lil yachty lil boat

With its "once upon a time"-style introduction, Lil Yachty's debut commercial project starts off sounding a little like a children's book. When you read out his name with the mixtape's title—Lil Yachty's Lil Boat—it sounds like a nursery rhyme. It's an aesthetic symmetry that evokes youthful whimsy, which matches the rapper's slurred, lullaby melodies and the gleaming beats he splashes with playboy flexes and tales of aspiration. This is the stylistic mix at the heart of "bubblegum trap," a sound pioneered by Yachty himself. While he later dismissed the label, it remains an apt description for the mellifluous sing-song raps and lackadaisical flows that permeate the star-making project. Checking in at 40 minutes, the mixtape introduces fans to two central characters: Lil Boat and Lil Yachty. Boat is his more aggressive alter ego, while Yachty is the friendlier, even more melodically inclined variant. The two identities grow further apart in subsequent projects, but on Lil Boat, they both thrive on warbles you might mumble under your breath. For "Minnesota," Yachty floats over rainbow keys that could come from an ice cream truck, threading flexes with off-kilter warnings about life in the trenches. Verses from Quavo, Skippa Da Flippa, and Young Thug further embed it with a grit that's at odds with the toddler-friendly instrumental, giving it a delectable layer of irony. Yachty surfaces again on "Good Day," with his Auto-Tuned vocals coloring a fly guy's wonderland. Peeking from behind the neon haze, Lil Boat emerges on "Not My Bro," a casual dismissal of would-be hangers-on. Meanwhile, on "Interlude," Boat unloads a barrage of death threats, packaging them in a dazed beat and a murmur that sits opposite Yachty's sugarcoated melodies elsewhere on the project. With Boat fading into a malaise as he cruises above the opiate synths, it feels like a foggy daydream. If this were an imaginary world, "One Night" would be its first monument. After going viral in a comedic video, the track picked up millions of streams, propelling Yachty from ambitious college dropout to ubiquitous internet presence. Fusing muted synths with a drowsy melody, the track was a player's anthem for the new school—and the beginning of Yachty’s extremely online Gen Z fairy tale.

March 9, 2016 13 Songs, 40 minutes ℗ 2016 Quality Control Music, Capitol Records and Motown Records

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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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Big Sean Clarifies His Alleged Diss Toward Lil Yachty On "Better Me Than You"

On Better Me Than You , Big Sean poured out his emotions and thoughts. After such a long wait in between projects, the Detroit rapper definitely wanted to make up for lost time in that regard, but also in terms of the amount of material. Along with the standard issue of his sixth studio LP, he also delivered four alternate versions that physical exclusives. They come in vinyl form and the names of each are Feelings , Focus , Clarity , and Pressure . The last of the bunch is causing some discussion online thanks to a sit-down between Sean and Complex .

During the interview, he was asked about a couple of lines on "Wire Me", which seems to be the only additional bonus track included on the aforementioned editions. On it, Big Sean raps, " I mean, I might have to even throw 'em a lil' boat—pff / I'm seein' n****s gettin' drowned out, 'cause they can't switch up the flow / Just give 'em a year or two, and they gettin' exposed ". Due to the inclusion of lil' boat , the immediate thought for many was that it was a direct shot at Lil Yachty . However, Sean Don was quick to shut down the rumors, according to HipHopDX .

Read More: Cardi B & Offset Reunite At Their Son Wave's Birthday Party Amid Divorce

Big Sean Actually Has Lil Yachty On The New Album

“I wasn’t talking about [Lil Yachty]. Yachty is on the album as well. On ‘Yes’ he’s doing adlibs with me. No, I’m not taking a jab at Yachty. It was like a whole double entendre. If I was referencing him] that would have been a whole other entendre", he explained. Later on, he mentioned that fans might be able to hear more of the Georgia multi-hyphenate on the project. "He was in the studio with me while I was making the album. He actually has a verse on [‘Yes’] too. I might throw it on there later". That would certainly be an interesting thing to hear and we hope he comes through on that.

What are your thoughts on Big Sean clearing up his alleged diss toward Lil Yachty? Did you know that Lil Boat is on the album? How are you liking Better Me Than You so far? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with  HNHH  for all of the latest news surrounding Big Sean and Lil Yachty. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.

Read More: Megan Thee Stallion Reveals Exciting Details About Collab With BTS’ RM

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Big Sean Addresses Rumored Lil Yachty Diss On “Wire Me”

Big Sean is still riding the high from his freshly released Better Me Than You album , and he’s swiftly shutting down any negativity surrounding the momentous occasion. On the  Pressure Edition  bonus track “Wire Me,” the Detroit spitter laid some bars that had fans speculating whether or not the words were aimed at Lil Yachty. However, it turns out it was just a “whole double entendre.”

“I mean, I might have to even throw ’em a lil’ boat,” Sean raps over production by Hit-Boy. “I’m seein’ n**gas gettin’ drowned out ’cause they can’t switch up the flow/ Just give ’em a year or two, and they gettin’ exposed.”

During an interview with Complex , he clarified that he wasn’t referring to the Atlanta rapper at all. “I wasn’t talking about [Lil Yachty],” th e Dark Sky Paradise rapper explained. He then pointed out that a diss directed towards Yachty wouldn’t make sense because the two collaborated on the project that the song is on. “Yachty is on the album as well. On ‘Yes,’ he’s doing adlibs with me… No, I’m not taking a jab at Yachty. It was like a whole double entendre. That would have been a whole other entendre.”

The father of two continued, “He was in the studio with me while I was making the album. He actually has a verse on [“Yes”], too. I might throw it on there later.”

Better Me Than You  made landfall last Friday (Aug. 30) and boasts a roster of impressive features from names like Charlie Wilson, Gunna, Eryn Allen Kane, Syd, Thundercat, Bryson Tiller, Kodak black, Teyana Taylor, Larry June, Cash Cobain, DJ Premier, and more across 21 total tracks.

Fans have gotten to enjoy a string of quality accompanying visuals from the LP as well for tracks like “On Up” and “Who You Are (Superstar).” The former is dedicated to his son, Noah, and shot from the baby’s perspective, while the latter samples Usher’s “Superstar” and features cameos from Taye Diggs, RDC World, and more. Check out both offerings below.

More from VIBE.com

Big Sean Clears The Air, Doechii Excels, A$AP Rocky Acts Swiftly, And Other Hip-Hop Releases

Big Sean Puts On His "Drake Face" Amid 'Better Me Than You' Album Release

Taye Diggs, RDC World, And More Star In Big Sean's "Who You Are (Superstar)" Music Video

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