lil yachty on a boat

The 15 Best Lil Yachty Songs

Let's talk about the best Lil Yachty songs - from his early days with "One Night" to his most recent unreleased leaks. The Atlanta rapper has come such a long way since his debut on SoundCloud and subsequent signing to Quality Control. In no particular order, here's our list of the 15 best Lil Yachty songs.

RELATED: Introducing Dc2Trill, the Texan Rap Phenom

15. "Plastic" - Lil Yachty (feat. Icewear Vezzo and Rio Da Yung OG) (2021)

What better way to start this list off than Lil Yachty's iconic Michigan Boy Boat album from 2021? This banger features the likes of Icewear Vezzo and Rio Da Yung OG, who matched Yachty's energy perfectly. Talk about a Michigan masterpiece: "Plastic" shows off the best elements of the hip-hop sub-genre.

14. "Who Want The Smoke?" - Lil Yachty (feat. Cardi B and Offset) (2018)

Who can forget the first time they heard "Who Want The Smoke?" with Lil Yachty, Offset, and Cardi B all together on a single song. The energy was absolutely electric, and it's no coincidence why all three of them have continued to thrive in their respective careers to this day.

13. "Split/Whole Time" - Lil Yachty (2020)

This is arguably one of the hardest Yachty songs ever, I will vouch for that on anything. From the intro to the very last moment of this song, there's something very special about this one. It's so characteristic of Yachty, so it's no surprise why it's become such a popular song.

12. "Minnesota" - Lil Yachty (feat. Quavo, Young Thug, and Skippa Da Flippa) (2016)

Off his debut album, "Minnesota" is an absolute classic Lil Boat banger. The song shows off all of the best sides of Yachty around the time of his breakout into the music scene. Ahh, the good ol' days of SoundCloud.

11. "Solid" - Lil Yachty (feat. SoFaygo) (2021)

The beat of this song makes you want to tilt your head back and ascend into the sky. From Yachty's cunning bars to SoFaygo's unmatched vocal approach, they bodied this beat perfectly, and showed exactly how fire a collab between the two of them is.

10. "T.D." - Lil Yachty (feat. Tierra Whack, A$AP Rocky, and Tyler, the Creator) (2020)

Let's not forget Yachty's song with this legendary cast of characters, which sampled the "Tokyo Drift" production, and became a modern classic. Every artist on this song has a reputation for being creative, and they didn't disappoint with this one.

9. "Demon Time" - Lil Yachty (feat. Draft Day) (2020)

Yachty has a knack for putting listeners on to the best underground artists, and that's exactly what he did here with Draft Day. If you're a seasoned Yachty listener, then this feature should've came at no surprise to you.

8. "Get Dripped" - Lil Yachty (feat. Playboi Carti) (2018)

Here's yet another one of the best Lil Yachty songs. Off of Yachty's Nuthin' to Prove album, "Get Dripped" gave fans a rare glance at just how special Yachty and Carti collabs are. The two artists morph their unique Atlanta-based styles together, and create music that literally nobody else in rap could replicate.

7. "66" - Lil Yachty (feat. Trippie Redd) (2018)

As far as timeless Lil Yachty classics go, this song is one of the top options. Trippie Redd and Lil Yachty both bring an unconventional style to the table, so of course the result of their collaboration is exactly that: unconventional.

6. G.I. Joe - Lil Yachty (feat. Louie Ray) (2021)

Another song from Yachty's Michigan Boy Boat album, "G.I. Joe" was yet another standout. It's great to see the chemistry Yachty has with all of the many features from this project, but there's something especially unique about the energy shared between Boat and Louie Ray.

5. "All of the Opps Is Opp'd" - Lil Yachty (Unreleased)

While not everyone is probably hip to this song, everybody should be. This Cash Cobain-produced banger samples Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves the Sunshine," and turned it into a contemporary drill classic. Thank us later.

4. "Dynamic Duo" - Lil Yachty (feat. Tee Grizzley) (2021)

The name of the song is no lie: Lil Yachty and Tee Grizzley really are a "Dynamic Duo," but you should've known that already, after their prior collabs. To Lil Boat diehards, this was no surprise. On a stacked project, somehow this song managed to be one of the standouts.

3. "Poland" - Lil Yachty (2022)

Talk about "best Lil Yachty songs." It's impossible to forget the iconic moment Yachty had with the leak of this song. "I took the woOoOoOoOok... to Poland" will never get old, at least to the younger generation. The memes that were generated from this wave will surely never age, that's for sure.

2. "DipSet" - Lil Yachty and Offset (2016)

Lil Yachty and Offset have connected numerous times on collaborations, yet for some reason, this one never ceases to smack. If you haven't heard it already, here's your chance. Feast your ears upon yet another classic.

1. "Coffin" - Lil Yachty (2020)

One of the most memorable Lil Yachty releases ever was his 2020 single, "Coffin." From the moment the video teaser dropped, the hype was there. This felt like the start of a new era of Lil Yachty, embracing the most modern landscape of music, as he's always done in true Yachty fashion.

More music stories:

“Poland” by Lil Yachty: Why The Internet Is Obsessed with This New Song

Lil Yachty Net Worth: Lil Boat Brings in the Big Bucks

57 Perfect Rap Lyrics for Your Next Instagram Caption

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The 100 Best Album Covers of All Time

From biggie to beyoncé to bad bunny, from nirvana to nas to neil young, this is the album art that changed the way we see music.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW COOLEY

The album is the best invention of the past century, hands down — but the music isn’t the whole story. The album cover has been a cultural obsession as long as albums have. Ever since 12-inch vinyl records took off in the 1950s, packaged in cardboard sleeves, musicians have been fascinated by the art that goes on those covers, and so have fans. When the Beatles revolutionized the game with the cover of Sgt. Pepper , in 1967, it became a way to make a visual statement about where the music comes from and why it matters. But the art of the album cover just keeps evolving.

So this is our massive celebration of that art: the 100 best album covers ever, from Biggie to Beyoncé to Bad Bunny, from Nirvana to Nas to Neil Young, from SZA to Sabbath to the Sex Pistols. We’ve got rap, country, jazz, prog, metal, reggae, flamenco, funk, goth, hippie psychedelia, hardcore punk. But all these albums have a unique look to go with the sound. The most unforgettable covers become part of the music — how many Pink Floyd fans have gotten their minds blown staring at the prism on the cover of Dark Side of the Moon , after using it to roll up their smoking materials?

What makes an album cover a classic? Sometimes it’s a portrait of the artist — think of the Beatles crossing the street, or Carole King in Laurel Canyon with her cat. Others go for iconic, semi-abstract images, like Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, or My Bloody Valentine. Some artists make a statement about where they’re from, whether it’s R.E.M. repping the South with kudzu or Ol’ Dirty Bastard flashing his food-stamps card to salute the Brooklyn Zoo.

Many of these covers come from legendary photographers, designers, and artists, like Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Storm Thorgerson, Raymond Pettibon, and Peter Saville. Some have cosmic symbolism for fans to decode; others go for star power. But they’re all classic images that have become a crucial part of music history. And they all show why there’s no end to the world’s long-running love affair with albums.

CONTRIBUTORS: David Browne , Jon Dolan , Suzy Exposito , Andy Greene , Kory Grow , Maya Georgi , Maura Johnston , Gabrielle Macafee , Angie Martoccio , Mosi Reeves , Rob Sheffield , Hank Shteamer , Simon Vozick-Levinson , Alison Weinflash , Christopher Weingarten

From Rolling Stone US

Spinal Tap, ‘Smell the Glove’

There was no easy way to discuss “the issue with the cover” of (totally fictitious heavy-metal band) Spinal Tap’s (nonexistent) 1982 album, Smell the Glove, as recounted in a scene from the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap: “You put a greased, naked woman on all fours, with a dog collar around her neck and a leash, and a man’s arm extended out up to here holding onto the leash, and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it,” artist-relations rep Bobbi Flekman (Fran Drescher) says. “You don’t find that offensive?” Well, somebody did, so Spinal Tap ended up with an all-black cover. The band members equivocated it by saying it looked like black leather, a black mirror, death, and mourning. Then Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) got it: “There’s something about this that’s so black, it’s like, ‘How much more black could this be?’ And the answer is, ‘None. None more black.’” The joke manifested itself in real life with Spinal Tap’s soundtrack album, a punk band called None More Black, and “Black Albums” from Metallica, Jay-Z, Prince, the Damned, and many others. Plus, Spinal Tap eventually released their original album cover, albeit toned down a little, years later on the sleeve of their single “Bitch School.” —K.G.

Grateful Dead, ‘Europe 72’

Together or separately, the San Francisco artists Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse made sure that album art for the Grateful Dead was as trippy (1971’s Grateful Dead) or earthy (Workingman’s Dead) as the music inside. Their visuals for the band’s live triple album are among the simplest in Dead album history. The big, clumsy foot about to stomp on Europe is a witty metaphor for the Dead’s wild-eyed series of shows on that continent, and the “fool” smashing an ice-cream cone into his forehead on the back cover is just goofy Dead fun. (It may also be connected to a tale in drummer Bill Kreutzmann’s memoir about the band dumping some ice cream onto an annoying fan.) Even in the land of the Dead, where visual and musical indulgence could rule, Kelley and Mouse realized that sometimes, less is more. —D.B.

Lil Yachty, ‘Lil Boat’

The cover of Lil Yachty’s debut mixtape, Lil Boat, finds the rapper clad in overalls, standing in a small boat in the middle of the ocean. The collage is framed by a red border printed with the numbers 33.7750° N 84.3900° W — coordinates for the Five Points neighborhood in downtown Atlanta — marking the then-18-year-old rap vocalist as the latest manifestation of the city’s fast-moving and highly influential scene. Mihailo Andic, who designed Lil Boat using a photograph provided by Yachty’s management, drew inspiration from Tumblr. “I thought it’d be a great idea to pitch a cover to his management team: Yachty, on a boat, in the middle of nowhere,” he told Green Label in 2016. “My whole style uses retouching and superimposing photos to make them look as one.” —M.R.

Public Image Ltd, ‘Metal Box’

“We were turned on by the idea that it would be difficult to open the can and get the records out,” Public Image Ltd guitarist Keith Levene told author Simon Reynolds in Rip It Up and Start Again. The post-punk pioneers were already blowing apart rock music with their long, repetitive, often improvisatory songs, and Metal Box rethought the album format itself — three 45 rpm LPs to be treated like 12-inch disco singles, all annoyingly crammed into an unwieldy canister. “With Metal Box, the cover came first, both mentally and physically,” frontman John Lydon told Classic Rock. “We spent most of the advance on it, so making Metal Box presented us with a real challenge because we didn’t have any money left for recording sessions.” —C.W.

Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Punisher’

Phoebe Bridgers’ excellent pandemic-era album has a cover that represents everything we were feeling at the time: fear, loneliness, heartbreak, and the secret wish for extraterrestrials to scoop you up into the sky and get you the hell out of here. Bridgers and photographer Olof Grind took a 24-hour road trip through the California desert, scouting for a location. “I always love a good adventure while shooting, and driving out in a pitch-black desert at 3 a.m. on dirt roads definitely added to my excitement,” Grind said. Bridgers made the skeleton suit her signature look, wearing it on the entire Punisher album cycle and tour. And it’s still impossible not to think of Grind’s image when you listen to songs like the gorgeously devastating “Moon Song” and the strangely romantic “Garden Song.” —A.M.

Offset, ‘Set It Off’

Designed and art-directed by Amber Park, the cover image for Offset’s Set It Off shows the Atlanta rapper tumbling through the sky as the world explodes around him. The image represents modern rap’s shift toward Wagnerian-size drama, with Offset as another kind of heroic survivor, outlasting and overcoming his many controversies. He wears sequined socks and gold gloves, which nod toward his fascination with Thriller-era Michael Jackson. And the image is constructed upside down, making it appear like he’s falling into the sky, not out of it. “I wanted it to be an art piece,” he told Our Generation Music. “It’s like I’m falling down but I’m going up.” —M.R.

Slayer, ‘Reign in Blood’

Just how do you illustrate lyrics like “Raining blood from a lacerated sky/Bleeding its horror, creating my structure/Now, I shall reign in blood”? Slayer producer and label head Rick Rubin turned to political cartoonist Larry Carroll, who tapped into his inner Hieronymus Bosch to create a mixed-media representation of hell with a goatlike deity, decapitated heads, and murderous black angels. “If I remember correctly, [Slayer] didn’t like the cover I did for Reign in Blood at first,” Carroll told Revolver in 2010. “But then someone in the band showed it to their mother, and their mother thought it was disgusting, so they knew they were onto something.” Carroll subsequently created similar hellscapes for Slayer’s South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, and Christ Illusion albums, producing some of the scariest covers in music. —K.G.

Slint, ‘Spiderland’

The members of Slint were just teenagers when they came together in drummer Britt Walford’s Louisville,Kentucky, basement to make the eerily expansive indie rock they’d capture on their epochal 1991 sophomore album, Spiderland. That mix of youthful exuberance and youthful aloneness comes through in the album’s black-and-white cover, which shows them smilingly treading water in a local quarry. The photo was taken by their friend Will Oldham, who’d soon be making his own name with Palace Brothers and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. “We’re just all being youthful and happy,” guitarist Dave Pajo told Rolling Stone’s Hank Shteamer years later, describing the band’s attitude at the time. “When you’re younger, everything is so life-and-death and huge.” —J.D.

Lauryn Hill, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’

The wood carving at the center of Lauryn Hill’s only official studio album to date is both inspired by artwork for the Wailers’ 1973 album Burnin’ and by the album title itself. “She already had some great ideas that were inspired by the album title,” Columbia art director Erwin Gorostiza told Okayplayer in 2021. The two developed a plan to arrange a photo shoot at Hill’s alma mater, Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. After photographer Eric Johnson snapped images of her, they decided to select one of them as source material for an illustration that resembles something made by a wayward, “miseducated” student on a school desk. The result vividly reflects Hill’s rustic melding of hip-hop, R&B, and reggae sounds, and her journey to find clarity in a world riven by relationships and desire. —M.R.

