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Lil Yachty On His Big Rock Pivot: ‘F-ck Any of the Albums I Dropped Before This One’

With his adventurous, psychedelic new album, 'Let's Start Here,' he's left mumble rap behind — and finally created a project he's proud of.

By Lyndsey Havens

Lyndsey Havens

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Lil Yachty, presented by Doritos, will perform at Billboard Presents The Stage at SXSW on March 16 .

Lil Yachty: Photos From the Billboard Cover Shoot

Someone has sparked a blunt in the planetarium.

It may be a school night, but no one has come to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., to learn. Instead, the hundreds of fans packed into the domed theater on Jan. 26 have come to hear Lil Yachty’s latest album as he intended: straight through — and with an open mind. Or, as Yachty says with a mischievous smile: “I hope y’all took some sh-t.”

For the next 57 minutes and 16 seconds, graphics of exploding spaceships, green giraffes and a quiet road through Joshua Tree National Park accompany Yachty’s sonically divergent — and at this point, unreleased — fifth album, Let’s Start Here . For a psychedelic rock project that plays like one long song, the visual aids not only help attendees embrace the bizarre, but also function as a road map for Yachty’s far-out trip, signaling that there is, in fact, a tracklist.

It’s a night the artist has arguably been waiting for his whole career — to finally release an album he feels proud of. An album that was, he says, made “from scratch” with all live instrumentation. An album that opens with a nearly seven-minute opus, “the BLACK seminole.,” that he claims he had to fight most of his collaborative team to keep as one, not two songs. An album that, unlike his others, has few features and is instead rich with co-writers like Mac DeMarco, Nick Hakim, Alex G and members of MGMT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Chairlift. An album he believes will finally earn him the respect and recognition he has always sought.

Sitting in a Brooklyn studio in East Williamsburg not far from where he made most of Let’s Start Here in neighboring Greenpoint, it’s clear he has been waiting to talk about this project in depth for some time. Yachty is an open book, willing to answer anything — and share any opinion. (Especially on the slice of pizza he has been brought, which he declares “tastes like ass.”) Perhaps his most controversial take at the moment? “F-ck any of the albums I dropped before this one.”

His desire to move on from his past is understandable. When Yachty entered the industry in his mid-teens with his 2016 major-label debut, the Lil Boat mixtape, featuring the breakout hit “One Night,” he found that along with fame came sailing the internet’s choppy waters. Skeptics often took him to task for not knowing — or caring, maybe — about rap’s roots, and he never shied away from sharing hot takes on Twitter. With his willingness and ability to straddle pop and hip-hop, Yachty produced music he once called “bubble-gum trap” (he has since denounced that phrase) that polarized audiences and critics. Meanwhile, his nonchalant delivery got him labeled as a mumble rapper — another identifier he was never fond of because it felt dismissive of his talent.

“There’s a lot of kids who haven’t heard any of my references,” he continues. “They don’t know anything about Bon Iver or Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath or James Brown. I wanted to show people a different side of me — and that I can do anything, most importantly.”

Let’s Start Here is proof. Growing up in Atlanta, the artist born Miles McCollum was heavily influenced by his father, a photographer who introduced him to all kinds of sounds. Yachty, once easily identifiable by his bright red braids, found early success by posting songs like “One Night” to SoundCloud, catching the attention of Kevin “Coach K” Lee, co-founder/COO of Quality Control Music, now home to Migos, Lil Baby and City Girls. In 2015, Coach K began managing Yachty, who in summer 2016 signed a joint-venture deal with Motown, Capitol Records and Quality Control.

“Yachty was me when I was 18 years old, when I signed him. He was actually me,” says Coach K today. (In 2021, Adam Kluger, whose clients include Bhad Bhabie, began co-managing Yachty.) “All the eclectic, different things, we shared that with each other. He had been wanting to make this album from the first day we signed him. But you know — coming as a hip-hop artist, you have to play the game.”

Yachty played it well. To date, he has charted 17 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 , including two top 10 hits for his features on DRAM’s melodic 2016 smash “Broccoli” and Kyle’s 2017 pop-rap track “iSpy.” His third-highest-charting entry arrived unexpectedly last year: the 93-second “Poland,” a track Yachty recorded in about 10 minutes where his warbly vocals more closely resemble singing than rapping. ( Let’s Start Here collaborator SADPONY saw “Poland” as a temperature check that proved “people are going to like this Yachty.”)

Beginning with 2016’s Lil Boat mixtape, all eight of Yachty’s major-label-released albums and mixtapes have charted on the Billboard 200 . Three have entered the top 10, including Let’s Start Here , which debuted and peaked at No. 9. And while Yachty has only scored one No. 1 album before ( Teenage Emotions topped Rap Album Sales), Let’s Start Here debuted atop three genre charts: Top Rock & Alternative Albums , Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums .

“It feels good to know that people in that world received this so well,” says Motown Records vp of A&R Gelareh Rouzbehani. “I think it’s a testament to Yachty going in and saying, ‘F-ck what everyone thinks. I’m going to create something that I’ve always wanted to make — and let us hope the world f-cking loves it.’ ”

Yet despite Let’s Start Here ’s many high-profile supporters, some longtime detractors and fans alike were quick to criticize certain aspects of it, from its art — Yachty quote-tweeted one remark , succinctly replying, “shut up” — to the music itself. Once again, he found himself facing another tidal wave of discourse. But this time, he was ready to ride it. “This release,” Kluger says, “gave him a lot of confidence.”

