Let's Start Here

Lil Yachty Made The Innovative ‘Let’s Start Here’ Album So He’d Be Seen As More Than ‘Just Some SoundCloud Rapper’

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Ask Run-DMC: the musical dance between rap and rock music is nothing new. Despite publicly sharing that his next project would, in fact, be a departure from his signature rap sound, Lil Yachty fans are surprised by his new album, Let’s Start Here.

The 14-track album, rooted in the sounds of psychedelic rock, marks the rapper’s first full-length release in nearly three years. Let’s Start Here features guest production by Justin Raisen, Sad Pony, Patrick Wimberly, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait, Nick Hakim, Magdalena Bay, and Jam City, as well as a musical appearance by MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser on the keyboards. While most artists are fearful of stepping out of the sounds fans have grown to expect from them, Lil Yachty, on the other hand, embraced the challenge. The creative deviation, according to Twitter users, has ultimately paid off.

During a private listening party for the album, Lil Yachty shared his true motivations for stepping outside of rap music on this project. He told the packed room, “This album is so special and dear to me. I think I created it because I wanted to be taken seriously as an artist. You know? Not just some SoundCloud rapper. Not some mumble rapper. Not some guy that just made one hit. I wanted to be taken seriously because music is everything to me, and I respect all walks of music. Not just rap and hip-hop but everything. I wanted to make something that showed the world that shows it, just how great music is to me.”

The phrase “SoundCloud rapper” is often used to demise a rapper’s musicality. During the height of the streamer, aspiring musicians could upload raw cuts of their DIY songs using it as a way to gauge the quality, measuring it against how popular it became. Often time, these musicians didn’t have a formal background or training in songwriting or production. SoundCloud removed the barriers of entry for a lot of today’s biggest names in rap, including Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, and Chance The Rapper, to name a few.

Yachty then added that because the trendiness of the sound often found on the music streamer (pioneered by Lil Uzi Vert and himself) was being so over-saturated, he felt like it was time to reinvent himself. Yachty told the crowd, “If we’re just going, to be honest. A lot of n****s are copying the swag, and I just felt like if everyone can do this, that’s fine. But I’m going to show y’all what y’all can’t do.”

To be fair, Lil Yachty isn’t the only artist earning praise for their exploration into rock music, SZA also was applauded for her rock track, “Ghost In The Machine,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers, off her new album SOS. Kid Cudi has also released a fully rock-centered album.

Let’s Start Here is out now via Quality Control. Get it here.

Lil Yachty Enlisted An MGMT Member And Many Other Psychedelic Collaborators To Help Bring His New Album To Life

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Lil Yachty's 'Poland'
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Fans are raving about Lil Yachty’s new album, Let’s Start Here. To some, the departure from his signature rap sound to the project’s psychedelic alternative rock core came as a surprise, but to the rapper and his die-hard fans, this was to be expected.

A year ago, as the musician discussed what he had planned for his next official studio project, he plainly told Atlanta jewelry store Icebox listeners should brace themselves because it would be “a non-rap album.”

Yachty went on to gush about the creative direction saying, “It’s alternative, it’s sick! I’ve always wanted to [do one], but now I’ve met all these amazing musicians and producers. It’s like a psychedelic-alternative project. It’s different, and it’s all live instrumentation. I’ve changed my entire dynamic. I’m telling you, with this album and on, I’m creating music a whole lot differently.”

Fast forward to today, and Let’s Start Here is available across streaming platforms, and the list of the musicians and producers that he worked with has been revealed. While Lil Yachty co-produced the entire album, the project features a list of heavy hitter guest producers, including Justin Raisen, Sad Pony, Patrick Wimberly, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait, Nick Hakim, Magdalena Bay, and Jam City.

As far as writing credit goes, Lil Yachty has been the go-to rap pen for the new wave of rappers including the City Girls, but artists Mac DeMarco and Alex G are also given co-writing credit. During the initial announcement, Yachty did not list any guest vocal features. Still, after listening to the album, music buffs will recognize recording artists Foushée, Diana Gordon, Teezo Touchdown, and Justine Skye all made an appearance on it despite their names not being listed in the titles.