Big Brother and the Holding Company, ‘Cheap Thrills’

Counterculture cartoonist Robert “R.” Crumb drew the cover for the 1967 debut by Big Brother and the Holding Company, a psychedelic comic strip that tells the album’s story in each of its songs. The artist laid down the cover after watching the band from backstage at San Francisco’s Carousel Ballroom: “He really wasn’t into our music, but it didn’t matter,” drummer Dave Getz recalled. It really didn’t: Crumb still captured the wild, woolly spirit of Janis Joplin and her bandmates, even if he’d intended for what became the front cover to serve as its back sleeve. —M.J.

Ani DiFranco, ‘Up Up Up Up Up Up’

Modern folk-music icon Ani DiFranco built her enduring success on a mix of anti-capitalist commitment, aesthetic ingenuity, DIY community, and her electric charisma. You can see all of those elements in the multidimensional cover image for her 1999 album. It’s a statement of playful substance over predictable image, but even with her face pointed to the ground she still completely commands your attention. The cover photo was taken by her friend and longtime manager Scot Fisher, who helped DiFranco found the Buffalo, New York-based label Righteous Babe. “We were a mom-and-pop operation,” she recalled in a 2016 interview. “Scot was the photographer and the dude who answered the phone, and I was the graphic designer who would paint the album covers.” —J.D. 

Silkk the Shocker, ‘Charge It 2 Da Game’

The garish, maximalist, larger-than-life album covers of Pen & Pixel defined the late-Nineties CD era, when Southern rap labels like No Limit, Cash Money, and Suave House began to topple the East Coast/West Coast monopoly. Brothers Aaron and Shawn Brauch covered hundreds of album covers with their Photoshop wonderlands of luxury cars, sparkling gems, and bottles of champagne. The cover of Silkk the Shocker’s second album — jeweled lettering, gleaming pinky ring, skewed perspective, gold “Ghetto Express” card — is a classic of the form. “The longer you hold that CD cover in your hand, the more possession-oriented you become,” Shawn told Red Bull. “People would comment later, ‘Yeah, man, the album wack, but the artwork was cool.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s my job done, right?’” —C.W.

Neil Young, ‘On the Beach’

“Album covers are very important to me,” Neil Young wrote in his 2012 memoir, Waging Heavy Peace. “They put a face on the nature of the project.” This is especially true of 1974’s On the Beach, Young’s devastating rumination on Watergate, the recent breakup of his marriage, his recent albums’ commercial failure, and the overall dissolution of the Sixties dream. It’s all evident on the cover, where he’s seen standing on the Santa Monica shore, his back turned away from the camera. The tail light of a 1959 Cadillac emerges from the sand, surrounded by gaudy yellow patio furniture. The headline from a local L.A. paper reads “Sen. Buckley Calls for Nixon to Resign.” Young spontaneously purchased the items with art director Gary Burden while stoned on “dynamite” weed. —A.M.

Devo, ‘Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!’

“What we focused on was inane, mundane, dumb, mass stuff,” said Devo’s Gerald Casale to NBC. “We liked to go to Kmart and Gold Circle because it had all this discount stuff. That’s when I found, in an aisle of discontinued sports goods, the Chi Chi Rodriguez golf-ball package.” For its debut, the band wanted to use the image of the flamboyant golfer they found on a $1.99 box of balls; however, Warner Bros. lawyers intervened. They quickly found a composite photo of four U.S. presidents that Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh called “perfectly hideous” and had it airbrushed onto Rodriguez’s face. —C.W.

Frank Ocean, ‘Blonde’

The now-iconic photograph of Frank Ocean in the shower as he cups his hand over his face, his hair dyed in lime green, was the result of a lengthy 2015 collaboration between him and German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. The image plays to both men’s interest in otherness, not only as a sign of queer identity, but also as a method of presenting a distinctly iconoclastic yet public self. Ocean and Tillmans were brought together for a photo shoot by the fashion magazine Fantastic Man. Blonde introduced Tillmans, who had been documenting underground culture since the Eighties, to a new generation. It also introduced a defining image of the singer, one both invitingly mysterious and alluringly unknowable. —M.R.

Minor Threat, ‘Minor Threat’

Minor Threat epitomized American hardcore punk at its most fiercely independent. You see that spirit in the classic image of singer Ian MacKaye’s brother Alec sleeping on the steps of Dischord House, where so many of the D.C. punk kids lived and where the band ran their label. Alec’s shaved head, his scuffed work boots, his rumpled clothes, his folded arms, his punked-out exhaustion — it summed up the whole ethos of Minor Threat. The image has been a symbol of DIY realness ever since, inspiring many tributes, most famously the cover of Rancid’s 1995 …And Out Come the Wolves. No wonder corporate America wanted a piece — Nike tried to appropriate it for their bizarre 2005 “Major Threat” ad campaign, until public outrage shut it down. —R.S.

Jay-Z, ‘The Blueprint’

For The Blueprint, Jay-Z turned to Jonathan Mannion, a photographer who had shot all of Jay’s covers since his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt. Mannion took inspiration from Jocelyn Bain Hogg, a British photographer who snapped South London gangster Dave Courtney giving a lecture at Oxford Union, for his book The Firm. Mannion’s shot replicates the aerial framing, finding Jay-Z looking away from the camera, holding court over a group of minions only identified by their shoes. Designer Jason Noto of Def Jam’s in-house creative department the Drawing Board cast the entire image in faded blues and grays. In 2021, Jay sued Mannion over prints the photographer sold from their many sessions. The two settled out of court in 2023. —M.R.

Taylor Swift, ‘Folklore’

Taylor Swift stepped back from her songs on her eighth album: “I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I’ve never met, people I’ve known, or those I wish I hadn’t,” she posted upon Folklore’s release in 2020. Its striking monochromatic cover — a departure from the candy-coated Lover front, and the first collaboration between Swift and photographer Beth Garrabrant — is similarly situated in the wide world, with the coat-clad singer seeming tiny amid mist-cloaked trees and mossy terrain, gazing upward with a pondering expression. —M.J.   

Shakira, ‘Dónde Están los Ladrones?’

After wrapping up her 1997 Pies Descalzos Tour, Shakira landed in Bogotá, Columbia, to discover her briefcase had been stolen … and in it, the songs she’d written for her next album. She’d decidedly named her 1998 record “Dónde Están los Ladrones?” or “Where Are the Thieves?” — and conceptualized the theft as an allegory for thefts of all kinds, including that of Columbia by corrupt politicians, drug lords, and paramilitaries, during what’s since been described as the “Dirty Wars.” Shot against a statement hot pink, Shakira posed for her album cover donning edgy purple braids, with extended dirt-covered palms. “The dirty hands represent the shared guilt,” she said of her cover. “No one is completely clean.… In the end, we are all accomplices.” —S.E.

King Crimson, ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’

King Crimson knew they were onto something big when they pieced together “21st Century Schizoid Man,” the snarling, sweeping portrait of an unraveling collective consciousness that would open their 1969 debut LP. And when artist Barry Godber dropped by London’s Wessex Studios to show them the cover painting that lyricist Peter Sinfield had commissioned, they knew they’d found the perfect visual counterpart. “This fucking face screamed up from the floor, and what it said to us was ‘schizoid man’ — the very track we’d been working on,” bassist-vocalist Greg Lake later recalled. Pairing the image with lyrics like “Blood rack, barbed wire/Politicians’ funeral pyre/Innocents raped with napalm fire,” it’s hardly a leap to imagine the cover figure looking on in horror at the atrocities the song describes. —H.S.

Weyes Blood, ‘Titanic Rising’

On the cover of Titanic Rising, Natalie Mering — the California singer-songwriter who records as Weyes Blood — appears inside an eerie deep-sea installation, hovering between a brass bed and a white wicker desk, with posters adorning the walls. The image perfectly captures the themes of Titanic Rising: millennial doom, the climate crisis, the isolation of technology, and water itself. “This bullshit initiation into culture — for most young people in the Westernized world, it’s their bedroom,” she told Rolling Stone. “They hang up posters of their favorite celebrities and their favorite movies, and they formulate these ideas about life and what life should be like, and what they want. And it’s all an incubation of capitalist bullshit. But it’s still very sacred.” —A.M.

Lil Wayne, ‘Tha Carter III’

“I’m going to be so honest with you: I don’t know Tha Carter III, Tha Carter II, Tha Carter One from Tha Carter IV. And that’s just my God’s honest truth,” Lil Wayne told RS last year. “I believe that [God] blessed me with this amazing mind, but would not give [me] an amazing memory to remember this amazing shit.” Fair enough. But the cover of Tha Carter III, Wayne’s best album, is unforgettable. Rappers have made iconic album artwork using baby photos before — think Ready to Die, Illmatic — but Wayne took it a step further, giving Baby Weezy a diamond pinky ring and some facial ink, for an image that summed up the unstoppable, no-fucks-given charm that made him a superstar. “We wanted to bring something new to it,” art director Scott Sandler said. “What if we put the tats on the baby?” —A.M.

New York Dolls, ‘New York Dolls’

Rolling Stone’s review of the New York Dolls’ 1973 self-titled debut refers to the punk pioneers as “mutant children of the hydrogen age.” This comes across perfectly on the album cover, which shows the androgynous quartet slumped together on a couch, slathered in makeup and hairspray. It was created by Vogue photographer Toshi Matsuo after the Dolls nixed a plan by their label to shoot them near vintage dolls in an antique shop, sans makeup. “That couch we were sitting on, we found that on the street and brought it up,” said guitarist Sylvain Sylvain. “We put the white fabric on it — I remember tacking it on.” The look was so ahead of its time that imitators wouldn’t come along until hair metal arrived a decade later. —A.G.

The Smiths, ‘The Queen Is Dead’

Throughout the Smiths’ feverishly productive run in the mid-Eighties, lead singer Morrissey selected photo stills depicting midcentury movies and pop-culture moments for their singles and albums. His pick for the Smith’s third album, The Queen Is Dead, may be their most iconic: an image of French superstar Alain Delon in the film L’Insoumis, lying in distress. The concept of this beautifully handsome yet controversially macho star — the Brad Pitt of the Sixties — as a “queen” nods toward Morrissey’s subversive sense of humor. The layout, handled by Rough Trade’s Caryn Gough, casts the photo in shades of dark green, making Delon appear as a doomed royal in their death throes. —M.R.

Tyler, the Creator, ‘Igor’

The cover for Tyler, the Creator’s fifth solo album is striking in its minimalism: a pained close-up of the California-born polymath combined with a typewriter-font assertion that he was responsible for all the album’s sonics, and a salmon backdrop that feels aggressive despite its pastel hue. Igor further established Tyler as an artist willing to push himself into new realms, and the cover announces that to anyone flipping through a collection. “We work well together because I believe in what he wants to create,” photographer Luis “Pancho” Perez, who worked with Tyler to create the cover, told Complex in 2019. “Nothing has really changed his confidence in himself.” —M.J.

Radiohead, ‘Kid A’

At the close of the 20th century, Radiohead were an acclaimed British rock band desperate to be anything else. That jittery unease fueled the artwork that Thom Yorke created with his old friend Stanley Donwood, riffing on ancient mythology and paranoid dreams in late-night sessions. “There was an air of chaos suddenly, and that was really fun,” Yorke told Rolling Stone years later. The cover they chose for Kid A has all the unsettling intensity of the music Yorke was making with his bandmates: an icy, forbidding mountain range, like something out of a digital nightmare. “It was almost a dark fairyland,” Donwood said. “A very lonely, cold, and quiet place, apart from the punctuations of terrible war.” —S.V.L.

Blur, ‘Parklife’

Designers Rob O’Connor and Chris Thompson took to London’s streets for inspiration as they were brainstorming a cover for what would go on to be Blur’s era-defining 1994 album. While peering in the window of a betting lounge for sports-related ideas, they found a concept that had bite: “We centered in on the greyhounds,” Blur guitarist Graham Coxon told Brit-pop chronicler Dylan Jones in 2022’s Faster Than a Cannonball, “because they had an aggressiveness we liked. We chose the ones with the most teeth. They look deranged, just longing to kill, and there’s a bizarre look in their faces. You just don’t get that look with a footballer — well, maybe a little bit.” The image of racing dogs underscored the hunger of the best Brit-pop, and set Blur apart from their more glam-minded peers. —M.J.

Willie Nelson, ‘Red Headed Stranger’

On his legendary 1975 opus, Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson tells the tale of a preacher on the run after killing his own child and unfaithful wife. Nelson stepped into the role of an outlaw on the cover (designed by Monica White), which showed his unruly image framed in the style of a ‘Wanted’ poster. Red Headed Stranger was country music’s first concept album, a watershed for the outlaw-country movement that included Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, and its cover went a long way toward creating the subgenre’s rough-hewn iconography.  —G.M.

Billie Eilish, ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’

Just like the music, the cover of Bille Eilish’s classic debut drops you right into her creepy-crawly teenage nightmares. Photographer Kenneth Cappello collaborated with Eilish on a 12-hour shoot, ending up with a deeply unsettling shot of Eilish sitting on bed, her eyes entirely white, pupils obscured. Eilish brought in sketches of her inspirations for the cover, which included the Babadook. (“I got so much inspiration from The Babadook,” she told Rolling Stone in 2019.) “She’s all in,” Cappello told MTV News. “Those wide eyes? Those aren’t in post, those are contacts. She goes all in on everything.”

FKA Twigs, ‘LP1’

The hauntingly plastic visage of British musician FKA Twigs dominates the cover of LP1, a bizarre representation of her disturbingly mutant electronic pop. It was constructed by Jesse Kanda, who met her via his longtime friend and collaborator Arca. “We did the front cover for her album in my room, with my shitty lights, and no people running around. I have the most control when I do everything myself,” he told Dazed in 2014. He sculpted a photograph of her using 3D technology, manipulating and warping the image, then painted over the results. Longtime XL Recordings art director Phil Lee and Twigs collaborated on the aquamarine blue design that spotlighted Kanda’s imagery. In 2015, the cover earned a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package. —M.R.

Grace Jones, ‘Nightclubbing’

The famous Nightclubbing photo of Grace Jones dressed in an Armani suit, a cigarette dangling from her lips, was the culmination of a tempestuous personal and professional relationship between her and photographer Jean-Paul Goude. The image seemed as much a cheeky New Wave commentary on corporate Eighties style as an exercise in gender-bending fashion. But despite observers’ claims (and criticism) of how Goude crafted and manipulated her image, Jones has always asserted that she was in control of the process. “Jean-Paul would say, later…that he had created me,” she wrote in her 2015 autobiography, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs. “I knew that wasn’t the case, that I was creating myself before I met him.”–M.R.

