Miles Park McCollum, known to most as Lil Yachty, is a 26 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to fame in 2016 with the songs “One Night” and “Minnesota.” Ever since, Yachty has consistently released rap albums every one or two years. Throughout his career, Yachty has furthered his sound, personality, and fashion sense, cultivating himself a current 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify. This January, Yachty released his fifth studio album “Let’s Start Here”.
“Let’s Start Here” stands apart from the rest of Yachty’s catalog as it moves away from the rap genre and into psychedelic rock. This is only the first way in which he manages to cut against what is expected of a mainstream rapper. On the song, “pRETTy” Yachty sings, “(Ha) I am so pretty / (Ha) I feel so pretty / (Ha) I’m so damn pretty”(McCollum, 2023, track 4). These lyrics are not consistent with the expectations of a mainstream male artist, let alone a male rapper. Beyond Yachty’s break from the mainstream, the album is beautifully produced, flowing easily from track to track. It can easily be listened to front to back or individual favorites can stand on their own. Additionally, the sound Yachty brings incites a unique sense of euphoria and the lyrics on the album perfectly coexist with the instrumental in order to make the music flow seamlessly.
All in all, Yachty delivers a beautiful album with plenty of substance to bring listeners back again and again. I have found myself returning to the album plenty, even in its entirety. “Let’s Start Here” provides a unique opportunity for Yachty to further reinvent himself and truly establish himself as an artist. Ultimately, it would be hard for one to say that Yachty has not made a solid addition to his catalog with this album and I will be eagerly awaiting further music from Lil Yachty. 10/10