“I was always kind of nervous to put out music, but now I’m on some other sh-t,” Yachty says. “It was a lot of self-assessing and being very real about not being happy with where I was musically, knowing I’m better than where I am. Because the sh-t I was making did not add up to the sh-t I listened to.

“I just wanted more,” he continues. “I want to be remembered. I want to be respected.”

Last spring, Lil Yachty gathered his family, collaborators and team at famed Texas studio complex Sonic Ranch.

“I remember I got there at night and drove down because this place is like 30 miles outside El Paso,” Coach K says. “I walked in the room and just saw all these instruments and sh-t, and the vibe was just so ill. And I just started smiling. All the producers were in the room, his assistant, his dad. Yachty comes in, puts the album on. We got to the second song, and I told everybody, ‘Stop the music.’ I walked over to him and just said, ‘Man, give me a hug.’ I was like, ‘Yachty, I am so proud of you.’ He came into the game bold, but [to make] this album, you have to be very bold. And to know that he finally did it, it was overwhelming.”

SADPONY (aka Jeremiah Raisen) — who executive-produced Let’s Start Here and, in doing so, spent nearly eight straight months with Yachty — says the time at Sonic Ranch was the perfect way to cap off the months of tunnel vision required while making the album in Brooklyn. “That was new alone,” says Yachty. “I’ve recorded every album in Atlanta at [Quality Control]. That was the first time I recorded away from home. First time I recorded with a new engineer,” Miles B.A. Robinson, a Saddle Creek artist.

Yachty couldn’t wait to put it out, and says he turned it in “a long time ago. I think it was just label sh-t and trying to figure out the right time to release it.” For Coach K, it was imperative to have the physical product ready on release date, given that Yachty had made “an experience” of an album. And lately, most pressing plants have an average turnaround time of six to eight months.

Fans, however, were impatient. On Christmas, one month before Let’s Start Here would arrive, the album leaked online. It was dubbed Sonic Ranch . “Everyone was home with their families, so no one could pull it off the internet,” recalls Yachty. “That was really depressing and frustrating.”

Then, weeks later, the album art, tracklist and release date also leaked. “My label made a mistake and sent preorders to Amazon too early, and [the site] posted it,” Yachty says. “So I wasn’t able to do the actual rollout for my album that I wanted to. Nothing was a secret anymore. It was all out. I had a whole plan that I had to cancel.” He says the biggest loss was various videos he made to introduce and contextualize the project, all of which “were really weird … [But] I wasn’t introducing it anymore. People already knew.” Only one, called “Department of Mental Tranquility,” made it out, just days before the album.

Yachty says he wasn’t necessarily seeking a mental escape before making Let’s Start Here , but confesses that acid gave him one anyway. “I guess maybe the music went along with it,” he says. The album title changed four or five times, he says, from Momentary Bliss (“It was meant to take you away from reality … where you’re truly listening”) to 180 Degrees (“Because it’s the complete opposite of anything I’ve ever done, but people were like, ‘It’s too on the nose’ ”) to, ultimately, Let’s Start Here — the best way, he decided, to succinctly summarize where he was as an artist: a seven-year veteran, but at 25 years old, still eager to begin a new chapter.

Taking inspiration from Dark Side , Yachty relied on three women’s voices throughout the album, enlisting Fousheé, Justine Skye and Diana Gordon. Otherwise, guest vocals are spare. Daniel Caesar features on album closer “Reach the Sunshine.,” while the late Bob Ross (of The Joy of Painting fame) has a historic posthumous feature on “We Saw the Sun!”

Rouzbehani tells Billboard that Ross’ estate declined Yachty’s request at first: “I think a big concern of theirs was that Yachty is known as a rapper, and Bob Ross and his brand are very clean. They didn’t want to associate with anything explicit.” But Yachty was adamant, and Rouzbehani played the track for Ross’ team and also sent the entire album’s lyrics to set the group at ease. “With a lot of back-and-forth, we got the call,” she says. “Yachty is the first artist that has gotten a Bob Ross clearance in history.”

From the start, Coach K believed Let’s Start Here would open lots of doors for Yachty — and ultimately, other artists, too. Questlove may have said it best, posting the album art on Instagram with a lengthy caption that read in part: “this lp might be the most surprising transition of any music career I’ve witnessed in a min, especially under the umbrella of hip hop … Sh-t like this (envelope pushing) got me hyped about music’s future.”

Recently, Lil Yachty held auditions for an all-women touring band. “It was an experience for like Simon Cowell or Randy [Jackson],” he says, offering a simple explanation for the choice: “In my life, women are superheroes.”

And according to Yachty, pulling off his show will take superhuman strength: “Because the show has to match the album. It has to be big.” As eager as he was to release Let’s Start Here , he’s even more antsy to perform it live — but planning a tour, he says, required gauging the reaction to it. “This is so new for me, and to be quite honest with you, the label [didn’t] know how [the album] would do,” he says. “Also, I haven’t dropped an album in like three years. So we don’t even know how to plan a tour right now because it has been so long and my music is so different.”