R.E.M., ‘Murmur’

Lots of Southern bands had used pastoral imagery on their album covers to underscore their music’s down-home difference. R.E.M. flipped the script with the cover of their debut, Murmur. The front image shows a goth-y woods overrun by kudzu — a weed that grows so fast it covers and kills any plant in its way. The back image is of a disused train trestle near the band’s hometown of Athens, Georgia. Taken together, it was a perfect reflection of the band’s mysterious, enveloping sound. The “Murmur Trestle” immediately became part of local lore, defended by R.E.M. fans when it was approved for demolition in 2019. “Why do they need to preserve it?” said photographer Sandra-Lee Phipps, who took both photos. “It was just done randomly. Somehow it ended up mattering to people.” —J.D.

Van Halen, ‘1984’

When Warner Bros. designer Margo Nahas heard Van Halen’s original concept for the cover of their sixth LP — four dancing women made out of chrome — she quickly passed. (Already a seasoned illustrator of chrome, she “couldn’t imagine doing all the reflections,” she later said.) But when her husband, fellow designer Jay Vigon, brought her portfolio to the band, they were instantly drawn to her now-iconic painting of an angelic baby grinning and holding a smoke, which she’d modeled off a friend’s son. “I took a picture of him, took him candy cigarettes, which he proceeded to eat, every single one, after a brief tantrum, of course,” Nahas recalled in 2020. The impish yet innocent image encapsulated the lovable mischief of the band’s “Hot for Teacher” era. —H.S.

Lorde, ‘Melodrama’

For her highly-anticipated sophomore album, Lorde crafted a delicate cover that evoked Melodrama’s emotional heft. Painted by the Brooklyn artist Sam McKinnis — whom Lorde connected with via a fangirling email — and inspired by an image that McKinnis had made riffing on the cover of Prince’s Purple Rain, the cover is based on a photograph McKinnis took of Lorde as she lay in bed. Drenched in the shadows of a moody, electric blue that could swatch a dance floor or the walls of a club bathroom, with warm cracks of daybreak creeping on Lorde’s cheek, the image depicts her in the morning after a night of dancing with “all the heartache and treason” she sang about on the album. —M.G.

Marvin Gaye, ‘Here, My Dear’

There are breakup albums, and then there’s Here, My Dear, Marvin Gaye’s brutally honest unpacking of his in-progress divorce from his first wife, Anna Gordy. The serene front cover shows Gaye depicted as a Roman statue, standing in front of a lavish temple — its cornerstone bearing the inscription “Love and Marriage” — next to a sculpture of embracing lovers. But by the time you see the back-cover image, the sculpture and the temple have caught fire and are actively crumbling, and the inscription on the building now reads “Pain and Divorce.” If all that weren’t bleak enough, on the inner sleeve, we see a couple’s hands engaged in a Monopoly-like board game, with all their earthly possessions at stake between them, and the scales of justice looming ominously in the background. —H.S.

DJ Shadow, ‘Endtroducing’

DJ Shadow’s 1996 debut LP was constructed almost entirely out of samples, a love letter to funky, crackly old vinyl that was released into a world where most record stores only sold CDs. The cover image shows two of Shadow’s buddies from the Bay Area hip-hop label SoulSides, producer Chief Xcel and rapper Lyrics Born, going through the stacks at Records, a local institution (now closed) that billed itself as “a speciality shop dealing in out-of-print phonograph records.” As Shadow said of the store in the documentary Scratch, “Just being in here is a humbling experience because you’re looking through all these records, and it’s sort of like a big pile of broken dreams, in a way.” —J.D.

Sonny Rollins, ‘Way Out West’

“I was really living out my Lone Ranger thing,” Sonny Rollins said in 2009, reflecting on his Western-themed classic Way Out West. He wanted a cover that evoked the Westerns he grew up on, so photographer William Claxton suggested they pick up a ten-gallon hat, a holster, and a steer’s skull and head to the Mojave Desert, where he shot Rollins holding his saxophone and staring down the camera like a hardened cowboy. Some were critical of what they saw as the photo’s hokey premise and incorrectly assumed that Rollins was pressured into it. “Many people thought wrongly over the years that I was asked to pose that way or that the material was forced on me, because California was thought to be a movie place and a commercial place,” he said. “Not true. I was given complete control.” —H.S.

Janet Jackson, ‘The Velvet Rope’

With its themes of self-care, depression, and the then-taboo exploration of Black female queerness, The Velvet Rope may be Janet Jackson’s most intimate full-length work. Ironically, its cover depicts her clothed, not topless as on the Patrick Demarchelier-photographed shot on her previous album, 1993’s Janet. Photographer Ellen von Unwerth captured Jackson dressed in a black turtleneck with her head pointed downward. Meanwhile, the deep-red background tipped her audience to the burning emotions inside Jackson, as if she’s struggling to get it all out. (The interior photographs, shot by von Unwerth and Mario Testino, are more risqué.) “You know people they still ask me about it,” said von Unwerth of the enigmatic cover. “It became more iconic in a way.” —M.R.

My Bloody Valentine, ‘Loveless’

Swoosh-y abstraction was a go-to look for turn-of-the-Nineties shoegaze bands like Ride, Slowdive, and Swervedriver. But those bands usually worked in moody blues and grays. My Bloody Valentine’s choice of hot pink (a color you were more likely to see on a Poison record) for the cover of their 1990 masterpiece Loveless grabbed your eye with a look as undeniably loud as the band’s stomach-rattling guitar swells. MBV mastermind Kevin Shields and visual artist Angus Cameron collaborated on the image, taking a screengrab of Shields’ hands on his guitar from the band’s Cameron-directed “Too Shallow” video and turning it into a blur of radiant abstraction. —J.D.

Beastie Boys, ‘Licensed to Ill’

The cover of the Beastie Boys’ debut is as brash and playfully referential as the Beasties’ sound. Producer Rick Rubin got the idea for the cover — a Boeing 727 with a Beastie Boys logo and a tail number that, viewed in the mirror, says “eat me” — while reading through the Led Zeppelin bio Hammer of the Gods and spying a photo of the band’s private jet. “I wanted to embrace and somehow distinguish,” he said in the book 100 Best Album Covers, “in a sarcastic way, the larger than life rock & roll lifestyle.” Artists Stephen Byram and World B. Omes crafted the gatefold cover with a surprise in mind — at first it looks almost majestic, but when seen in full, the plane is revealed to have crashed, its front end crumpled. The resulting image provides another layer of irony: The plane, many have noted, looks like a joint smashed in an ashtray.

Joni Mitchell, ‘Hejira’

Joni Mitchell wrote Hejira while traveling cross-country, so she could have slapped a photo of an open road on the cover and called it a day. Instead, it was only the beginning. The sleek road sits inside a black-and-white Norman Seeff portrait of Mitchell, “haunted, like a Bergman figure,” wearing a beret and holding a cigarette. Around 14 photos were used for the cover and sleeves — including figure skater Toller Cranston out on the ice, to complete the wintry vibe — and an airbrush was used to make the images on the cover look like one cohesive illustration. The effort paid off, creating a beautifully intricate album cover to represent delicate tracks like “Amelia” and “Song for Sharon.” Looking back, Mitchell said it’s her favorite cover of hers: “A lot of work went into that.” —A.M.

Sonic Youth, ‘Goo’

Sonic Youth’s long run as the official band of America’s avant-garde art scene means that their catalog is full of iconic images, like Daydream Nation’s Gerhard Richter candle painting and Dirty’s Mike Kelley rag doll. But none are as enduring as the black-and-white sketch that SoCal punk legend Raymond Pettibon contributed to Goo. The pair of impossibly cool young sociopaths and their neo-noir tale of sex and death have been endlessly memed since then, but back in 1990, they made execs at the band’s new major-label home nervous — which was kind of the point. “That was so important at the time,” Lee Ranaldo later told biographer David Browne. “In a way, we were still in that world … that our ‘scene’ was making.” —S.V.L.

Rosalía, ‘El Mal Querer’

Rosalía tapped a longtime internet friend, the Spanish Croatian artist Filip Ćustić, to conceive what he’s described as a “visual universe” for her 2018 flamenco-pop masterwork, El Mal Querer. The two chatted over Whatsapp to devise an image for each track that would “update Spanish imagery to the 21st century.” In consistency with the record’s theme, Ćustić depicts Rosalía as an ethereal queen of the seraphs, a symbol of the divine feminine, liberated from the tyranny of a controlling man. “She emerges naked from the heavens, as if she were a goddess more than a virgin, saying, ‘This is me, and this has been my learning process,’” explained Ćustić in Spanish newspaper El Pais. —S.E.

Lana Del Rey, ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’

On the cover of her sixth album, Lana Del Rey seems to be pulling us into her world of deconstructed American myths, as she clings to the Kennedy-esque figure of Jack Nicholson’s grandson Duke Nicholson. From its oil-painted blue sky to Del Rey’s bright-green nylon jacket, the image’s retro-modern feel perfectly reflects the way the music inside offers her own 2010s vision of fading Laurel Canyon glory. The cover photo was taken by Del Rey’s sister, Caroline “Chuck” Grant, who has collaborated with the singer on a number of music videos and photo shoots (including a 2023 cover of Rolling Stone UK). “She captures what I consider to be the visual equivalent of what I do sonically,” Del Rey said in a 2014 interview. —G.M.

T. Rex, ‘Electric Warrior’

Few rock sleeves feel as purposefully barren as the Electric Warrior cover, which finds glam god Marc Bolan suspended, along with his guitar and amp, in what might as well be an interstellar void. Using a live-image shot by Kieron Murphy, Hipgnosis designers Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell added a striking gold halo that helped turn Bolan into a visual icon at precisely the point when he was completing his metamorphosis from flower-child folkie to consummate rock & roll dandy. “Black and gold, the metal guru in full force,” Beck once wrote of one of his favorite album-art specimens. “This is what we want a rock cover to look like.” —H.S.

A Tribe Called Quest, ‘The Low End Theory’

The cover of A Tribe Called Quest’s second album features an unnamed model photographed by Joe Grant. She’s kneeling in black shadows, her body covered in green and red paint. It’s partly inspired by Ohio Players’ memorable 1970s run of covers that depicted women in freaky and suggestive positions. “I wanted a white background for the shot, but they flipped it and made it black,” said group leader Q-Tip in the 2005 book Rakim Told Me. All of the Low End Theory’s visual elements, from the woman in body paint to the red-black-green color scheme reminiscent of the Pan-African flag, became defining elements for Tribe moving forward, and a signature for their deep-rooted and jazz-inflected bohemian sound. —M.R.

Björk, ‘Homogenic’

The making of Homogenic was a fraught time for Björk, as she adjusted to a new level of global fame and the suicide of Ricardo López, a disturbed fan who mailed a letter bomb to her London home. After spotting a striking fashion photo created by photographer Nick Knight and designer Alexander McQueen, she enlisted them to sum up the various emotional currents in her life in an arresting hyperreal portrait. The blend of cultural elements — a Japanese kimono, a European manicure, Maasai neck rings, and a Hopi “butterfly whorl” hairstyle — reflected Björk’s perception of herself as a global citizen. As she later said: “We were trying to make this person that was under a lot of restraint, like long manicure, neckpiece, headpiece, contact lenses — still trying to keep the strength.” —H.S.

Judas Priest, ‘British Steel’

Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton put in his time at the British Steel Corporation, working for the steel producer for five years before his band — who produce a different kind of heavy metal — decided to name their sixth album, British Steel. The title clicked with art director Rosław Szaybo and photographer Bob Elsdale, who created a giant razor blade out of aluminum with the band’s logo on it. Szaybo volunteered to hold it for the shot. “A lot of people looked at it and were really quite horrified,” Elsdale told Revolver. “The edges of the blade seemed to be cutting into Rosław’s flesh, because he was really gripping it quite hard. But that wasn’t the case — it actually had blunt edges. It wasn’t bloody, but it had an element of drama.” —K.G.

Sleater-Kinney, ‘The Hot Rock’

“It’s a labyrinthine record,” Carrie Brownstein wrote of Sleater-Kinney’s fourth LP, The Hot Rock, in her memoir, “sad, fractious, not a victory lap, but speaking to uncertainty.” Following up on their 1997 breakthrough, Dig Me Out, Brownstein, Corin Tucker, and Janet Weiss were working through interpersonal struggles while facing more scrutiny than ever before. The cover photo by Marina Chavez, showing the band standing on a Portland, Oregon, street corner, captures that heavy energy: Tucker and Weiss each stare toward the curb, the drummer looking almost trepidatious, while Brownstein holds up her hand, hailing a cab, her face bearing a disgruntled expression. Like the jewel thieves in the 1972 heist film that gave the album its name, the trio had no choice but to get a move on and meet their moment. —H.S.

David Bowie, ‘Diamond Dogs’

David Bowie closed out his glam era with the decadent apocalyptic excess of Diamond Dogs, a concept album set in a crumbling America of the future. “When we got to Diamond Dogs,” he later said, “that was when it was out of control.” The deranged spirit extended to its cover, designed by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert, which depicted Bowie as a grotesque half-man/half-dog, including genitals on his twisted body. Bowie’s pose on the cover was inspired by a 1926 photo of singer Josephine Baker. Just as the album was ready to get shipped to retailers, Bowie’s record label pulled the cover and had it airbrushed into something less offensive. Some copies did make it out, and Diamond Dogs remains the most provocative album cover of Bowie’s career. —G.M.

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With his debut mixtape, ‘Lil Boat,’ Lil Yachty fully shed the mumble rap label, transitioning from SoundCloud sensation to major label star.

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Lil Yachty’s debut mixtape, Lil Boat , is one of the pre-eminent releases of the SoundCloud era. Released on March 9, 2016, it made Lil Yachty a star, spawned multiple hits, and further legitimized the DIY-style rap that emerged at the beginning of the decade.