Details about the featured instrumentalist featured on the project are still being revealed, but one standout musical guest includes MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser, who played the keyboard on the album.

When discussing the inspiration behind the album and his robust approach, Yachty sternly replied, “I wanted to be taken seriously as an artist, not just some SoundCloud rapper. Not some mumble rapper, not just some guy that made one hit.”

View the official tracklist with unlisted guests added below.

1. “The Black Seminole”
2. “The Ride” Feat. Teezo Touchdown
3. “Running Out of Time” Feat. Justine Skye
4. “Pretty” Feat. Fousheé
5. “Failure”
6. “The Zone” Feat. Justine Skye
7. “We Saw the Sun!”
8. “Drive Me Crazy!” Feat. Diana Gordon
9. “I’ve Officially Lost Vision!!!!” Feat. Diana Gordon
10. “Say Something”
11. “Paint the Sky”
12. “Should I B?”
13. “The Alchemist” Feat. Fousheé
14. “Reach the Sunshine” Feat. Daniel Caesar

Let’s Start Here is out now via Quality Control. Get it here.

Lil Yachty Made An Unexpected Psychedelic Rock Turn On His New Album And Twitter Users Are Blown Away

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Rapper Lil Yachty may be practicing celibacy, but that hasn’t stopped him from f*cking the game up. After announcing a full-length project was on the way a few weeks ago, today, Yachty’s new album Let’s Start Here is finally available to the public.

While the “Poland” rapper hasn’t taken a total hiatus from music, making guest appearances on other’s musician’s songs and producing as well as writing for other acts, the Georgia native’s last official album Lil Boat 3, hit streaming services nearly three years ago. Fans were growing impatient, so Yatchy cooked up the Michigan Boy Boat mixtape to hold them over.

Well, the wait seemingly paid off, as his fifth studio album, Let’s Start Here, is all the talk on social media after its release last night. Overwhelming users online praise the body of work for its production quality and its fresh sound as listeners spotlighted the blends of psychedelic rock elements. Some users have even taken it a step further, referring to it as the album of the year (thus far).

As for how the Twitterverse feels about it, people are simultaneously shocked and impressed by the LP and its new stylistic direction (despite the fact he said in January 2022 that his next album would be “a psychedelic-alternative project“). Check out some reactions below.

Let’s Start Here is out now via Quality Control. Get it here.

Lil Yachty’s ‘Department Of Mental Tranquility’ Is Not Tranquil At All

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Lil Yachty took the wock to “Poland” last fall. Today, January 25, he took us deep into his psyche with “Department Of Mental Tranquility,” a 100-second narrated skit meant to provide more context around his forthcoming album, Let’s Start Here.

“At the end of this hallway is the edge of oblivion,” Lil Yachty says to start the video as he is, yes, walking down a hallway. “The man you’re watching may not know yet. This moment will mark the first step on the journey of the rest of his life.”

Yachty arrives to a dingy place reminiscent of every Department Of Motor Vehicles (DMV). There are two sweaty, miserable-looking men. Yachty rings the bell at the desk labeled “DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL TRANQUILITY,” and a woman pops up to ask him if he knows what type of treatment he’d like to receive.

“The man arrives at the precipice,” Lil Yachty says, but now he’s wearing a suit and seated in the lobby. “He simply asked a question.” And then we back cut across the room to the original Yachty, still standing at the receptionist’s desk: “Uh, yeah. Is this where you sign up at?”

The receptionist interrupts him, “Fantastic. Let’s help you float, Mr. Boat.” She asks him a few existential questions, like if he’s ever wished to be someone else (“Daily”), how often he calls his mother, and if he’s sexually active. (The last question is particularly interesting because Yachty recently admitted he doesn’t have sex anymore.)

The video gets increasingly distressing before Yachty agrees to undergo treatment. He walks into an all-white room alone, and the video ends with the door shutting.

Yachty first announced Let’s Start Here on January 17:

Watch “Department Of Mental Tranquility” above.

Let’s Start Here is out 1/27 via Quality Control/Motown. Pre-order it here.