While Yachty’s last full-length studio album, Lil Boat 3 , arrived in 2020, he released the Michigan Boy Boat mixtape in 2021, a project as reverential of the state’s flourishing hip-hop scenes in Detroit and Flint as Let’s Start Here is of its psych-rock touchstones. And though he claims he doesn’t do much with his days, his recent accomplishments, both musical and beyond, suggest otherwise. He launched his own cryptocurrency, YachtyCoin, at the end of 2020; signed his first artist, Draft Day, to his Concrete Boyz label at the start of 2021; invested in the Jewish dating app Lox Club; and launched his own line of frozen pizza, Yachty’s Pizzeria, last September. (He has famously declared he has never eaten a vegetable; at his Jersey City listening event, there was an abundance of candy, doughnut holes and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts.)

But there are only two things that seem to remotely excite him, first and foremost of which is being a father. As proud as he is of Let’s Start Here , he says it comes in second to having his now 1-year-old daughter — though he says with a laugh that she “doesn’t really give a f-ck” about his music yet. “I haven’t played [this album] for her, but her mom plays her my old stuff,” he continues. “The mother of my child is Dominican and Puerto Rican, so she loves Selena — she plays her a lot . [We watch] the Selena movie with Jennifer Lopez a sh-t ton and a lot of Disney movie sh-t, like Frozen , Lion King and that type of vibe.”

Aside from being a dad, he most cares about working with other artists. Recently, he flew eight of his biggest fans — most of whom he has kept in touch with for years — to Atlanta. He had them over, played Let’s Start Here , took them to dinner and bowling, introduced them to his mom and dad, and then showed them a documentary he made for the album. (He’s not sure if he’ll release it.) One of the fans is an aspiring rapper; naturally, the two made a song together.

Yachty wants to keep working with artists and producers outside of hip-hop, mentioning the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and even sharing his dream of writing a ballad for Elton John. (“I know I could write him a beautiful song.”) With South Korean music company HYBE’s recent purchase of Quality Control — a $300 million deal — Yachty’s realm of possibility is bigger than ever.

But he’s not ruling out his genre roots. Arguably, Let’s Start Here was made for the peers and heroes he played it for first — and was inspired by hip-hop’s chameleons. “I would love to do a project with Tyler [The Creator],” says Yachty. “He’s the reason I made this album. He’s the one who told me to do it, just go for it. He’s so confident and I have so much respect for him because he takes me seriously, and he always has.”

Penske Media Corp. is the largest shareholder of SXSW ; its brands are official media partners of SXSW.

This story originally appeared in the March 11, 2023, issue of Billboard.

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Lil Yachty Reveals AI-Generated Album Cover for ‘Let’s Start Here,’ Depicting Demented Boardroom of Executives

By Yousef Srour

Yousef Srour

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Lil Yachty has revealed the artwork and release date for his forthcoming album, “Let’s Start Here,” set to debut Jan. 27 on Quality Control Music and Motown Records.

Ever the provocateur, the rapper’s new cover art previews an AI-generated image of what seems to be seven executives sitting next to each other in suits. With malformed faces akin to a psychedelic trip down the rabbit hole, the artwork seems unremarkable upon first glance. However, the longer you stare at their faces, they look inhuman, with contorted facial features and warped smiles.

Popular on Variety

In an interview with Icebox last year , the “ Minnesota ” rapper has expressed that his “new album is a non-rap album,” hence the second chapter that he alludes to in his Instagram post. Yachty explains: “It’s alternative, it’s sick!” After recently collaborating with artists such as Tame Impala, he’s been in the process of creating a “psychedelic alternative project… [with] all live instrumentation.”

Slowly shedding major label support, Yachty now has his own label and creative consultant company, Concrete Records and Concrete Family, respectively. Working closely with Concrete Family, Yachty teamed up with the General Mills cereal brand in 2020 for a limited collaboration with Reese’s Puffs and has an undisclosed sneaker set to be released at a later date. Similar to his 2021 mixtape, “Michigan Boat Boy,” which featured almost solely Detroit artists including Rio Da Yung OG and Babyface Ray, Yachty plans to also release a mixtape with the Concrete Boys collective sometime this year.

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Let’s Start Here.

By Alphonse Pierre

Quality Control / Motown

February 1, 2023

At a surprise listening event last Thursday,  Lil Yachty   introduced his new album  Let’s Start Here. , an unexpected pivot, with a few words every rap fan will find familiar: “I really wanted to be taken seriously as an artist, not just some SoundCloud rapper or some mumble rapper.” This is the speech rappers are obligated to give when it comes time for the drum loop to take a backseat to guitars, for the rapping to be muted in favor of singing, for the ad-libs to give it up to the background singers, and for a brigade of white producers with plaque-lined walls to be invited into the fold. 

Rap fans, including myself, don’t want to hear it, but the reality is that in large slices of music and pop culture, “rapper” is thrown around with salt on the tongue. Pop culture is powerfully influenced by hip-hop, that is until the rappers get too close and the hands reach for the pearls. If anything, the 25-year-old Yachty—as one of the few rappers of his generation able to walk through the front door anyway because of his typically Gushers-sweet sound and innocently youthful beaded braid look—might be the wrong messenger. 

What’s sour about Yachty’s statement isn’t the idea that he wants to be taken seriously as an artist, but the question of  who  he wants to be taken seriously by. When Yachty first got on, a certain corner of rap fandom saw his marble-mouthed enunciation and unwillingness to drool over hip-hop history as symbols of what was ruining the genre they claimed to love. A few artists more beholden to tradition did some finger-wagging— Pete Rock and  Joe Budden ,  Vic Mensa and  Anderson .Paak , subliminals from  Kendrick and  Cole —but that was years ago, and by now they’ve found new targets. These days, Yachty is respected just fine within rap. If he weren’t, his year-long rebirth in the Michigan rap scene, which resulted in the good-not-great  Michigan Boy Boat , would have been viewed solely as a cynical attempt to boost his rap bona fides. His immersion there felt earnest, though, like he was proving to himself that he could hang. 