The Atlanta MC entered the crowded rapper-singer fray with a work that’s split into two distinct sides, seeing him grapple with dueling elements of his personality and career. The first half of Lil Boat sees Yachty flex his flow, while the second half finds him crooning in AutoTune. That may be a slightly reductive way to look at the collection (in reality, he does both throughout), but there’s certainly a kind of TI vs TIP split-personality concept to the whole affair. Yachty uses his style to demarcate who is who, and, despite his glee throughout, Lil Boat is a surprisingly subtle work for the chaotic time it represents.

Listen to the best of Lil Yachty on Apple Music and Spotify.

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Yachty’s debut mixtape is a standout work for the usual reasons – great name, great cover, and two singles that will forever be associated with Yachty and the era from which he emerged: “One Night” and “Minnesota.”

As a title, Lil Boat was perfect. Serving two purposes at once, it created a fitting alt.moniker for the MC while helping a lot of people to pronounce his name (did you actually say it like “yacht”?). Nautical luxury isn’t the most commonly-evoked lifestyle in hip-hop (outside of Puffy), so that theme alone was enough to put Yachty in his own lane. And then there’s the artwork: not a yacht, barely even a boat; it’s basically a little wooden dinghy. Beautifully composed, the image looks like a classical painting, bordered in a red that matches Yachty’s hair. It’s almost Americana in tone – though Yachty’s music is anything but.

All hail “King Of The Youth”

Yachty may be poised and confident on that cover, but he’s also lost in the gloom at sea – an apt metaphor for the musical style he was leading. While not traditional in any sense, Yachty is honest with his emotions in a way that younger generations have always been, and Lil Boat found him attempting to navigate his way through the emotionally turbulent years of his late youth. Shortly after his breakout, Yachty would declare himself “King Of Teens” or, alternatively, “King Of The Youth.” This might have sounded ridiculous to adults who weren’t even sure how to pronounce his name, but those adults were no longer in charge. Lil Yachty was not part of some hip-hop assembly line; like other DIY pioneers before him, Yachty and his crew were making these songs at home, often in a matter of minutes.

Outside of the Vikings football team and Ice Cube ’s “What Can I Do?,” Minnesota doesn’t get name-checked very often in hip-hop. Simply naming a track after a state was seemingly in line with the aforementioned “half-Americana, half trolling” theme of Lil Boat – but, of course, the song isn’t actually about Minnesota. It’s more of a celebration of Lil Yachty’s arrival on the scene. The draw and significance of having both Quavo and Young Thug on a song in 2016 is hard to overstate, and their guest appearances turned “Minnesota” into a certified-gold hit. At the time, Quavo was just months away from releasing “Bad And Boujee,” while Thug was fresh off Barter 6 and in the middle of his Slime Season run. Together, he and Yachty appeared at Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 fashion show, on February 11, where The Life Of Pablo received its public unveiling. Just two days after releasing his debut mixtape, Yachty was at the epicenter of one of hip-hop’s biggest cultural shifts.

Unprecedented moves

Lil Boat was big enough that Burberry Perry – Yachty’s right-hand man at the time and the producer behind most of the mixtape – came under pressure from the fashion label Burberry and was forced to change his name. That wasn’t exactly an unprecedented move, but the speed with which it happened certainly was. It’s not often that an internationally renowned fashion house serves a cease-and-desist to a kid who got famous on the internet and was barely old enough to vote.

Perry’s production on Lil Boat ’s lead single, “One Night’ (Yachty’s best-known song to date), guided the way for the rest of the collection. Even the beats he didn’t produce fall right in line, all cascading bells, and whistles alongside keys that let you hear Yachty’s grin throughout.

Lil Yachty’s emergence closely resembles that of the Odd Future collective, who, years earlier, more or less launched DIY rap on the internet (depending on how you view Lil B’s rise to fame). Seemingly overnight, Yachty was partnering with Urban Outfitters and the aptly titled Nautica clothing brand. His rapid ascent would have sounded like fan fiction just a few years earlier but, after his breakout, many artists began following his path to fame on a regular basis.

Having hit it big in such a short space of time, Yachty wasn’t about to slow down. He went on to guest (and absolutely steal the show) on “Broccoli,” a DRAM song with a Yachty-perfect beat. As one of the stars in Quality Control ’s shining roster, Yachty was operating alongside some of the biggest acts in hip-hop. With Lil Boat, he fully shed the “mumble rap” label, completing the transition from SoundCloud sensation to major label star.

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Lil Yachty Surprises With New Solo Cut "Let's Get On Dey Ass"

Enlisting the concrete boys for the music video..

It’s been a minute since Lil Yachty has dropped off a solo release – aside from last month’s Minions -associated “Lil Mega Minion.” Fresh off his James Blake collab tape Bad Cameo and with the Concrete Boys continuing to cement their spot in the mainstream rap ether, Yachty has unleashed his first studio single since “A Cold Sunday,” a high-octane offering dubbed “Let’s Get On Dey Ass.”

Backed by a Cardo and Kyuro-produced beat, “Let’s Get On Dey Ass” sounds like old Yachty, finding the rapper spitting rapid bars in an uninterrupted flow, infused with many monosyllabic adlibs.

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How Lil Yachty Got His Second Act

By Jeff Ihaza

Until the pandemic, Lil Yachty never stopped to think about how quickly he became famous. “It was a full year from walking across the stage in high school to then I’m in this penthouse in midtown Atlanta , I got this G-wagon, put my mother in a house,” Yachty explains. “It’s a fast life. You not ever getting the chance to think about a lot of shit.”

Yachty’s 2016 hit “Minnesota,” which had the treacly energy of a nursery rhyme, earned the then-17-year-old the title “King of the Teens.” But since then, he’s become an elder statesman of a certain brand of young superstar — and something like the Gen Z answer to Diddy. He collaborated with brands like Nautica and Target; he appeared in the movie How High 2 ; he signed an endorsement deal with Sprite. Signees to his new label imprint, Concrete Boys, even get an iced-out chain.

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Born Miles Parks McCollum, Yachty embodies many of the ways the music industry has changed in the past decade. He rose to fame on the internet and commands attention with or without new music. Over Zoom in March, he’s calm and reserved, pausing intently before he responds to questions. The youthful exuberance is still there, though. At one point, his mom, who lives nearby, calls to ask what he wants from the grocery store. “I need Pop-Tarts,” he says sweetly. “I really want them cinnamon-bun Pop-Tarts.”

He can afford lots of Pop-Tarts. Yachty reportedly made $13 million on endorsements in 2016 and 2017. (“Work hard, play hard,” he responds when asked about the number.) He spends more than $50,000 a month on various expenses, according to one recent headline. (“If anything I pay a little more. I have many assets and insurance, plus an elaborate payroll.”) He’s working on a Reese’s Puffs cereal collaboration, a film based on the card game Uno, and he was one of the first rappers to hop on the crypto craze, selling something called a “YachtyCoin” last December in an auction on the platform Nifty Gateway. According to a report from Coinbase, the token sold for $16,050. Yachty explains that when he was first discovered by Quality Control records founder Kevin “Coach K” Lee, “one of the biggest things he talked about was being a brand. Being bigger than just an artist — being a mogul.” 

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In fact, collaboration has come to be a useful tool for Yachty as he sheds the King of the Teens title for something more akin to a rap mogul. “I only work with people I have friendships with, who I really admire,” Yachty says. “And I love working with newer artists, up-and-coming artists.”  Within the world of hip-hop, Yachty has found for himself somewhere between a megastar and internet hero, and it would appear that he’s just settling in. “I just fuck with new talent. Not even like, ‘let me sign you, get under my wing,’ ” he explains. “Just ‘hey, I’ve been in this spot before. I know what that’s like, bada bing, bada boom.’ ”

Yachty started Concrete Boys last year. One of the first signees was his childhood friend Draft Day, who offers one of the more exciting features on Lil Boat 3, on the cut “Demon Time.” “I feel old sometimes,” Yachty admits. “I feel old as fuck when someone’s popping and I don’t know who they are. Which is rare, because I be on my shit.”

Yachty is also at the forefront of a new realm of social platforms, namely Twitch and Discord, that engender more direct communication within communities. Yachty frequently talks directly to fans on both platforms, and in April he collaborated with Discord on “sound packs,” which allowed users to replace the app’s normal notifications with sounds he created. 

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I ask Yachty where he sees himself in five years. “Hopefully, a really successful actor,” he responds. “And with a bangin’ eight pack. I’ll probably cut my hair up, maybe a little beard. Real sex-symbol shit, you know what I’m saying?” For Yachty, who opened the door to a new brand of celebrity rapper, it doesn’t register as wishful thinking. His enduring celebrity is proof of what’s possible with a solid flow and internet savvy. “I just want to do everything. Because I’ve realized I can,” Yachty explains. “I’ve learned the power I have. The only thing stopping me is me, for real.”

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The Best Lil Yachty Songs

Lil Yachty, an innovative force in modern hip-hop, has undeniably transformed the music landscape with his vibrant style and unique approach. Bursting onto the scene from Atlanta, his infectious tunes and playful persona quickly captivated a global audience. Known for his striking cherry-red hair and catchy anthems, Yachty's rise to fame is the epitome of the viral success story. From his breakout SoundCloud hit "One Night" to collaborations with heavyweights like DRAM in the track "Broccoli," Yachty's career is a thrilling blend of immense talent and whimsical charm.

Diving into Lil Yachty's discography is like embarking on a spirited voyage through hip-hop's most colorful waters. His debut mixtape Lil Boat set the tone with a nautical theme, blending fun, irreverence, and heartfelt introspection. The Atlanta native's catalogue showcases a spectrum of the genre, from the buoyant rhythms of his earlier work to more experimental ventures.

One of the Lil Yachty's best songs is undoubtedly "Broccoli." This chart-topping collaboration with DRAM is a testament to Yachty’s knack for crafting feel-good anthems. Another exceptional track is "Oprah’s Bank Account," featuring the mega-stars Drake and DaBaby, which exemplifies his ability to seamlessly blend humor with catchy beats. These tracks, alongside others like "Poland," paint a vivid picture of why Yachty's music remains so beloved and enduring.

Lil Yachty’s best songs are more than just a roundup - they are a journey through the multifaceted landscape of contemporary music. His work reflects the energetic spirit of Atlanta’s hip-hop scene while pushing the boundaries of the genre. From crowd-pleasing hits to experimental detours, Yachty’s musical output is a testament to his creative versatility and enduring appeal.

drive ME crazy

Album: Let's Start Here

Why It's Great: "drive ME crazy!" epitomizes Lil Yachty’s innovative flair, blending introspective lyrics with captivating beats. This track captures an ethereal vibe that transports listeners through its lush instrumentals and hypnotic rhythms. Diana Gordon's soulful vocals add depth, creating an intoxicating blend that showcases Yachty's versatility and emotional range. This song stands out for its unique soundscape, effortlessly combining alternative and indie elements that resonate with fans and new listeners alike.

Yacht Club (featuring Juice WRLD)

Album: Nuthin' 2 Prove

Why It's Great: "Yacht Club" features Lil Yachty at his best, delivering cheeky, playful lyrics with a catchy, smooth flow that resonates effortlessly. With Juice WRLD alongside him, the song boasts a vibrant, club-ready vibe that embodies the carefree, exuberant spirit Yachty is known for.

Magic in the Hamptons (Social House featuring Lil Yachty)

Album: Magic in the Hamptons

Why It's Great: "Magic in the Hamptons," a standout track by Social House featuring Lil Yachty , encapsulates a breezy, feel-good vibe perfect for any summer playlist. Yachty's playful verse seamlessly blends with the groovy beats and upbeat tempo, highlighting his signature melodic flow. The lyrics capture the euphoria of young love, making it a timeless anthem.

A Cold Sunday

Album: Something Ether

Why It's Great: "A Cold Sunday" captures the quintessential vibe of Yachty's artistry with its hauntingly introspective lyrics and minimalist beats, creating a raw, emotional atmosphere. The song's reflective theme of battling inner demons amid fame showcases Yachty's lyrical depth. Its resonating melody paired with a pulsating rhythm encapsulates his unique blend of vulnerability and sonic innovation.

Album: Lil Boat 3

Why It's Great: "Coffin," a standout track, blends punchy 808s and swaggering lyrics to showcase Lil Yachty's undeniable talent and distinct style. The song captures his braggadocious charm and confident flow, painting vivid pictures of luxury. Its infectious beat and hypnotic rhythm make it a fan favorite, epitomizing Yachty's ability to craft memorable anthems that resonate deeply with listeners and highlight his eclectic musical vision.

Broccoli (DRAM featuring Lil Yachty)

Album: Big Baby DRAM

Why It's Great: "Broccoli" is a lively and enchanting track by DRAM featuring Lil Yachty. Seamlessly blending hip hop with whimsical, buoyant beats, its catchy flute melodies and playful lyrics stand out. Lil Yachty's vibrant contributions add a charming dynamic, further enhancing the song's upbeat vibe. "Broccoli" exemplifies DRAM's unique musical artistry, making it an essential track that captivates with its infectious energy.

Flex Up (featuring Future & Playboi Carti)

Why It's Great: "Flex Up" showcases a pulsating collaboration of Lil Yachty with Future and Playboi Carti. The track's raw, energetic beats, combined with its flex-heavy lyrics, make it a standout in Yachty's discography. The song captures the trio's lavish lifestyles through catchy hooks and high-octane verses, while its infectious chorus adds an anthemic quality. This masterpiece highlights each artist's unique flair, solidifying its status as a fan favorite.

From The D To The A (Tee Grizzley featuring Lil Yachty)

Album: From the D to the A

Why It's Great: "From the D to the A" stands out as an exemplary collaboration between Tee Grizzley and Lil Yachty, showcasing Yachty's versatile flow and distinct artistic flair. The track's hard-hitting beat and memorable lyrical exchanges highlight Yachty's knack for dynamic deliveries and clever wordplay. Its immersive, high-energy vibe perfectly encapsulates the essence of modern hip-hop, making it a must-listen for fans of both artists.

Album: Poland

Why It's Great: "Poland" epitomizes the best Lil Yachty songs with its hypnotic blend of cyber-vibrato vocals and synth-heavy production. The song’s memorable hook, “I took the wock to Poland" is a reference to Wockhardt , a company that makes a cough syrup sometimes used in lean. Yachty’s playful, yet emotionally nuanced delivery showcases his ability to innovate within the genre, making "Poland" a standout track in his discography.