Lil Yachty’s ‘Let’s Start Here’: Everything To Know Including The Release Date, Tracklist, And More

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Lil Yachty just announced Let’s Start Here, a new album arriving later this year. “Thank You for the patience,” he wrote on social media. Later, he added, “I have so many things to say.” The rapper’s last record was 2021’s Michigan Boy Boat. The other week, he also made a post looking for an all-women band which has been deleted since: “Yachty is putting a band together,” the post read, noting he was looking for two to three background singers, a guitar player, a bass player, a drummer, and a keyboard player. It’s unknown whether it could be for the album, a tour, or something else.

Release date

Let’s Start Here is out 1/27 via Quality Control/Motown.

Tracklist

The tracklist is currently unknown, and this will be updated later.

Features

Any details about features are not yet available. However, Michigan Boy Boat was packed with features from artists like Babyface Ray, Veeze, Sada Baby, Swae Lee, and more, so it’s not wild to assume he will bring some friends onto the records.

Artwork

Check out the artwork for Let’s Start Here below in his social media announcement of the LP.

Singles

No singles have been released yet but hopefully they are on their way and will arrive soon.

Lil Yachty Shared The Release Date And Creepy Cover Art For ‘Let’s Start Here,’ His Much-Anticipated New Album

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At long last, Lil Yachty has finally shared the release date for his long-anticipated fifth studio album. Today, the “Poland” rapper revealed that his new album, called Let’s Start Here will release later this month.

Yachty announced the news today via posts on his social media accounts.

“Thank You for the patience,” he said in an Instagram caption with the album’s artwork. The seemingly AI-generated artwork features several people in a Congress-like setting, with their faces distorted.

He shared a similar post on Twitter, but shortly after, shared a follow-up post, saying, “I have so many things to say.”

Last month, a project of Yachty’s called Sonic Ranch leaked to the internet in full. He didn’t directly address the leak, however, he had taken to Twitter shortly after to express his sadness by way of a frowning emoji.

Earlier this month, he announced via since-deleted Instagram and Twitter posts that he was holding tryouts for an all-women band, though it was unclear whether this was for an upcoming album, or for a tour.

This time last year, Yachty spoke to Icebox and revealed he wants to take a new approach to his creative process.

“I’ve changed my dynamic,” he said. “I’m telling you, this album and on, I’m creating music a whole lot differently.”

Let’s Start Here is out 1/27 via Quality Control/Motown.

Lil Yachty Unveils New Album Artwork & Release Date

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New music from Lil Yachty has been a long time coming. Thankfully, the 25-year-old announced on Tuesday (January 17) that he has plenty on the way before the month comes to an end.

Earlier this afternoon, the “Poland” artist dropped off the cover art and official release date for his highly anticipated Let’s Start Here project. The effort’s artwork sees a series of distorted faces – men and women – manically laughing while wearing suits.

In his caption, Yachty announced an arrival date of January 27th. “Chapter 2. Thank you for the patience,” he later added.

Let’s Start Here marks the Georgia native’s first release since August 2021’s BIRTHDAY MIX 6. For that EP, he teamed up with friends like Lil Tecca (“Virgo World”) and DC2Trill (“Three Six Talk” and “Lord of the Beans”). It remains unclear if the rapper presently has any plans to collaborate on his upcoming album.

As Genius notes, Yachty first teased his work in May of last year. At the time, he wrote on social media, “I try not to tweet ‘cuz I know y’all want [the] album… I’ll come back with that, best one yet. Promise.”

By early October, his “Poland” single was making serious waves about what’s next for the SoundCloud star. At that time, he promised his project in the new year. However, he was granted an unfortunate Christmas gift when the entirety of his work leaked under the name SONIC RANCH on December 25th.

Lil Yachty attends the “On The Come Up” Premiere during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 08, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Isaiah Trickey/FilmMagic)

A few days later, Yachty clarified that the title was inaccurate. Still, he planned to move forward with dropping his album in the new year. The official cover, title, and release date still wound up leaking a few days early thanks to a vinyl release website.

In other news, earlier this month the “Yacht Club” artist was on the hunt for an all-female band. Read more about his latest musical endeavours here, and check back later for more hip-hop news updates.

[Via]