The respect Yachty is chasing on  Let’s Start Here. feels institutional. It’s for the voting committees, for the suits; for  Questlove to shout him out as  the future , for Ebro to invite him  back on his radio show and say  My bad, you’re dope.  Never mind if you thought Lil Yachty was dope to start with: The goal of this album is to go beyond all expectations and rules for rappers.

And the big pivot is… a highly manicured and expensive blend of  Tame Impala -style psych-rock, A24 synth-pop, loungey R&B, and  Silk Sonic -esque funk, a sound so immediately appealing that it doesn’t feel experimental at all. In 2020, Yachty’s generational peers,  Lil Uzi Vert and  Playboi Carti , released  Eternal Atake and  Whole Lotta Red : albums that pushed forward pre-existing sounds to the point of inimitability, showcases not only for the artists’ raps but their conceptual visions. Yachty, meanwhile, is working within a template that is already well-defined and commercially successful. This is what the monologue was for? 

To Yachty’s credit, he gives the standout performance on a crowded project. It’s the same gift for versatility that’s made him a singular rapper: He bounces from style to style without losing his individuality. A less interesting artist would have been made anonymous by the polished sounds of producers like  Chairlift ’s Patrick Wimberly,  Unknown Mortal Orchestra ’s Jacob Portrait, and pop songwriters Justin and Jeremiah Raisen, or had their voice warped by writing credits that bring together  Mac DeMarco ,  Alex G , and, uh,  Tory Lanez . The production always leans more indulgent than thrilling, more scattershot than conceptual. But Yachty himself hangs onto the ideas he’s been struggling to articulate since 2017’s  Teenage Emotions : loneliness, heartbreak, overcoming failure. He’s still not a strong enough writer to nail them, and none of the professionals collecting checks in the credits seem to have been much help, but his immensely expressive vocals make up for it. 

Actually, for all the commotion about the genre jump on this project, the real draw is the ways in which Yachty uses Auto-Tune and other vocal effects as tools to unlock not just sounds but emotion. Building off the vocal wrinkle introduced on last year’s viral moment “ Poland ,” where he sounds like he’s cooing through a ceiling fan, the highlights on  Let’s Start Here. stretch his voice in unusual directions. The vocals in the background of his wistful hook on “pRETTy” sound like he’s trying to harmonize while getting a deep-tissue massage. His shrill melodies on “paint THE sky” could have grooved with  the Weeknd on  Dawn FM . The opening warble of “running out of time” is like Yachty’s imitation of  Bruno Mars imitating  James Brown , and the way he can’t quite restrain his screechiness enough to flawlessly copy it is what makes it original.

Too bad everything surrounding his unpredictable and adventurous vocal detours is so conventional. Instrumental moments that feel like they’re supposed to be weird and psychedelic—the hard rock guitar riff that coasts to a blissful finale in “the BLACK seminole.” or the slow build of “REACH THE SUNSHINE.”—come off like half-measures.  Diana Gordon ’s falsetto-led funk on “drive ME crazy!” reaches for a superhuman register, but other guest appearances, like  Fousheé ’s clipped lilts on “pRETTy” and  Daniel Caesar ’s faded howls on the outro, are forgettable. None of it is ever  bad : The synths on “sAy sOMETHINg” shimmer; the drawn-out intro and outro of “WE SAW THE SUN!” set the lost, trippy mood they’re supposed to; “THE zone~” blooms over and over again, underlined by  Justine Skye ’s sweet and unhurried melodies. It’s all so easy to digest, so pitch-perfect, so safe.  Let’s Start Here. clearly and badly wants to be hanging up on those dorm room walls with  Currents and  Blonde and  IGOR . It might just work, too. 

Instead, consider this album a reminder of how limitless rap can be. We’re so eager for the future of the genre to arrive that current sounds are viewed as restricting and lesser. But rap is everything you can imagine. I’m thinking about “Poland,” a song stranger than anything here: straight-up 1:23 of chaos, as inventive as it is fun. I took that track as seriously as anything I heard last year because it latches onto a simple rap melody and pushes it to the brink. Soon enough, another rapper will hear that and take it in another direction, then another will do the same. That’s how you really get to the future. 

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Lil Yachty Ready to Get Going With New Album ‘Let’s Start Here’

By Jon Blistein

Jon Blistein

Lil Yachty appears ready to release his first new album in three years later this month. 

On social media Tuesday, Jan. 17, the rapper shared what was ostensibly the weird-as-hell cover art for his next LP — a surreal image of a group of besuited adults sporting some deranged smiles — along with the title and release date: Let’s Start Here out Jan. 27. 

Lil Yachty then cryptically added, “Chapter 2,” before thanking fans “for the patience.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by C.V T (@lilyachty)

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“I met Andrew from MGMT, and I’ve been talking to a bunch of people. I met Kevin Parker [of Tame Impala], I’ve been talking to him. It’s just inspiring,” he said. “I got a bunch of side projects I’m going to drop before my next album. But what I’m trying to do on my next album, I’m trying to really take it there sonically.”

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Let’s Start Here.

January 27, 2023 14 Songs, 57 minutes Quality Control Music/Motown Records; ℗ 2023 Quality Control Music, LLC, under exclusive license to UMG Recordings, Inc.