Album: stayinit

Why It's Great: "stayinit" showcases a masterful blend of vibrant beats and introspective lyrics, embodying Lil Yachty’s distinct ability to meld emotional depth with infectious energy. Immersed in a captivating sonic landscape crafted by Fred Again and Overmono, "stayinit" gives raw honesty about life's imperfections, and coupled with its pulsating electronic rhythms, it underscores Yachty’s versatility.

Oprah's Bank Account (featuring DaBaby & Drake)

Why It's Great: "Oprah's Bank Account" brilliantly showcases Lil Yachty's innovative artistry, melding playful lyrics with a catchy, vibe-heavy beat. With memorable lines like "Diamond in the rough, you look as good as Oprah's bank account," this track highlights his unique ability to blend humor and hip-hop seamlessly. The collaboration with DaBaby and Drake adds layers of dynamic flows, making this song a standout example of Lil Yachty’s creative range and appeal.

Album: Lil Boat 2

Why It's Great: "66," featuring Trippie Redd, stands out as a quintessential track showcasing Lil Yachty's melodic ingenuity. This ambient masterpiece pulses with an ethereal beat that complements Yachty's effortlessly smooth flow and Trippie Redd's distinctive vocal flair. Its laid-back, atmospheric vibe underscores why "66" is a fan favorite, encapsulating the artist's unique ability to merge introspective themes with infectious rhythms.

Pardon Me (featuring Future & Mike WiLL Made-It)

Why It's Great: "Pardon Me" stands out as a dynamic collaboration. Future’s swagger pairs seamlessly with Lil Yachty’s playful yet assertive delivery, while Mike WiLL Made-It’s production intensifies the track’s vibe. This song exemplifies the artist's unique ability to fuse mainstream appeal with his distinctive quirky style, making it a staple in playlists and a must-listen for both new and die-hard fans.

Album: One Night

Why It's Great: "One Night" captivates with its infectious rhythmic beats and ethereal production, skillfully blending hip-hop and alternative R&B. TheGoodPerry’s production lays an atmospheric backdrop, allowing the autotuned vocals to shine. Lyrics explore fleeting romance, capturing both vulnerability and braggadocio. Its catchy hook and laid-back vibe perfectly showcase the artist’s genre-defying talent.

NBAYOUNGBOAT

Why It's Great: "NBAYOUNGBOAT" showcases Lil Yachty's dynamic artistry, intertwining rapid, off-beat rhymes with infectious hooks. Collaborating with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, the track melds energetic beats with raw lyricism, creating a distinct vibe that highlights the strenghs of both artists.

Get Dripped (featuring Playboi Carti)

Why It's Great: "Get Dripped," featuring Playboi Carti, exemplifies the essence of Lil Yachty’s eclectic style. This track delivers hard-hitting beats and infectious energy, reflecting a lifestyle of opulence and swagger. Yachty's playful, innovative lyrics blend seamlessly with Carti’s unique flow, creating a synergy that’s both magnetic and memorable.

Album: Lil Boat

Why It's Great: "Minnesota" stands out as a quintessential track that showcases Yachty's distinctive blend of hip hop and trap, enveloped in a chilled, wintery vibe that matches its title. The song's catchy, melodic hooks and playful lyrics highlight his unique talent for creating infectious tunes. Its relaxed beat combined with features from Quavo and Young Thug adds a collaborative dynamism, making "Minnesota" a fan favorite that encapsulates Yachty's innovative style.

Album: Teenage Emotions

Why It's Great: "Peek a Boo" showcases Lil Yachty's playful lyricism and signature sound, blending catchy hooks and energetic beats with clever pop-culture references to franchises like Pokémon and Blue's Clues . His collaboration with Migos adds a dynamic layer, driving the track's infectious vibe. Noteworthy for its bold and unapologetically quirky lyrics, the song stands as a testament to Yachty's innovative approach to contemporary rap.

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self-released

March 17, 2016

Atlanta’s Lil Yachty is a pure creation of the Internet. His cult hit "1 Night" found most of its audience through a viral sketch comedy video , and before that, he was being plugged on Twitter  by Ian Connor, a stylist and web curator known mostly for his connection to  A$AP Rocky . He’s indebted to Lil B , too, with free-form verses that mimic Based Freestyles and a carefree energy reminiscent of the Based God’s Myspace days. In short, Yachty thrives in Rocky’s post-regionalist rap universe, a space defined by digital platforms rather than geography. One of his producers goes by Digital Nas. He is definitive proof that modern rap has no gatekeepers, and Soundcloud rap’s laziest possible copy-and-paste job.

There isn’t a single thing Lil Yachty’s doing that someone else isn't doing better, and in richer details. On  Lil Boat , his debut mixtape, he makes a grating mess of these varying influences. The most obvious creative inspiration is iLoveMakonnen , which becomes especially clear on "Good Day," with its creaky falsetto and warbling melody. But Makonnen brings warmth and a feeling of ease to his tracks, while Yachty is constantly straining, as if just getting the words out of his mouth is a struggle. His rapping is jerky and his voice is so flat that Auto-Tune itself seems to buckle under the weight.

Yachty’s main selling point is "fun." This is all supposed to seem easy and unbothered, and it does on cheery tunes like “Wanna Be Us” and “Run/Running.” But everything feels unfinished or undercooked—a handful of songs are just a single verse and a hook, with no clear relationship between the two. So a song like "Not My Bro" opens with a bang and then shrinks back into nothing, a series of pitchy, singsongy whines. It's a lot of things —irritating, boring —but "fun" isn't one of them.

Yachty’s simplicity works in his favor when it comes to catchy hooks. On the better songs here, he sings/raps over bubbly, retro N64-sounding productions (mostly produced by Burberry Perry) that convey childlike wonder and amusement. But the hooks don’t do nearly enough to balance out Yachty’s painful shrieks, and many of his ideas aren’t just basic, they’re sloppily executed. Attempting to form a working model out of the flotsam of the moment is a fool’s errand. But what else is to be expected of a prisoner of shifting tides?

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How Lil Yachty Became Michigan Boy Boat

Before the release of ‘Michigan Boy Boat,’ Lil Yachty sits for an interview about how his collabs with Michigan artists energized him to grow as a rapper.

Photo by Gunner Stahl

Lil Yachty has been spending a lot of time in Michigan lately.

Midway through one low-budget music video for a song called “Flintana,” he shows up in a parking lot with a crew of up-and-coming rappers from Flint: RMC Mike, YN Jay, and Louie Ray. At the beginning of the clip, there’s a disclaimer that says, “This song was made the night before, therefore nobody knew the lyrics,” and everything about it has the raw, spontaneous feeling of a collaboration that came to life on a whim at 2 a.m. In other words, it’s in a completely different universe from the glossy sheen of a song like “Oprah’s Bank Account.”

As Yachty lowers himself on the concrete and does push-ups at the end of Mike’s verse, you can’t help but wonder how the hell he ended up in a random Flint parking lot with a bunch of underground rappers in the first place. But he does such a good job matching the spirit of the song, context doesn’t really matter here. It’s all energy. After a few quick bars about pussy and a mouth full of gold, Yachty circles back with a couple Snoh Aalegra and Kevin Federline references to punctuate his second verse. And when he’s not rapping, he laughs along with punchlines from Mike, Jay, and Ray, hyping up his collaborators. “They have fun,” he says now. “They talk about all kinds of crazy shit.”

View this video on YouTube

Later, there’s a Lil Yachty sighting at a Detroit studio with Rio Da Yung OG , and he materializes on two more songs with YN Jay. As the year progresses, Yachty’s Michigan collaborations keep popping up online, and each time he tries out self-described “unorthodox” flows, pushing himself to wild new lyrical territory. On all of them, he sounds more energized than we’ve heard him in years. Before long, it’s clear Yachty has become an honorary member of the Michigan rap scene, home to some of the most exciting ( and quotable ) new artists on the planet. 

“They’re mad fucking lyrical in a weird way,” he points out. “The schemes and the cadences and the flows are so unorthodox.”

Yachty says these collaborations have taught him “how to have fun with it” again. He’s having so much fun, in fact, that he decided to make a whole mixtape and call it Michigan Boy Boat . The project will arrive on April 23, and judging by the tags on the announcement Instagram post , it will feature everyone from Veeze to Babyface Ray to Sada Baby to Icewear Vezzo. As Yachty puts it, the project is an opportunity to show love to the scene he’s grown to care about so much.

As the release date nears, the 23-year-old rapper hopped on the phone with Complex to talk about Michigan Boy Boat, three other projects he’s working on, a night in the studio with Freddie Gibbs, and more. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.

How did you first get plugged in with the Michigan rap scene? I’ve always loved Detroit rap. I used to work with Pablo Skywalkin back in 2016. And I always loved Tee Grizzley. “First Day Out” was such an insane song, and I thought he was so lyrical. So I was working with him, and then my best friend Mitch started putting me on to other rappers locally who were on the rise, and I just loved their beats and their rapping schemes. I thought they were so dope. So that’s how I got into it originally.

A lot of people were surprised to see you show up in so many music videos with underground rappers in Flint and Detroit last year. How did the collaborations start happening? I was reaching out to them, bro. I was just coming to them. I wasn’t afraid to show love, and I wanted to work with all of them. So I would just hit them up.

What is it about their music that made you want to work with them? They don’t care. They want to have fun. And it’s funny . They’re mad fucking lyrical in a weird way. The schemes and the cadences and the flows are so unorthodox. And the style of Michigan beats just forced me into this really weird scheme. You’ll see when this mixtape comes out. I just rap really unorthodox on it. A lot of people won’t like it. A lot of people think it’s offbeat.

View this photo on Instagram

Do you think these beats have pushed you to grow as a rapper? Yeah, I learned new schemes and cadences. And I learned to have fun with it. They have fun. They talk about all kinds of crazy shit. 

Michigan Boy Boat is on the way. What made you want to do a full tape with songs like this? I just wanted to show love. That’s it. I just wanted to show love to all of those guys and their talent. And I feel like I rap my best on those types of beats.

You sound really energized lately. I remember a few months ago, you jumped in Cardo’s room on Clubhouse and told everyone how excited you were about a verse you had just written. Yeah. That verse was so fucking crazy. I was sitting on the toilet.

Overall, it seems like you’re having a lot of fun making music right now. Oh, yeah. And I’m about to drop so much shit, it doesn’t make any sense. I’m definitely having fun. 

A couple months ago, you dropped “Hit Bout It” with Kodak Black, which was a crazy moment. What was that experience like?  We didn’t record it in person, but I did take a trip out there to shoot the video. When I recorded the song, I was on my Detroit shit. What happened was, I posted a snippet on my Instagram. And he was originally supposed to do a verse for “Pardon Me.” You know, because he was just pardoned by Donald Trump. Then he was like, “Man, I ain’t going to lie. I really want to get on this.” I was super excited, and we made it happen.

In the behind-the-scenes video, it looked like you guys have a tight bond together. What’s your relationship like, and how did that all go down? I don’t know how or why. It just kinda happened. I hit him when he was in jail, and I wanted to show support and that I was fucking with him. And he would call me every now and then. We’d chop it up and just talk. I think he really supported that and respected that. And when he got out, it was just love.

Speaking of collaborations, you were just tweeting about Freddie Gibbs assembling the Avengers for his next album. Yeah, I was with him last night. I put him on some Detroit shit. [Laughs.]

How did you guys link up? After I tweeted that, he DM’d me, like, “Let’s link.” And I was out here and I pulled right the fuck up.

What was that session like? I was super excited. He’s really fire. He’s like a legend. He was super cool. He’s like a gangster. He was super dope, and he’s older. The session was really chill. I didn’t stay long, unfortunately, because I had to go to a session with Mac DeMarco, so I did the song and left. But it was dope as fuck. He’s funny as shit.

You recently tweeted , “I be sittin back watching y’all assumptions on situations and y’all be so off. The internet just be making up shit.” Do you think people have misconceptions about you at this point? What do people get wrong? Yeah, [some people] think I’m gay as fuck. But I have a beautiful girlfriend. And before her, I had plenty of bitches. You know? So that’s a misconception. But I don’t give a fuck.

You’ve been writing songs for other artists a little lately, like “Act Up” for City Girls, which I think opened some people’s minds to how talented you really are. Is that part of the appeal? I love gaining my respect. 

As a songwriter for other artists, you have to put yourself in someone else’s point of view, and you’ve pulled it off really well so far. Why do you think it’s come naturally for you? Honestly, I was just bored, bro. One day I was in the studio, bored as fuck. And I was like, “Let me see if I can do this.” I did it.

Is that something you want to do more? I’ve done it a few times. I’ve done it. I stopped speaking on it.

I see. I was going to ask if you’d explore that more and ever write songs for pop artists or anything. Yeah, I’ve done some shit. I don’t want to get into it, but I’ve done some shit.

{ "id": 133906885 } “Just listen to the f*cking bars because I promise I’m rapping my f*cking a** off.”

I know you’ve been in the studio with Taz Taylor and the Internet Money guys. Can you talk about that? We’re doing an album. I’m about to go see Taz right now. He’s a fucking king. He’s a fucking GOAT. I have respect for him, 100%.

What have the sessions been like so far? I’ve been in LA three days, and we’ve already made 24 songs. We’re working hard, bro. It’s fun. It’s melodic. It’s fully melodic.

Oh, shit. So a totally different sound from this next Michigan Boy Boat project… Yeah, I got projects, man. I’ve got my project with Internet Money. I’m doing my project with Lil Tecca. I got my project with Working On Dying. And then I’ll start my album fourth quarter of the year.

So there’s lots of shit going on. I’m dropping a shit ton this year.

What made you want to make a bunch of different projects that show all your different styles, instead of just holding off and doing one big album? It didn’t start off that way. It honestly started off with me just fucking with all these guys that I fuck with. And they all love me for different things. Taz, he wanted to bring out my melodic side. You know, with Working On Dying, it’s just all types of heat.

Before you go, I wanted to ask about cryptocurrency. You created your YachtyCoin and then made an NFT. And I know you were an early investor in Dogecoin and SafeMoon and all this shit. How did you get into all of this? Well, my manager put me onto the whole YachtyCoin thing. This year and last year, I just took it and ran with it.

There are stories of people who invested early making ridiculous amounts of money. I know you were early, too. Have you seen crazy profits already? Oh, yeah. Ohhhh yeah . Mm-hmm. 

