Week 2 Hip-Hop Release

Let’s Start Here – Lil Yachty (ALBUM)

Just a few months back, Lil Yachty broke the internet by accident when his track “Poland,” featuring new vocal wobble effects and a catchy, lighthearted chorus, was leaked to the streaming service Soundcloud. 

Shortly after this leak, the song was officially released to the public in October 2022, peaking at #18 on US billboard hot Hip-Hop songs. Last Week, Yachty broke the internet again, but unlike his track Poland, Lil Boat’s fifth studio album, “Let’s Start Here, was no accident.

Yachty is truly one of a kind. Anyone familiar with his music would likely describe it as goofy, playful, or fun. After all, it’s not the first time Yachty’s name has made an appearance on the charts.

2016 saw Yachty’s track with D.R.A.M, “Broccoli,” jump to #1 on the hot rap songs chart, and a year later, in 2017, his famous and extremely catchy track with KYLE, “iSpy,” peaked at the top 5 on Hot 100.

What was Lil Yachty thinking? Nobody knows. What almost everyone can agree on, though, is that this album is amazing. Taking rock and alternative inspiration from the likes of Pink Floyd and Tame Impala, the album is far from perfect, but it’s clear that Yachty is putting passion into his work as well as pursuing the music he truly wants to create.

Sam Westerman’s country perspective: 

I’m happy to see any Atlanta-born musician succeed, regardless of the genre. With blossoming support from fellow Hip-Hop superstars, this album will likely find its way into next week’s Billboard Top-10. This record isn’t one I’d have on repeat, as any form of psychedelic music isn’t my cup of tea. Nevertheless, “Let’s Start Here” is my favorite rap album this year: leaps and bounds superior to “MANSION MUSIK.”

Highlights of the album

1. The BLACK seminole.

Yachty knew he needed to start with something special to open this album. As the first song of this project, this track does not disappoint. This seven-minute rollercoaster is hands down the best song. Reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s 1973 “The Dark Side of the Moon,” the mix of the heavy electric guitar and the rock drum set makes for a slow but powerful chord progression which Yachty has no problem with letting speak for itself. The second half features singer Diana Gordon who was exactly what this song needed to reach that next level. 

1. sHouLd i B?

My favorite part of this song is the aggressive drum kit combined with Yachty’s subdued vocals to make very full-sounding verses. The chorus then opens up to a higher-pitched delivery, bringing a nice contrast to the track. This is one of the few songs on the album without any vocal features, but Yachty’s amazing performance proved he didn’t need one.

1. the ride-

The spacy electric guitar that carries the melody of this song takes inspiration from artists such as Tame Impala. The concept of this song is to “Don’t ask questions on the ride,” which works as a metaphor for the album itself and acknowledges the surprise that it is. 

Artist Performance: 6.7/10

This takes the biggest hit only because it’s Yachty’s first attempt at this genre of music, and it’s obviously not perfect. Yachty still maintains his older style of writing, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but he definitely has room for improvement if he decides to continue in this lane of music.

Production: 10/10

This instrumental is a beautiful listen from start to finish, with credits to Mac DeMarco, Patrick Wimberly, Ant Clemons, and Teo Halm. The consistency of producers allowed the entire album to flow so seamlessly that it sometimes sounded like one song. There is truly no way to go wrong with the instrumentation here, and Yachty did a great job curating it.

Replay Value: 8.2/10

On first listen, there is a clear difference between Yachty’s vocal ability and the features sprinkled throughout this album, but after a few tracks, you get more used to it. Unlike many of Yachty’s previous projects, there is much to appreciate here, especially when revisiting this album.

Overall: 8.3/10