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Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys Drop Debut Album ‘It’s Us Vol. 1’ with Karrahbooo’s ‘Where Yo Daddy’ Video

The highly anticipated debut compilation album It’s Us Vol. 1 from the culture-shifting supergroup Concrete Boys has officially hit the airwaves. Released via Concrete Rekordz/Quality Control Music, the project marks a significant milestone for the group, which includes members Lil Yachty, Karrahbooo, Dc2trill, Draft Day, and Camo!.

Accompanying the album release is a brand-new music video for the focus track, Karrahbooo’s “Where Yo Daddy,” adding visual flair to the group’s sonic offerings. Cementing their status in the rap world, Concrete Boys have been making waves with fan favorites like “ MO JAMS ,” “ FAMILY BUSINESS ,” “ MY LIFE ,” and “ LOVE LANGUAGE ,” leading up to the release of their debut full-length project.

Helmed by the creative genius Lil Yachty, “It’s Us Vol. 1” comprises 16 tracks that blend classic rap’s sonic elements with today’s youth’s contemporary energy. From soulful rap vibes to cloudy southern trap beats, the album promises to lay the groundwork for a new era in the rap game.

With Lil Yachty at the helm, the Concrete Boys are set to redefine the hip-hop landscape, offering listeners a diverse and dynamic musical experience that reflects the essence of modern rap culture.

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Lil yachty's delightfully absurd path to 'let's start here'.

Matthew Ramirez

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Lil Yachty performs on the Stage during day 2 of Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2017 at Exposition Park on October 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Rich Fury/Getty Images hide caption

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Lil Yachty performs on the Stage during day 2 of Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2017 at Exposition Park on October 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Lil Yachty often worked better as an idea than a rapper. The late-decade morass of grifters like Lil Pump, amidst the self-serious reign of Future and Drake (eventual Yachty collaborators, for what it's worth), created a demand for something lighter, someone charismatic, a throwback to a time in the culture when characters like Biz Markie could score a hit or Kool Keith could sustain a career in one hyper-specific lane of rap fandom. Yachty fulfilled the role: His introduction to many was through a comedy skit soundtracked by his viral breakout "1 Night," which tapped into the song's deadpan delivery and was the perfect complement for its sleepy charm. The casual fan knows him best for a pair of collaborations in 2016: as one-half of the zeitgeist-defining single "Broccoli" with oddity D.R.A.M., or "iSpy," a top-five pop hit with backpack rapper Kyle. Yachty embodied the rapper as larger-than-life character — from his candy-colored braids to his winning smile — and while the songs themselves were interesting, you could be forgiven for wondering if there was anything substantial behind the fun, the grounds for the start of a long career.

As if to supplement his résumé, Yachty seemed to emerge as a multimedia star. Perhaps you remember him in a Target commercial; heard him during the credits for the Saved by the Bell reboot; spotted him on a cereal box; saw him co-starring in the ill-fated 2019 sequel to How High . TikTok microcelebrity followed. Then the sentences got more and more absurd: Chef Boyardee jingle with Donny Osmond; nine-minute video cosplaying as Oprah; lead actor in an UNO card game movie. Somewhere in a cross-section of pop-culture detritus and genuine hit-making talent is where Yachty resides. That he didn't fade away immediately is a testament to his charm as a cultural figure; Yachty satisfied a need, and in his refreshingly low-stakes appeal, you could imagine him as an MTV star in an alternate universe. Move the yardstick of cultural cachet from album sales to likes and he emerges as a generation-defining persona, if not musician.

Early success and exposure can threaten anyone's career, none so much as those connected to the precarious phenomenon of SoundCloud rap. Yachty's initial peak perhaps seeded his desire years later to sincerely pursue artistry with Let's Start Here , an album fit for his peculiar trajectory, because throughout the checks from Sprite and scolding Ebro interviews he never stopped releasing music, seemingly to satisfy no one other than himself and the generation of misfits that he seemed to be speaking for.

But to oversell him as a personality belittles his substantial catalog. Early mixtapes like Lil Boat and Summer Songs 2 , which prophetically brought rap tropes and pop sounds into harmony, were sustained by the teenage artist's commitment to selling the vibe of a track as he warbled its memorable hook. It was perhaps his insistence to demonstrate that he could rap, too, that most consistently pockmarked his output during this period. These misses were the necessary growing pains of a kid still finding his footing, and through time and persistence, a perceived weakness became a strength. Where his peers Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti found new ways to express themselves in music, Yachty dug in his heels and became Quality Control's oddball representative, acquitting himself on guest appearances and graduating from punchline rapper to respectable vet culminating in the dense and rewarding Lil Boat 3 from 2020, Yachty's last official album.

Which is why the buzzy, viral "Poland" from the end of 2022 hit different — Yachty tapped back into the same lively tenor of his early breakthroughs. The vibrato was on ten, the beat menaced and hummed like a broken heater, he rapped about taking cough syrup in Poland, it was over in under two minutes and endlessly replayable. Yachty has already lived a full career arc in seven years — from the 2016 king of the teens, to budding superstar, to pitchman, to regional ambassador. But following "Poland" with self-aware attempts at similar virality would be a mistake, and you can't pivot your way to radio stardom after a hit like that, unless you're a marketing genius like Lil Nas X. How does he follow up his improbable second chance to grab the zeitgeist?

#NowPlaying

Lil yachty, 'poland'.

