNB Chain blockchain. The token charged a 10% fee on transact ...
that alleged the company is a
pump-and-dump
Pump and dump (P&D) is a form of securities fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements (pump), in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price (dump). O ...
scheme, McCollum was named as a defendant along with professional boxer
Jake Paul
Jake Joseph Paul (born January 17, 1997) is an American Professional boxing, professional boxer, influencer and actor. He began his career posting videos on Vine (service), Vine in September 2013 and had amassed 5.3 million followers and 2 bi ...
, musician
Nick Carter
Nickolas Gene Carter (born January 28, 1980) is an American singer, the lead vocalist of the vocal group Backstreet Boys, and an alleged rapist. As of 2015, he has released three solo albums, '' Now or Never'', '' I'm Taking Off'' and '' All A ...
, rapper
Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...
, and social media personality
Ben Phillips for promoting the SafeMoon token on their social media accounts with misleading information. On the same day, the
U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against
Bitconnect
Bitconnect (stylized ''bitconnect'' and also spelled BitConnect, Ticker symbol, ticker code BCC) was an open-source cryptocurrency in 2016–2018 that was connected with a high-yield investment program, a type of Ponzi scheme. After the platform ...
that the
Securities Act of 1933
The Securities Act of 1933, also known as the 1933 Act, the Securities Act, the Truth in Securities Act, the Federal Securities Act, and the '33 Act, was enacted by the United States Congress on May 27, 1933, during the Great Depression and afte ...
extends to
targeted solicitation using social media.
2023 SEC lawsuit
In March 2023, Yachty was among eight celebrities charged by the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its ...
, with violating investor protection laws by promoting cryptocurrencies without disclosing that he was a paid sponsor. The lawsuit was connected with crypto asset entrepreneur
Justin Sun
Justin Sun ( zh, s=孙宇晨, p=Sūn Yǔchén; born July 30, 1990) is a Chinese-born Kittitian crypto billionaire and businessperson. He is the founder of TRON, a cryptocurrency with an associated blockchain DAO ecosystem and USDD, a stablecoi ...
's Tronix (TRX) and BitTorrent (BBT) companies. He settled the charges for over $400,000 without admitting or denying the claims.
Filmography
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Teenage Emotions'' (2017)
* ''
Lil Boat 2
''Lil Boat 2'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on March 9, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Quality Control labelmates Quavo and Offse ...
'' (2018)
* ''
Nuthin' 2 Prove
''Nuthin' 2 Prove'' is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on October 19, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Juice Wrld, Lil Baby, ...
'' (2018)
* ''
Lil Boat 3
''Lil Boat 3'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 29, 2020, by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music. The album serves as the third and final installment of the ''Lil Boat'' ser ...
'' (2020)
* ''
Let's Start Here
''Let's Start Here'' is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Lil Yachty, released on January 27, 2023, through Motown and Quality Control Music. The album was recorded over the course of six months between 2021 and 2022, with sessions ...
'' (2023)
Collaborative albums
* ''
Bad Cameo'' (with
James Blake) (2024)
Awards and nominations
Billboard Music Awards
, -
, rowspan="3",
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, rowspan="3", "
Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the Brassicaceae, cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large Pseudanthium, flowering head, plant stem, stalk and small associated leafy gre ...
"
(with DRAM
Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to:
Technology and engineering
* Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey
* Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...
)
, Top Rap Collaboration
,
, -
, Top Rap Song
,
, -
, Top Streaming Song (Audio)
,
, -
MTV Video Music Awards
, -
, rowspan="3",
, rowspan="2", "
Broccoli
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the Brassicaceae, cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large Pseudanthium, flowering head, plant stem, stalk and small associated leafy gre ...
"
(with DRAM
Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to:
Technology and engineering
* Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey
* Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...
)
, Best Hip Hop Video
,
, -
, Best Collaboration
,
, -
, "
iSpy
I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
"
(with Kyle)
, Best Visual Effects
,
, -
Other awards
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1997 births
Living people
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers
African-American male models
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
African-American male singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
African-American record producers
Alabama State University alumni
American hip-hop record producers
American hip-hop singers
American Twitch (service) streamers
Capitol Records artists
FaZe Clan
Male models from Georgia (U.S. state)
American rock singers
People from Mableton, Georgia
American alternative rock singers
Quality Control Music artists
Rappers from Atlanta
Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
Southern hip-hop musicians
American indie rock musicians