What should people know before they press play on Michigan Boy Boat when it drops? Just listen to the fucking bars because I promise I’m rapping my fucking ass off.

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Lil Yachty Drops New Single, Visuals For “Let’s Get On Dey Ass”

Lil Yachty  has officially released his latest song  “Let’s Get On Dey Ass”  along with an accompanying music video. The new track highlights Yachty back in his rap bag at full force, weaving his melodic and whirly auto-tuned vocals over the track’s distorted 808s, howling synth lead, and bouncy hi-hats to deliver a high octane, bass heavy, rap anthem perfect for a festival mosh pit. Directed by  Zhamak , the “Let’s Get On Dey Ass” music video shows Yachty and the Concrete Family dancing around the city, draped in luxurious matching vintage outfits and jewelry. Lofi VHS style shots of Yachty and his crew alternate with clips of the style icon shopping for another signature outfit along with a cameo from social media star and model,  Teanna Trump . The new song comes on the heels of Yachty’s collaborative album with  James Blake ,  Bad Cameo , and follows their most recent visualizer for  “Save The Savior.”

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• Best Rap Songs

Top 50 Best Lil Yachty Songs and featured Collaborations

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Lil Yachty, a playfully surreal figure in the hip hop landscape, burst onto the scene with the left-field pop-trap anthem “One Night” and soon solidified his place in the rap game with his distinctive style. Known for his melodic flows, quirky lyrics, and an affinity for bright colors that give off a youthful, carefree vibe, Yachty has been a divisive figure in hip hop. Yet, his influence can’t be denied, from contributing to the rise of SoundCloud rap, to pushing boundaries with his audacious style, and brash dismissal of rap traditionalism.

Across his discography, from ‘Lil Boat’ to ‘Nuthin’ 2 Prove’, Yachty has staked his claim with a medley of tracks that showcase his unorthodox approach to music. His collaborations with artists like Ski Mask the Slump God in “How You Feel?” and Drake and DaBaby in “Oprah’s Bank Account” prove his versatility and adaptability, while tracks like “Pretender” highlight his knack for introspection. This is all underpinned with a latent raucous energy that fully emerges in vibrant tracks like “Go Krazy, Go Stupid Freestyle”.

Even on the more commercial-leaning tracks, such as “iSpy” with KYLE or “Broccoli” with DRAM, Yachty’s buoyant persona shines through. He has proven time and time again that he can hold his own, even when paired with dominant figures like Future and Mike WiLL Made-It on “Pardon Me.”

Whether he’s flexing on “NBAYOUNGBOAT,” or taking it slow on “66,” Yachty continues to navigate his own unique path in the music industry—unafraid to challenge conventions and break from the norm. So let’s get into it. From boundary-pushing numbers to underrated gems, here are the Top 50 Best Lil Yachty Songs of All Time.

50. Go Krazy, Go Stupid Freestyle

He flexes his lyrical dexterity, flipping between flow patterns with the ease of a seasoned emcee. What’s more, Yachty doubles down on his king-of-teens claim, acknowledging the haters but swiftly shrugging them off. There’s a rawness to this track that reminds you of those basement cyphers where the only thing that mattered was how sharp your bars were. This ain’t no Boat album cut, this is that mixtape Yachty reminding us he can spit. Under the bravado though, there’s a glimpse of vulnerability, a little peek into Yachty’s psyche that keeps us invested. Yeah, go stupid, go crazy indeed.

49. Pretender

Now, don’t get it twisted, this ain’t strictly a Yachty track – it’s a Steve Aoki jam with Yachty and AJR on feature duty. But even as a guest, Lil Boat stunts hard with his trademark eccentricity, weaving a narrative about pretentious folks in the industry who ain’t really ’bout that life. His verse is solid, but it doesn’t quite have that punch his best work packs. Aoki’s EDM production is slick, but it doesn’t gel with Yachty’s style as fluidly as, say, a Pierre Bourne beat would. It’s aight, but among a sea of Yachty hits, “Pretender” doesn’t quite stay afloat.

48. YAE ENERGY – Lil Yachty

The beat comes in hard, Yachty’s southern drawl navigating the choppy waters of the percussion with finesse. This track may not appeal to fans who prefer the artist’s more playful, ‘bubblegum trap’ style, but those who appreciate Lil Boat’s ability to switch lanes will value the experimentation demonstrated here. Lyrically, it’s not his strongest showing, and a closer inspection uncovers a lack of substance. But if we’re talking about whatever gives a track its replay power, then “YAE ENERGY” has just enough to justify its three-minute runtime. A testament to Yachty’s versatility, if not to his lyrical prowess.

47. Breathe Deeper

Yachty breathes new life into the song, taking the psychedelic pop masterpiece and giving it a hip hop facelift, sliding in his eccentric verses with a finesse that’s undeniable. Is it as earth-shattering as Tame’s original piece? Nah, but that’s not what Yachty’s aiming for here. He’s dipping his toes into unchartered territory, and for that, props are deserved. It’s a testament to Yachty’s versatility, breaking away from the straight-up trap beats to float on Tame’s surreal soundscapes. It’s intriguing, it’s funky, it’s Yachty in a whole new light. And yo, it’s worth cranking up on your speakers.

46. One Of Those Days

The alliance of Lil Yachty and 347aidan is like the tag team of hip hop you didn’t know you needed until you got it. On “One Of Those Days”, they link up with Zack Bia, and the result is an interesting cross-pollination of their respective musical landscapes. It’s not Yachty’s most incendiary performance, his rhymes are far more introspective than fiery, and his signature wordplay is somewhat muted. You get the sense he’s taking a bit of a backseat, allowing 347aidan’s emo-driven rap that resonates with the Gen-Z crowd to take the lead. It’s a laid-back, introspective track that plays to the strengths of its collaborators rather than pushing Yachty to the fore. A cool experiment, but not necessarily peak Lil Boat.

45. sHouLd i B? – Lil Yachty

Though Yachty tends to lean into his more playful, unconventional image, this track finds him in a more contemplative mood, exploring the pressures and expectations that come with fame. This joint ain’t your typical club banger or radio hit, but it’s got a certain vibe that can’t be replicated. Some may deem it too mellow for their taste, but for the true heads who know that hip hop ain’t always about the flashy and grand, “sHouLd i B?” is a real gem. It’s a reminder that Lil Yachty ain’t just a one-note wonder, he’s got depth, versatility. As he questions and self-reflects, we vibe along, nodding our heads with respect.

44. Number 9 (feat. Lil Yachty) – Miguel

Their styles might seem at odds on paper, but Yachty’s playful bars bounce off against Miguel’s velvety hooks and it’s like something just clicks, ya dig? There’s that classic Miguel R&B soul, but with Yachty adding his distinctively laid-back, off-kilter rhymes, the track takes on this hybridity that’s straight up intriguing. It’s not Yachty’s hardest verse, for sure – but that ain’t what this track is about. It’s a showcase of how versatile the Kid can be when he steps out of his comfort zone. Is it top-tier Yachty? Debatable. But it’s a testament to his potential as an artist who ain’t afraid to mix it up.

43. How You Feel?

Part of that potent DJ Scheme concoction, Lil Yachty and Ski Mask the Slump God on the same track? It’s like putting kerosene on a bonfire. Yachty and Ski Mask are two seasoned maestros of the mic, each flexing their unique styles with atomic punchlines and devastating flow switches that make your head spin. Yachty’s playful lyricism is the perfect complement to Ski Mask’s bullet train flow, creating a whirlwind aura that’s unforgettable. This song ain’t just a track, it’s a testament to how diverse and electrifying hip-hop can be when cats who truly understand the game come together.

42. Hit Bout It – Lil Yachty

This cut sees Lil Boat trading hardcore, streetwise bars with none other than Louisiana’s trap king, Kodak Black. It’s a certified banger, showcasing Yachty’s evolution from a mumble rap icon to a versatile emcee – dude can spit with the best of ’em. The production slaps, too, with menacing 808s and icy hi-hats creating a soundscape that’s as tough as the rhymes. One missing piece: a memorable hook, but when Yachty and Kodak spit pure heat, it’s hardly noticed. “Hit Bout It” is a raw, uncut piece of Yachty’s artistry, showing he can roll with the heavyweights in the rap game.

41. Mase in ’97 – Carnage

Yachty got raw on this one, throwing it back to Ma$e’s Harlem World momentum era. This joint dropped in an era where Yachty was still carving out his space in the game – an underdog with too much sauce. “Mase in ’97” demonstrated Yachty’s potential to bring that 90’s gritty rap vibe into the fizzy, candy-colored universe that he was creating. Yachty’s aggressive flow on the Carnage beat makes this a stand out in his discography – a straight switch up from his melodic bubblegum trap offerings. An underrated gem, it’s hip hop nostalgia with a new-age twist.

40. Speed Me Up (with Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Yachty & Sueco the Child) – Wiz Khalifa

Collaborating with heavy hitters like Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, and Sueco the Child, Yachty puts his nimble flow to good use on this track. The song, featured on the ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ soundtrack, sees Boat and company trading verses over a zippy beat that mirrors the high-octane energy of the iconic video game. It’s not traditional hip hop by any stretch of the imagination, but it showcases Yachty’s ability to adapt to any sonic environment. Not his most celebrated joint but like a hidden gem, it’s a must listen for any fan of the self-anointed ‘King of the Youth’.

39. Marmalade (feat. Lil Yachty) – Macklemore

Boat’s flow is melodic, casual and fits the fun, light-hearted vibe of the track. He sprinkles the song with his playful bars, showcasing the signature Yachty charisma we all know and love. Macklemore, on the other hand, delivers an unexpectedly complementary performance, managing to match the youthful, carefree energy of Lil Boat. It’s a collaborative effort that feels fun and bouncy, like a summer day with the top down, cruising through the city. Though it might not be a classic, it certainly shows Yachty’s ability to blend into different styles and his dynamic skill set as a featured artist. A bright, sweet flavor in Yachty’s discography, this one is a charmer.

38. Rocc Climbing (feat. Lil Yachty) – Remble

Now, Yachty ain’t a new jack to the scene, but this joint shows he still packs heat. He applies his signature quirky flow over a structured beat, laying down lines that are pure gold. The buoyant melodic line accentuates Yachty’s unique approach to rhythm, making the track rise above standard trap cuts. It’s a testament to Yachty’s versatility; he’s not just about zany hooks and the oddball aesthetic. His lyrical game hits hard when he wants it to, and “Rocc Climbing” is proof. However, it still falls short of his most iconic tracks, holding down the fort somewhere in the middle of his extensive discography.

37. 66 – Lil Yachty

Featuring Trippie Redd, this cut off Lil Boat 2 is Yachty showin’ love to his day-ones, the ones who been ridin’ since the tide was low. Yachty’s and Redd’s cadences intertwine like the perfect audio form of finger trap, and their lyrics give us a raw insight into the trials they faced on their climb. But don’t get it twisted, this ain’t no sob story. The triumphant, chorus-drenched keys and the trap-happy drums make “66” a victory lap. It’s celebratory, but Yachty keeps it 100 about the struggles it took to get that W. It’s yacht season, and not just anyone can ride this wave.

36. Faking It (feat. Kehlani & Lil Yachty) – Calvin Harris

A prime example of Calvin Harris throwing an unexpected curveball with his collaborations. Proving once again that when the UK producer is in his zone, he can make anyone sound hot. This searing, synth-drenched bop sees rising R&B queen Kehlani pouring her heart out in the perfect balance of vulnerability and swagger. Then, right from the dugout, Lil Yachty steps up to spit some of the most coherent bars of his career– proving that even the king of mumble rap can score a home run when it counts. It’s a testament to Harris’ seasoned production prowess that the disparate styles of these two artists mesh in such a seamless, ear-catching way. With “Faking It,” Harris proves that he can bridge the gap between hip hop and electronic music with stylistic flair.

35. Split/Whole Time – Lil Yachty

This banger off his fourth studio album ‘Lil Boat 3′ is proof that the self-dubbed King of Youth can bounce between styles smoother than a DJ on the ones and twos. The joint starts with that classic Boat energy, all upbeat flow and playful metaphors. But halfway through, the track flips like a record on the platter. Suddenly, we’re swimming in a slower, introspective vibe where each lyric lands like it’s got somethin’ to prove. It’s a showcase of Yachty’s experimentation with sound and style, like mixing two paints to create a brand new color. Is it the best Yachty joint out there? Maybe not. But it’s evidence that this cat’s creativity is off the charts.

34. 1v1 (feat. Lil Yachty) – Rio Da Yung Og

This is where that Midwest flow meets Atlanta trap, creating a classic hip hop head-nodder. Yachty is no slouch here, as he goes toe-to-toe with Rio, both firing lyrical bullets back and forth. What’s dope about this track is Yachty stepping outside his usual comfort zone, spitting with a fervor that shows he can hang with the most aggressive spitters. But it ain’t all about aggression, as both artists flaunt their wordplay skills. Yeah, it might not carry that depth of some lyrical miracles, but “1v1″ serves as a testament that Yachty ain’t just about mumble rap. He got bars too, ya heard?”

33. the ride- – Lil Yachty

This track finds Boat drifting down memory lane, reminiscent of earlier times when the rap game was just a dream scribbled in his notebook. His flow is a bit more subdued than his usual bouncy cadence, giving his words gravity. Lyrically, Yachty shows growth, holding a mirror to his own triumphs and trials, meditating on his journey to stardom. The beat is a smooth, melodic production that adds depth to Boat’s reflections. On “the ride-“, Lil Yachty proves he got the range not just to spit bars but to tell compelling stories, offering a different breed of vulnerability often overlooked in mainstream rap discourse. This joint is proof that Yachty has more to deliver than just catchy hooks and playful rhymes.

32. running out of time – Lil Yachty

This ain’t the bubblegum trap Boat we once knew—nah, homie is showing some major maturity. On this melodic gem, he trades mumble rap for introspective bars. Emotionally charged lyrics juxtapose with the shimmering synth-driven beat, speaking to the urgency of time slipping away. Yachty’s vulnerability is the truest form of hip hop, as he confesses his fears and anxieties. This ain’t just about losing an hour when the clock strikes midnight, it’s about life’s fleeting moments and the pressure to make it big. It’s the unfiltered Yachty who veers from his usual braggadocio flows—man’s got depth and ain’t afraid to show it. “Running Out Of Time” is a testament to Yachty’s growth as an artist and his ability to experiment outside his comfort zone.