Let's Start Here is Lil Yachty's reinvention, a born-again Artist's Statement with no rapping. It's billed as psychedelic rock but has a decidedly accessible sound — the sun-kissed warmth of an agreeable Tame Impala song, with bounce-house rhythms and woozy guitars in the mode of Magdalena Bay and Mac DeMarco (both of whom guest on the album) — something that's not quite challenging but satisfying nonetheless. Contrast with 2021's Michigan Boy Boat , where Yachty performed as tour guide through Michigan rap: His presence was auxiliary by function on that tape, as he ceded the floor to Babyface Ray, Sada Baby and Rio Da Yung OG; it was tantalizing curation, if not a work of his own personal artistry. It's tempting to cast Let's Start Here as another act of roleplay, but what holds this album together is Yachty's magnetic pull. Whether or not you're someone who voluntarily listens to the Urban Outfitters-approved slate of artists he's drawing upon, his star presence is what keeps you engaged here.

Yachty has been in the studio recording this album since 2021, and the effort is tangible. He didn't chase "Poland" with more goofy novelties, but he also didn't spit this record out in a month. Opener (and highlight) "The Black Seminole" alternates between Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix-lite references. It's definitely a gauntlet thrown even if halfway through you start to wonder where Yachty is. The album's production team mostly consists of Patrick Wemberly (formerly of Chairlift), Jacob Portrait (of Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Jeremiah Raisen (who's produced for Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira and Drake) and Yachty himself, who's established himself as a talented producer since his early days. (MGMT's Ben Goldwasser also contributed.) The group does a formidable job composing music that is dense and layered enough to register as formally unconventional, if not exactly boundary-pushing. Yachty frequently reaches for his "Poland"-inspired uber-vibrato, which adds a bewitching texture to the songs, placing him in the center of the track. Other moments that work: the spoken-word interlude "Failure," thanks to contemplative strumming from Alex G, and "The Ride," a warm slow-burn that coasts on a Jam City beat, giving the album a lustrous Night Slugs moment. "I've Officially Lost Vision" thrashes like Yves Tumor.

Yet the best songs on Let's Start Here push Yachty's knack for hooks and snaking melodies to the fore and rely less on studio fireworks — the laid-back groove of "Running Out of Time," the mournful post-punk of "Should I B?" and the slow burn of "Pretty," which features a bombastic turn from vocalist Foushee. That Yachty's vaunted indie collaborators were able to work in simpatico with him proves his left-of-center bonafides. It's a reminder that he's often lined his projects with successful non-rap songs, curios like "Love Me Forever" from Lil Boat 2 and "Worth It" from Nuthin' 2 Prove . That renders Let's Start Here a less startling turn than it may appear at first glance, and also underlines his recurring talent for making off-kilter pop music, a gift no matter the perceived genre.

At a listening event for the record, Yachty stated: "I created [this] because I really wanted to be taken seriously as an artist. Not just some SoundCloud rapper, not some mumble rapper. Not some guy that just made one hit," seemingly aware of the culture war within his own genre and his place along the spectrum of low- to highbrow. To be sure, whether conscious of it or not, this kind of mentality is dismissive of rap music as an artform, and also undermines the good music Yachty has made in the past. Holing up in the studio to make digestibly "weird" indie-rock with a cast of talented white people isn't intrinsically more artistic or valid than viral hits or a one-off like "Poland." But this statement scans less as self-loathing and more as a renewed confidence, a tribute to the album's collective vision. And people like Joe Budden have been saying "I don't think Yachty is hip-hop " since he started. So what if he wants to break rank now?

Lil Yachty entered the cultural stage at 18, and has grown up in public. It adds up that, now 25, he would internalize all the scrutiny he's received and wish to cement his artistry after a few thankless years rewriting the rules for young, emerging rappers. Let's Start Here may not be the transcendent psychedelic rock album that he seeks, but it is reflective of an era of genreless "vibes" music. Many young listeners likely embraced Yachty and Tame Impala simultaneously; it tracks he would want to bring these sounds together in a genuine attempt to reach a wider audience. Nothing about this album is cynical, but it is opportunistic, a creation in line with both a shameless mixed-media existence and his everchanging pop alchemy. The "genre" tag in streaming metadata means less than it ever has. Credit to Yachty for putting that knowledge to use.

Let’s Start Here.

“something ether”.

Flex Up (with Future and Playboi Carti)

Strike (Holster)

sAy sOMETHINg

Lil Yachty's Concrete Boys Drop New Banger "FAMILY BUSINESS"

Yachty is once again showing off the young talent on his label.

Last year, Lil Yachty launched his new label CONCRETE BOYS under Quality Control. He's already gotten to work on filling out the roster with impressive young talent and has a new compilation on the way to help show off their talents. Last year the label dropped "MO JAMS" which came with the announcement of the upcoming compilation tape, even though the song isn't expected to appear on it. But now were finally getting a taste of some of Yachty's artists.

Lil Yachty himself is joined by CAMO and KARRAHBOOO on the absolute banger of a new song "FAMILY BUSINESS." The track also comes with an accompanying music video that is heavily stylized. It featured the various label members in matching baggy red shirts and big jeans in a variety of locations like a living room and outside a gas station. The description for the song also includes a link to pre-order the upcoming full label compilation, which also won't include this new song. It officially confirms that the album will drop pretty soon, hitting streaming on April 5.

