How Did Lil Yachty Do This
The psychedelic rock album I never saw coming
Before I talk Lil Yachty, I wanted to apologize for the inconsistency of the Thursday posts.
Recently, I just haven’t had as many random topics I wanted to write 1,000 words about, so I’ve let a few weeks slip on that. Since I made this newsletter free purposely so that I never felt overly pressured to churn out content at the sake of my mental health (if you can’t tell, I used to write about sports for a living), there may be weeks I miss on Thursday if it feels more like a chore than a hobby I love doing.
Fear not, Big Ten women’s basketball fans, I don’t anticipate the Monday posts ever feeling like a chore, and I’d only miss those for emergencies or if I give you some advance.
As always, and no matter what, thank you to all of you who read Hoopla, I love doing it and don’t see it ending any time soon. :)
This is partially a review, partially a talking point for a larger thought, but my goodness Lil Yachty, where did this come from?
For those who don’t know, Yachty released an album last Friday called “Let’s Start Here.” It is 14 tracks, 57 minutes, and features an AI-made album cover that I am not a fan of.
The last I had heard from Yachty was the one-minute track “Poland,” which was a very dumb, extremely fun smooth cut that I quite enjoyed. But that was about as much as I expected to get from Yachty, whose high-pitched rapping had made a few standout hits here and there (see: “Minnesota”), but who generally failed to impress in recent years, at least for me.
I went back to a 2021 mixtape of his that I missed, and it didn’t do anything for me, but what came out last Friday made me have to check and make sure. Because “Let’s Start Here.” is not just Yachty’s best album, it’s also not a rap album at all.
No, “Let’s Start Here.” is a psychedelic rock album, a near hour of Yachty’s vocals over immaculate production with barely a hint of what we knew about this artist beforehand. It has some Pink Floyd, it has some Tame Impala, it has some other influential artists that I likely am less aware of because this is not my genre of expertise.
My knowledge aside, I can tell you one thing: this album absolutely fucking rocks dude, it rocks.
Right out the gates, Yachty hits us with “the BLACK seminole.” a near seven-minute cut that is an odyssey on its own. This song rises, falls, then rises again in a brilliant, jaw-dropping fashion that lets you know that this is no lazy effort to switch it up.
The hits don’t stop here. “the ride-” has excellent guitar riffs that work perfectly with the vocal range we’ve heard from Yachty in the past. It’s a much more accessible, catchy track than the opener, but the quality remains way, way up.
Were the first two tracks a fluke? Absolutely not. “running out of time” is less upbeat, but smoother, and still extremely effective. And, three tracks in, Yachty has shown us he not only has the range to switch genres completely out of nowhere, but that he has range within that completely new genre, deeply insane.
The comparisons to other major artists shifting sounds is easy. Kid Cudi tried and failed in his move to rock with “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.” Machine Gun Kelly is making a lot of money in punk rock, but I won’t be the one to label it as “good,” I’m sorry. Tyler, the Creator tried something completely out of the box with “Cherry Bomb,” failed, but ultimately made a masterpiece with a similar sound in “IGOR.” Hell, Taylor Swift was at one point a country star, and eventually went fully into pop by the time “1989” came around.
But, two of those artists made some of their worst albums doing the shift. The ones who made some of their best either failed originally or were leaning into that shift for a few albums prior.
Lil Yachty’s last efforts are all rap. “Poland,” isn’t quite that, but it’s also not even close to what this new album is. This album was a surprise no matter if it was good or not, and it just happened to be his best work as an artist by a wide margin.
That being said, I don’t think that “Let’s Start Here.” is a flawless masterpiece. It lulls in the middle, and some of the songs could be shortened. But I nitpick those with joy. I’m happy this wasn’t perfect, because I think Yachty could make that perfect album in this genre if he sticks with it.
The lull also doesn’t last forever. “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” is among the best songs I’ve heard in the early parts of 2023. This thing is intense, beautifully produced and excellently performed by Yachty, who takes the listener on a similarly expansive journey to “the BLACK seminole.” This time around, it ramps up the intensity to 100, and the results are glorious.
This track leads a mostly rock solid back third of the album, closing out with a tremendous final song, “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” Again here, the song starts slow and ultimately builds into something spectacular. It’s a deeply satisfying ending to a truly delightful experience that still feels surreal to think about.
“Let’s Start Here.” feels like what the album’s title is saying. It is an outstanding starting point for what could be the journey that is Lil Yachty’s calling. The production here is some of the best I’ve heard on an album in a long time, and the various features all add to the experience in the best of ways.
Artists stepping out of their comfort zones is a good thing. New, exciting sounds is something that can lead to a work that is polarizing, but well worth it in the end. Some artists seem to do this without even thinking about it.
But there’s something to be said about an artist doing it when almost no one saw it coming. It makes it feel that much more special to hear Lil Yachty take his whole reputation and throw it to the wind, making something that will stand as one of this year’s best albums, and the best album in his repertoire so far.
Listen to “Let’s Start Here.” on:
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