31. Menace – Quality Control

Yachty’s flow on this track is pure water, free-flowing with a chilled cadence that’s more often associated with cloud rap. Lyrically, he’s a rebel without a cause, a self-proclaimed menace to the streets and the industry. He ain’t playin’ by the rules, bro, he’s setting his own. And you gotta respect that, because hip hop was born out of rebellion, right? While “Menace” might not be a charts-topper, it’s a testament to Yachty’s determination to express his individuality. It’s braggadocio, it’s playful, it’s Yachty at his finest. It’s moments like these that remind you that this kid from Atlanta is more than just a mumble rapper move over.

30. No Clue (feat. Lil Yachty) – Young Nudy

This team-up creates an atmosphere that’s uncompromisingly grimy. Yachty’s verse here is pure menace, diving deep into the underbelly of Atlanta’s trap scene, mirroring Nudy’s rugged approach. While the Boat doesn’t entirely shed his vibrant color, the infusion of Nudy’s gritty essence elevates the song into an intriguing exploration of street realities. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that Yachty, in sidestepping his comfort zone, loses the whimsical charm that made him a standout in the saturated trap scene. A commendable experiment, but far from his best work.

29. pRETTy – Lil Yachty

It’s a track where minimalism meets hype, stripped back beats providing a bare stage for Yachty to demonstrate his vocal versatility. He moves into trap-soul territory here, the lyrics all reflective introspection. Mortality, fame, and trust issues are all tackled with a sincerity that can take you by surprise. The magic, though, is how it all fits into the party vibe without killing the buzz. A testament to Lil Yachty’s ability to diversify without losing his identity. “pRETTy” is a track that defies categorization, just like Lil Boat himself. It’s a joint that’s unapologetically Yachty, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what that even means. So don’t sleep on it.

28. Oprah’s Bank Account (Lil Yachty & DaBaby feat. Drake) – Lil Yachty

It’s a testament to Yachty’s chameleon-like ability to adapt his flow to suit those he spits alongside. Drake brings his signature groovy, laid-back style, interspersing his verse with witty one-liners, while DaBaby flips the script with his rapid-fire delivery, giving the track that extra edge. Yachty steers the ship with his off-beat creativity, his bars dripping with the ambition that’s a cornerstone of his artistry. This track is a throwdown, a show of clout, demonstrating the far reach of Yachty’s influence in the hip hop community—you gotta respect it.

27. Get Dripped (feat. Playboi Carti) – Lil Yachty

Recorded for Boat’s 2018 album “Nuthin’ 2 Prove”, this joint is all about the drip. Yachty spits a catchy, autotuned chorus that’s all about stuntin’ on those who once slept on him, while Carti contributes a verse that’s as stylishly nonchalant as his fashion choices. But the real star might be the slappin’ production, cooked up with a heavy trap beat that takes no prisoners. While some might dismiss this as shallow mumble rap, I’d argue it’s a vital chronicle of hip hop’s current bling era. Just don’t sleep on the lyrical nuances beneath the icy veneer of the drip.

26. Gucci Flip Flops (feat. Lil Yachty) – Bhad Bhabie

Certainly, we can appreciate a good party tune, and Yachty knows how to throw down and get crowds moving. However, the joint effort appeared more like a case of riding trends, rather than carving new paths within the hip-hop landscape. For one, Bhad Bhabie’s career inception via her meme-able debut already casts a shadow on her artistic output. Then, Yachty’s verse, while delivered with his trademark buoyant enthusiasm, teeters around the same subject matter he tends to tread in other tracks. They throw down about designer gear and living grand, which ain’t exactly groundbreaking. Bottom line, “Gucci Flip Flops” showcased entertaining hip-hop artists, yet didn’t elevate their outpourings into something unique or memorable.

25. the BLACK seminole. – Lil Yachty

This Lil Yachty joint showcases the rapper’s sublime ability to weave intricate stories with wordplay and metaphors that hit different. Distinguished by its ethereal, cloudy rap instrumental that flirts with lo-fi elements, Yachty’s flow is melodic and hypnotic. His lyrics are reflective, a journey into the depths of his mind showcasing the struggle and resilience of the Black experience – a nod to the Seminole people, a Native American tribe known for their resistance against colonial forces. It’s a less traversed territory for Lil Boat, but he navigates it with impressive candor. A standout cut that proves Yachty’s versatility and his quiet, underappreciated ability to observe and articulate the life around him with poetic flair.

24. Greed (feat. Lil Yachty) – LUCKI

Now, I ain’t gonna front, Yachty’s verse on this joint took it to another level. This ain’t your mainstream, radio jiggy jam, nah, this is that underground, lo-fi hip hop that takes you back to the basement parties when True School was still a seedling. Yachty came in slinging that confessional style of rhyming that keeps it 100, crafting a narrative focused on the allure of money and the struggle against temptation, letting his bars play out like a confession booth monologue. LUCKI and Yachty’s chemistry on this track is undeniable, their styles blending like a late night cipher on the corner. This ain’t the Lil Boat show y’all might be used to, but it proves he can hang with the best of ’em.

23. Half Doin Dope (with BabyTron feat. Lil Yachty) – JID

Roguishly playful and mirrors an interesting partnership between these artists that we didn’t know we needed! Yachty flips his flow and matches BabyTron’s relentless energy with a swagger of his own. Yachty’s verse drips with drug-talk references, which are delivered with a youthful and carefree aura that’s magnetic. Yes, it’s still Yachty, the king of the teens, but he’s leveled up, showing he can tussle with unabashed lyricists without losing his cool. Overall, “Half Doin Dope” is evidence that when Yachty goes hard, he goes really hard, no half stepping.

22. Pretty Boy (feat. Lil Yachty) – Joji

This track is a gem, no cap. Trust, it’s not your typical Yachty flow, it’s more low-key and introspective. The beat might remind you of old school hip hop, but the lyrics got that modern flavor that’s pure Yachty. Joji provides the perfect backdrop with his melancholic, lo-fi style, creating a moody atmosphere that draws attention to Yachty’s bars. I gotta say, this collaboration ain’t just a dope track, it’s a masterclass in bridging hip hop’s sonic evolution. All in all, “Pretty Boy” lets Yachty flex his versatility, proving he ain’t just a one-trick pony in the rap game. Give it a spin, no doubt you’ll be vibin’.

21. One Night – Lil Yachty

We talkin’ “One Night,” one of Lil Yachty’s breakout hits. Now, this is the song that really blew up Yachty’s status, and it was a Flavor Flav clock moment for the rap game because this song signaled time for a change. The vibe was different. The energy was different. Lil Yachty came through with a melodic flow, something between singing and rapping, a deal seldom heard in 2016. The beat was a syrupy slow drip, minimalist and hypnotic, with a robotic nursery rhyme feel. Critics barked at its simplicity, but yo, the simplicity was the magic of it. “One Night” was a manifesto, asserting Yachty’s nonchalant attitude towards fleeting relationships, outlined with his distinctive raw, teenage emotion. This joint was a curveball that Hip Hop wasn’t expecting, but the game has been better for it.

20. Taylor Port Junkie (feat. Lil Yachty) – Rylo Rodriguez

Yachty’s verse drops like a squad of B-boys, breakdancing on a cardboard mat laid out on the tough, gritty streets of hip hop. But it’s not all twisty-turny razzle-dazzle. Nah, Yachty’s got this skill for laying down bars that both stun with their vocabulary and resonate with raw emotion. This feature stands as another testament to the Boat’s versatility, straddling the divide between mainstream acceptance and street authenticity. Rylo’s own verses compliment Yachty’s, supplementing the track with a rousing narrative that feels right at home amidst Yachty’s poetic resonance. “Taylor Port Junkie” ain’t just a song; it’s a head nod to the streets, a salute to the struggle, and a celebration of the hustle.

19. Slide – Lil Yachty

A track that’s all about vibin’ and livin’ free. The beat? Oozing with summer feels. Yachty’s flow – light, yet hard-hitting. This joint be having you dreaming of sunshine and palm trees real quick. Yachty spits game, flexing his racks and swag. He ain’t shy about his wins. This track’s got Yachty’s signature playful wordplay, but don’t sleep on the depth either. “Slide” is unapologetic – it’s about enjoying the moments and the moolah. In the pantheon of Yachty’s hits, this one won’t top the list, but it’s a feel-good joint that’ll have you swaying. It’s smooth sailing with this track, no cap.

18. Broccoli – DRAM

This wasn’t some salad bar filler; it was a main course. The two artists vibe together seamlessly, delivering playful bars over a piano-driven beat that’s as infectious as it is unexpected. D.R.A.M.’s sing-song delivery meshed perfectly with Lil Boat’s mellow hooks but let’s keep it a buck; it was Yachty’s verse that stole the show. With lines about his nonexistent baby mama drama and paper chasin’, Yachty added that extra bit of flavor that turned “Broccoli” into a hip hop head’s favorite side dish. A catchy and carefree anthem that still slaps to this day.

17. Van Gogh (feat. Lil Yachty) – JID

Showcasing JID’s lyrical prowess spiced up by our main man Lil Yachty’s blend of mumble and trap rap. This collab paints a canvas where East Coast and Dirty South hip-hop meet, makin’ a sonic masterpiece worthy of its name. Yachty’s flow channels ‘Van Gogh’, not merely to play with the idea of being an artist but also to dish out clever lines about his position in the rap game. While the track may not have the complexity of a Van Gogh painting, it definitely has the vibrancy. Lil Boat’s verse ain’t his deepest but his off-kilter delivery and charisma offer an interesting contrast to JID’s intricate wordplay. This joint ain’t just a song, it’s an artistic statement. No doubt.

16. Pardon Me (Lil Yachty feat. Future & Mike WiLL Made-It) – Lil Yachty

Yachty treads over Mike WiLL’s bouncing beat with an ease that reveals his growing comfort on the mic. His lyrics hit harder, a testament to the evolution of his pen game since the “Lil Boat” days. And when Future slides in, he adds an extra layer of gravitas, his deeper tone a perfect counter to Yachty’s light-hearted delivery. It’s a standout joint that showcases Yachty’s ability to navigate the more street-oriented style of hip hop without losing his unique boat boy charm. Is it Yachty’s best work? Nah, but it underscores his willingness to step out of his comfort zone, always a commendable trait in an artist.

15. The Secret Recipe – Lil Yachty

The track showcases Boat’s underrated ability to weave a narrative, painting vivid imagery of his come-up story. Yet, it’s Yachty’s ability to balance his gratitude for success with a sharp critique of the fast life that resonates. A standout moment? That chorus, with Yachty’s promise to never reveal his “secret recipe” for success. It’s a clever nod towards the secretive nature of hip hop, where styles are fiercely protected. The track is a fine showing of Lil Yachty’s lyrical skills beyond the braggadocious bravado, underscoring his versatility in a genre that’s always evolving.

14. TESLA – Lil Yachty

Ain’t no need for a chorus when Yachty’s delivering bars so wild that Teslas crash into space, man. The beat’s this menacing thump, it walks up on you like a debt collector. Guest verses from 9lokknine provide a sharp edge, no doubt. But it’s Yachty’s punchy, playfully arrogant flow that steals the show. Despite some criticism, this track proves Lil Yachty ain’t no one trick pony; he’s got depth, style, and enough energy to charge a whole fleet of electric cars.

13. Yacht Club (feat. Juice WRLD) – Lil Yachty

The two young guns playing off each other’s energy like Harden and Westbrook during an all-star face-off. Now, peep this – Juice out here flexin’ his rapid-fire flow, throwing down bars about fame, fortune, and flexin’ in typical Juice fashion. Yachty, on the other hand, bouncing back with a laid-back verse, letting that lazy, melodic flow of his do all the talking. What you got here is a heady mix of styles, both rappers going hand in hand like a pair of Aces on a poker table. It’s tragic we won’t see this dynamic duo anymore, but at least we got this banger to remember Juice by.

12. Poland – Lil Yachty

While some heads might’ve wanted him to keep spitting over that bubblegum trap, this track stood as a testament to Yachty’s versatility. On “Poland,” Yachty traded the bouncing beats of Atlanta for the more somber, atmospheric vibes often associated with Europe’s underground scene. But don’t get it twisted, the boy kept his bars tight, delivering a raw, unfiltered look into his life and mindset. The result was one of the realest tracks in his discography, and a bold reminder that Lil Yachty ain’t just about that mumble rap game. Always remember: hip hop is about pushing boundaries, and Yachty does just that with “Poland.”

11. NBAYOUNGBOAT – Lil Yachty

Lil Yachty went hard on this cut, dropping off a bass-thumping track that calls you back to the roots of Atlanta trap music. Teaming up with NBA YoungBoy, the Boat brought his A-game, weaving in his signature melodic hooks amidst gritty trap beats. YoungBoy’s gritty verses blend cohesively with Yachty’s playful flow, reinforcing the track’s assertion of their undeniable hustle and loyalty to the streets. Sure, it ain’t conscious rap, but it ain’t trying to be either. It’s heavy-hitting, ground-shaking hip hop that don’t need no cosign. This joint is pure hot sauce, leaving you grooving and asking for more. No cap, this collab was a match made in hip hop heaven.

10. From The D To The A (feat. Lil Yachty) – Tee Grizzley

Tee Grizzley and Lil Yachty come together like the Avengers of hip hop, each flexing their unique styles in this motor city-dirty south alliance. Yachty’s verse is a masterclass in offbeat flow, his delivery casually commanding and hypnotic. Grizzley’s verse is aspirational, energetic, and maintains the gritty authenticity he’s known for. However, it ain’t all bombast and braggadocio – there’s depth beneath the surface. The song’s essence lies in the unity of two distinctly different hip hop scenes, Detroit and Atlanta, a testament to hip hop’s enduring ability to bring folks together like no other genre. ‘From The D To The A’ is the embodiment of hip hop’s regional diversity and shared spirit.