Read More: Lil Yachty Drops By For His "On The Radar Freestyle"

Lil Yachty And Concrete Boys' "FAMILY BUSINESS"

Lil Yachty just appeared on another new single from an up-and-coming talent. He teamed up with breakthrough TikTok star NEMZZZ for a sentimental new single called "IT'S US." That came just a few weeks after he teamed up with one of the breakthrough stars of electronica in 2023. Fred Again... had a massive year last year and kicked off his 2024 with the track "Stayinit" which featured an appearance from Yachty . What do you think of the new single from Lil Yachty's label Concrete Boyz? Are there any members of the group that you think have breakout potential? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Lil Yachty Divulges On Potential Drake Collab Album

Quotable Lyrics: Two pints, just Teezo Touchdown'd, I'm finna pour 'em both Geekin' off two X pills, my b*tch look like kaleidoscope I don't trip 'bout much, play 'bout my money or pints, I gotta fold you He such a stand up guy, how they f*ck him over?

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JID Announces New Album 'Forever & a Day' Along With a New Single With Lil Yachty

Arriving before his collaborative album with metro..

JID is ready to serve up new music for his fans. Earlier this year, JID teased a collaborative album with Metro Boomin . But after his recent Instagram Live, the Dreamville artist announced a new album set to release before the one with Metro.

On Instagram, JID confirmed to fans that he has a number of projects coming up, including a couple of collaborative tracks with Lil Yachty under their Blakkboyz collaboration. One of these tracks is “Van Goh,” which has surfaced online for a while. while the other has yet to be confirmed. Alongside the two tracks, JID confirmed his new album titled Forever & A Day , dropping before his collaborative album with Metro Boomin. This album will feature around 10 to 12 songs, with nothing else confirmed by the artist.

JID & Lil Yachty have new music coming together in a couple days 👀 pic.twitter.com/6P0cKO95A5 — Team DREAMVILLE (@TeamDreamville) August 29, 2023

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Lil Yachty’s Alleged Reference Track Surfaces for Drake Song Everyone Already Knew He Co-Wrote

Yachty has been credited as a writer and co-producer on "Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin" since its 2022 release, not to mention several other 'Her Loss' tracks.

Lil Yachty ’s alleged reference track for Drake ’s solo Her Loss cut " Jumbotron Shit Poppin " is making the rounds on social media.

The alleged leak sees Yachty running through the 2022 track, the official video for which famously featured the " Summer Games " sequel denier rocking millions of dollars' worth of Pharrell's old jewelry , albeit with a number of small lyrical differences. Namely, the chorus-opening "We ain't even out in Turks" line is entirely absent.

Yachty, who also picked the cover art for Drake and 21 Savage ’s first joint album together, hadn't addressed the alleged leak at the time of this writing, nor should he be expected to do so. Akademiks, meanwhile, has claimed that Metro Boomin is involved with the alleged leak, though no such claim has been confirmed. The alleged leak appears to have first surfaced via Twitter user @notbobbalam , who claimed on Sunday that they had received it "from a random Atlanta number."

Uploaded to SoundCloud if you want it 🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/jdWLocCVaF — Bobbalam (@notbobbalam) April 15, 2024

Yachty, of course, has been credited as a writer on "Jumbotron Shit Poppin" since its 2022 release. In fact, Drake and Yachty are joined by 12 other names in the track's official writing credits. Her Loss ' other Yachty co-writing credits include "Major Distribution," "BackOutsideBoyz," "Privileged Rappers," "Circo Loco," and "Pussy & Millions." The best-dressed rapper of 2023 also received several co-production credits on the album, including for "Jumbotron Shit Poppin."

To be clear, circulating alleged reference tracks when it comes to Drake is not the diss some seem to think that it is. Yachty, specifically, has been vocal about his work with Drake, telling Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo for Complex just last September that it "just so happens that one of my friends is one of the biggest artists in the world." Not to mention, and as we just established above, the credits for such work are publicly available.

To be even clearer, and speaking more generally here, a writing credit on any given song doesn’t necessarily mean that the individual being credited contributed substantially to the composition in question, nor does it negate the contributions of the main artist. A credit can come about by something as simple as being in the room and bouncing ideas at the time of a song's creation.

Furthermore, to still be hung up on songs that boast multiple writing credits ignores the fact that this practice is (and has been) employed across all genres, from rock (blink-182’s latest No. 1 album is a fine example of this collaborative approach) to country (Morgan Wallen’s "Last Night" counts four writers, none of whom are Wallen) to, yes, rap.

In short, sharing an alleged reference track proves nothing other than a straws-grasping approach being employed by some amid the battle for the Drakeiverse.

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Lil Yachty joins Slowthai onstage during intimate $1 gig

Yachty didn't rap but he did offer moral support

Slowthai played an intimate gig at New York’s Baby’s All Right on Thursday night (January 13), where he was joined onstage by Lil Yachty.

• READ MORE: Slowthai at Reading Festival 2021: rap devil defies you to ‘cancel’ him

Tickets for the gig cost just $1 (73p), and Slowthai (real name Tyron Frampton) announced it on Wednesday (January 12) via social media . “My New York family, I’m coming to see you,” he wrote. “Spread the word but wear a mask”.

Slowthai opened the show at the 280-capacity venue with 2020’s ‘Enemy’ and his 2021 Skepta collab ‘ Cancelled ’, before running through a host of tracks from second album ‘ Tyron ’. Frampton also played ‘Doorman’ and ‘T N Biscuits’ his from debut album, ‘ Nothing Great About Britain ’, alongside his collaboration with Gorillaz , ‘ Momentary Bliss’ .