It’s one of Lil Boat’s most streamed features, showcasing his wavy, unhurried flow against a summery beat that’s pure sunshine vibes. KYLE brings his own quirky charm, but we all know it’s Yachty’s verse that makes the track bounce – that man didn’t pull any punches with his whimsical wordplay that caught everybody’s ears. This ain’t about rap warlords or the streets, it’s a feel-good anthem that unabashedly celebrates youthful exuberance and innocence. This isn’t just a song, fam, it’s a time capsule back to 2017 – a testament to simpler times, where the game was fun and players played. Yachty wasn’t just featured, he was instrumental, and for that, “iSpy” holds a special place in the Lil Boat discography.

Lil Boat’s lyrical prowess here is like a maestro conducting an aggressive symphony. His flow? Cold as ice, punctuated with raw emotions that resonate even in the deepest recesses of one’s subconscious. His bars are as sharp as a street hustler’s switchblade. Yachty’s signature playful cadence is laced with a certain dark undertone in this one, making “Coffin” a hauntingly beautiful piece of art. It’s not your everyday Yachty song, but when the beat drops and his voice pierces through, you’re reminded why the kid from Atlanta managed to flip the hip-hop game on its head.

This track showcases Yachty’s ability to flip styles like a seasoned veteran, maneuvering through the beat with an electrifying flow. You can feel the energy surge as he bobs and weaves with his lyrics — a testament to his improvisational prowess. This joint is a reminder of why Lil Boat is one of the most intriguing figures in the hip hop game. The beat, supplied by DJ Scheme, only amplifies Yachty’s vocal finesse, creating a soundscape that’s both audacious and alluring. While it might not be Yachty’s biggest chart topper, “E-ER” is an essential addition to any hip hop aficionado’s playlist.

6. SOLO STEPPIN CRETE BOY

Now, this joint right here isn’t necessarily Yachty’s most mainstream hit, but it’s a track that emphasizes his versatility. The beat hits different, filled with that low-fi vibe it takes you back to those early days of hip hop, kind of a liquid swords type energy. Yachty’s delivery is relaxed, yet assertive. This is one of those tracks where you can feel the essence of Yachty’s individuality. It’s not without its shortcomings, though. The production could’ve used a little extra polish, and the song doesn’t quite stick the landing. But it speaks volumes about Yachty’s ability to adapt and flow with different styles. It’s a testament to his talent that he can go from bubblegum trap to a bare-bones hip hop groove without skipping a beat.

5. Magic In The Hamptons

Social House snatched Lil Yachty up for this joint and ain’t no denying, the Boat took it to another level. He bodies that beat with his off-the-cuff bars that give life to that joyous backdrop. The track, with its fun-loving lyrics and catchy melody, pulls you into a world filled with beach house parties and cool breezes. It’s a departure from Yachty’s usual trap-heavy sound, but that’s his genius – dude can switch lanes and still out-race the pack. Don’t sleep on this one though, the magic ain’t just in the Hamptons, it’s in every verse dropped by Yachty. Our good kid, m.A.A.d respect for trying something different, and nailing it.

4. drive ME crazy!

Don’t get it twisted: this ain’t just about the hooks. Yachty’s lyricism on this track be sliding through like a diligent student of the rap game. Peep the playful braggadocio as he flexes on his haters, showcasing a youthful swagger that’s become a staple in his discography. In talking up the best of Lil Yachty, “drive ME crazy!” is a straight up necessity. It’s that special mix of eccentricity and earworm rap that embodies the Boat persona.

3. Strike (Holster)

This track is a testament to Yachty’s commitment to pushing boundaries and experimenting with sound, and it’s nothing short of poignant. The playful, off-beat melody is a little like dipping into an audio fun-house, twisted with Yachty’s signature carefree, yet assertive, rhymes. Every beat is an opportunity for Yachty to flex his lyrical prowess, and he makes full use of it. It’s where the Boat meets the road, where creativity meets control, an intoxicating fusion that is unmistakably Yachty. This ain’t your grandpa’s hip hop, but it’s proof that Yachty embodies the future-forward thinking that drives the genre. “Strike (Holster)” is Yachty staking his claim, loud and clear. Pure ethos in eargasm form, Yachty devotees know what’s up.

Released in 2020, it’s an absolute flex anthem where every verse is a testament to the wealth and status of its performers. But, let’s keep it a buck, Yachty ain’t just riding coattails here. Nah, he consistently holds his own amidst his superstar collaborators, and his flow is as smooth as butter on the beat. However, this track ain’t about complex lyricism or introspective lines; it’s about commanding a vibe and Yachty does this with utmost finesse. If it’s a hyped-up atmosphere you’re after, you just can’t skip “Flex Up.” In the spectrum of Yachty’s discography, this one’s an undeniable standout.

1. Another Late Night

An intriguing display of stylistic contrast and alignment with Drake’s introspective lyricism and subdued delivery to form a fascinating counterpoint to Lil Yachty’s trademark energy and charisma. Packed with emo-trap sentimentality, this cut juggles between Drake’s dark Toronto vibes and Yachty’s ATL bravado, creating a unique hip hop blend that leaves the listener wanting more. Its commercial success not surprising; two powerhouse artists from different hip hop regions, bridging the gap. Not the most groundbreaking joint for either artist, it’s a cool reminder of the genre’s vast spectrum, y’know what I’m saying? However, one can’t shake off the feeling that Yachty could’ve tapped deeper into his playful, experimental style, and graced us with that Boat energy we love. In summary, solid track, but not peak Yachty or Drizzy.

DJ SpinScribe

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How to Tell the Difference Between Lil Yachty and Lil Boat

Atlanta-based mumble rapper Lil Yachty released his debut studio album,  “Teenage Emotions,” on May 26 and reintroduced us to his alter egos: Darnell Boat and Lil Boat.

Much like in Lil Yachty’s 2016 mixtape release, “Lil Boat,”  the red-mustachioed and wigged Darnell Boat introduces listeners to his nephews, Lil Yachty and Lil Boat, in the intro of the album. “Yachty and Boat have been working so hard over this past year, and we just want to welcome y’all to ‘Teenage Emotions,’” says Darnell Boat in the first song of the album, “Like A Star.” “They both have lots to say…this time I think Yachty wants to go first.” After, Uncle Darnell effectively leads fans into a concept album that displays the two distinct rap personas of Lil Yachty.

It can be difficult to differentiate between both Lil Boat and Lil Yachty as a first time listener. There are, however, a number of distinguishing traits displayed in both of their approaches to music and lyrics that can help successfully identify who’s who.

Music Style

In an interview with Genius , Lil Yachty said that the defining characteristic of Lil Boat is aggressiveness.” That word sums it all up, as Boat is the more masculine, foul-mouthed, confident rapper of the two. Boat seems to come out and say the things that Yachty feels he couldn’t get away with, while laying down dark and dirty verses to Atlanta-style trap beats in tracks like “DN Freestyle” and “Dirty Mouth.” “It’s all in production,” says Yachty in the interview. “If the beat is like, heavy hitting, that’s Boat.”

Yachty prefers the lighter tones of music, the kind of sound that he’s dubbed as “boat music” in the past. Tracks on the album such as “Better,” which features steel drums reminiscent of Jamaican island music, as well as the heavy-synth eighties-style track, “Bring It Back,” with a sprinkle of a saxophone solo, are all Yachty creations. He tends to lean toward high-pitched, heavily auto-tuned singing, as opposed to forced attempts at mumble rapping like Boat. Positivity and good vibes are common themes in Yachty’s lyrics.

In his bars, Lil Boat is, without a doubt, the typical misogynistic rap star that displays women as sexual objects. Constantly referring to women as “b*tches,” Boat likes to brag about having multiple women that only serve the sexual needs of him and his friends. Boat is only interested in what women can give him, and in songs like “Peek A Boo,” he shows just how little he cares about having meaningful relationships with them with lines like, “F*ck her then f*ck on her sister, I’m ruthless.”

“It’s not Yachty man,” says Yachty in response to that lyric in a separate interview with Genius . “In interviews, that’s Yachty. But that on that paper, that’s Lil Boat. He’s a ruthless dude. He don’t care. Yachty is a nice dude. That’s not him. At all. That n***a Boat, he crazy, know what I’m saying? You never know what he might do.”

Romantic, monogamous, vulnerable and semi-respectful, Yachty has a different approach to love. In tracks like “Forever Young” and “Lady In Yellow,” he sings about wanting to be together forever with his only girl. Showing more awareness of a woman’s agency over her body, Yachty is more concerned with pleasing women and doing what they want.

Though put rather ineloquently, lines like “Baby can I f*ck with you?” and “Let me love on you” are examples of Yachty showing a slight concern for consent. This is in sharp contrast with Boat’s lyrics calling for multiple women to perform oral sex on him, or “Blow like a cello,” which is probably the greatest lyrical oversight in history.

In short, if someone on Tinder were to find Twizzler-hair and multicolored mouth grills attractive, then they should swipe left on Boat and swipe right on Yachty.

It’s not hard to figure out how Boat feels about fame, as Boat is an acronym for “Best of All Time,” according to a tweet from Lil Yachty’s official account. Self-assured and confident, he’s been presenting himself as the self-proclaimed “King of the Teens” since his beginnings. Riding the fame and all that comes with it, Boat likes to rap about the money, cars and diamonds that he didn’t have just a few short years ago.

In contrast, Yachty is unsure of his standing as a public figure. In “Say My Name,” Yachty redundantly sings, “I want you to say my name, say my name, say my, say my name in the crowd,” hinting at his concern for how he is received by his audience, and the popularity he amasses from his fans. Yachty claims to be a normal teenager, (as normal as a six-figure teen can be), and with the emotional years of adolescence comes an inevitable uncertainty of his place in the world.

On Family and Peers

“I didn’t ask for respect, all I care about is that check,” raps Boat on “Dirty Mouth.” Boat doesn’t care about what people think, and he definitely doesn’t care about what the haters are saying about him. He’s just there to do him, and also attempt to emasculate his rivals by acting hard and likening them to female genitalia, like in “FYI (Know Now).”

Yachty is constantly singing about the “ice” on his mother’s wrist, or alluding to the hundred pairs of shoes his sister has in her closet in interviews. He cares about his family and he attributes a lot of his success to his mom. In the intro he sings, “Look mama you made a star,” and the outro, “Momma” is completely dedicated to her, bringing the gratitude full circle.

In his music, Yachty emulates the man that his mom raised him to be, while Boat is the reflection of Yachty as he sees himself fitting into the hip-hop world.

How It Comes Together

Listening to Lil Yachty’s discography is a human behavioral experiment on the effect that constant exposure to something initially unpleasant can have on the subject’s opinion. Someone once likened it to eating vegetables; they taste terrible at first, but become pretty good after recurring exposure. Nothing else captures the initial resistance to Yachty and Boat’s dichotomy and the new sound they create together; in addition to, the acceptance and appreciation by the listener that soon follows.

In its first week, only forty-six thousand copies of “Teenage Emotions” were sold. Lil Yachty’s heavy streaming presence on sites like Soundcloud , where he originally gained his cult following, and apps like Spotify , may have something to do with low sales, but he’s going on tour and working on new music regardless of its success.

Either way, Lil Yachty and his alter egos have undoubtedly made a name for themselves in the genre, whether they’re loved or hated; there are plenty who do both.

Brittany Sodic, University of North Texas

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Brittany sodic, university of north texas journalism - digital & print.

[…] To view the featured image click here To view the above image click here […]

[…] sides of the same coins, alternative personas of the same man. Yachty himself has stated that his alter-ego Boat is “crazy”, a fact we can see in how wildly different and more aggressive the lyricism is […]

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Lil Yachty's Label Concrete Boyz set to release their first collaboration project 'It's Us Volume 1' this April

A ccording to NFR Podcast, Lil Yachty's record label, Concrete Boys (also known as Concrete Boyz), is set to release their first collaboration project titled It's Us: Volume 1 on all streaming platforms this April.

NFR's official X account posted on March 25, confirming the release date of the Concrete Boyz project as April 5, 2024. The post also revealed the featured artists, including Lil Yachty, Karrahbooo, Draft Day, DC2Trill, and Camo. The tweet read:

"LIL YACHTY, KARRAHBOOO, DRAFT DAY, DC2TRILL, CAMO!"

The tracklist for the upcoming album is yet to be confirmed, but based on the artists involved in this project, it's likely to showcase a fusion of alternative rock, R&B, and rap.

Lil Yachty and Concrete Boys Discography

Yachty (Lil Boat), who is currently signed to Quality Control, incorporated his own Record Label Concrete Boyz, a few years ago in an attempt to bring upcoming artists in his genre to the spotlight.

Over the years, Yachty and his team have been slowly recruiting rappers and artists from across the music industry, from 31 Camo to Karahbooo, all of whose music appears to have been inspired by Boat's discography.

Lil Yachty has also collaborated with his signees on some of his previous work. Below are two songs officially released alongside Artist Draft Day:

• Demon Time (Feat. Draft Day)
• POPOVICH Freestyle (Feat. Draft Day)

On May 29, 2020, Yachty released his fourth studio album, titled Lil Boat 3 , across all DSPs (Digital Streaming Platforms) via Quality Control Music and Motown Records. The 19-track project included a track titled Concrete Boys .

This track acted as the official introduction to the "Concrete Crew" he was building with his record label. The song includes a shout-out to the Concrete Boys in the chorus when Yachty implies that when his "back is against the wall," he can always rely on his crew to come through for him.

Another notable bar from Lil Yachty's song has been listed below:

"I just woke up, dreamin' 'bout the rose (Oh my God) / They had ni**as 'round me who don't stand on toes (Hell nah) / Barely ever do I think about my foes / How much longer will I live? Only God knows."

On December 16, 2023, a song titled Mo Jams was released on the official YouTube channel for Concrete Boys, alongside a music video that featured most of the CB roster, except for 31 Camo. Mo Jams was produced by Rawbone and acts as the first official collaboration between the members of Concrete Boys.

This track, although not being released on DSPs, has garnered significant attention for an upcoming collaboration project by racking up almost 4 million views on YouTube.

As fans await a Concrete Boys collaboration album, Lil Yachty continues to impress fans by following up on his widely acclaimed 2023 project Let's Start Here, which found the rapper delving into a more experimental sound with his music.

Notably, Yachty has been releasing a string of singles, which include his collaboration with Fred Again.. on stayinit. The rapper was also featured on Lyrical Lemonade's debut studio album, All Is Yellow , which dropped two months ago in January 2024.