According to Brooklyn Vegan, Slowthai was joined onstage by Lil Yachty. The rapper never picked up a mic, though, offering moral support instead.

Check out footage and the setlist below:

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Slowthai played: ‘Enemy’ ‘Cancelled’ ‘45 Smoke’ ‘TN Biscuits’ ‘Wot’ ‘Dead’ ‘Bodybag’ ‘I Tried’ ‘Basquiat’ ‘Mazza’ ‘Psycho’ ‘Deal Wiv It’ ‘Momentary Bliss’ ‘Push’ ‘Feel Away’ ‘Doorman’

Earlier this week, Lil Yachty teased an “alternative” album with “psychedelic” elements that won’t sound like his usual rap music.

“My new album is a non-rap album,” he said. “It’s like a psychedelic alternative project. It’s different. It’s all live instrumentation. I’ve changed my dynamic. I’m creating music a whole lot differently.”

Last year, Slowthai teamed up with James Blake for a new version of ‘Funeral’ , taken from Blake’s ‘ Friends That Break Your Heart ’. They christened the release by performing the track live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Fontaines D.C. have also said they’d collaborate with Slowthai “in a heartbeat. Absolutely. I’m up for whatever, to be honest. I’m there at the drop of a hat,” said frontman Grian Chatten.

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Lil Yachty ‘s Concrete Boys collective has finally arrived in full force. Yachty, dc2trill, Draft Day, Karrahbooo and 31camo unleash the It’s Us Vol. 1 tape today. The new project arrives following a year of Lil Boat eagerly promoting the group for the last year. He’s been speaking about them nonstop on his A Safe Place podcast, and they’ve hit the road touring together. Their On the Radar Concrete Cypher exploded last October, raking in over 5 million views. The Concrete team is solid with this one.

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Drake 'jumbotron sh**' poppin lil yachty reference track leaks, akademiks blames metro boomin, drake lil yachty 'jumbotron' reference track leaked by metro, says akademiks.

Drake 's rap Infinity War now has a new ghostwritten attack on his name, but it's not Quentin Miller behind the lyrics this time ... it's Lil Yachty !!!

Was sent a Lil Yachty leak from a random Atlanta number 😂 Not sure if I should be concerned or happy pic.twitter.com/zGqgsif5NR — Bobbalam (@notbobbalam) April 15, 2024 @notbobbalam

On Sunday, a reference track hit the internet of Yachty appearing to be the brainchild of Drake's song "Jumbotron S*** Poppin" ... rapping most of the "Her Loss" hit as it was presented to the masses.

According to Akademiks , Metro Boomin sent the track to several sources with a "Merry Christmas" gift note attached 🎁 -- tightly wrapped with intentions to damage Drake's rep.

The ghostwriting rumors have nudged Drake since his beef with Meek Mill , however, Lil Yachty is listed as one of the many writers on the track. It was common knowledge Yachty assisted during the album process.

Metro hasn't owned up to the leak, but if it's him ... it could be payback for his phone getting hacked last month.

An avalanche of Toronto-based numbers spammed Metro for days and thousands of dollars worth of Balenciaga were charged to his account -- a caper he's fully pinning on Drake.

"Jumbotron" doesn't exactly fall under the ghostwriting umbrella, but Rick Ross capitalized on the moment anyway and fueled his Drake beef even further ... claiming Drake's Diamond-certified "Sicko Mode" verse to also be the work of a puppetmaster.

The song features about a dozen writers ... good luck to Rozay proving who did what!!!

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Lil Yachty Reference Track For Drake Leaks Amid OVO Star’s Beefs

The Lil Yachty reference track leaked while Drake’s feuding with Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross and more.

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Drake remained at the center of drama as a reference track for his song “ Jumbotron S### Poppin ” leaked online. The Canadian star’s collaborator Lil Yachty recorded the reference version of the song.

“Jumbotron S### Poppin” appeared on Drake and 21 Savage’s album Her Loss . Lil Yachty was a known contributor to the song, which listed his name in the credits.

The Lil Yachty reference track surfaced during Drake’s ongoing issues with multiple artists. An Atlanta number allegedly leaked the audio, resulting in wild speculation involving Metro Boomin. Fans believed Metro was the source of the leak since he’s beefing with Drake and worked on Her Loss , which dropped in 2022.

Lil Yachty’s impact on Drake’s music was no secret. Drake acknowledged Lil Yachty’s influence on 2023’s For All the Dogs album.

“I don’t think this album is what it is if I don’t get to run everything by you,” Drake told Lil Yachty on SiriusXM. “If I don’t get to sit in the studio and write with you, and think with you, and if you don’t send me beats, and if you don’t tell me what you believe in or don’t believe in.”

The reference track leak was another twist in Drake’s feuds with Metro, Future, Kendrick Lamar and Rick Ross, among others. The overarching battle began when Future and Metro dropped their We Don’t Trust You album. The project featured Kendrick dissing Drake on the song “Like That.” Future and Metro unleashed more jabs at Drake with their follow-up release We Still Don’t Trust You .

Drake responded with a diss track titled “Push Ups.” Ross, who sided with Future and Metro, entered the fray by firing shots at Drake on the song “Champagne Moments.” Drake and Ross clashed despite their history of creating hits together.

Coachella Weekend 2 live updates: Weather, special guests and an announcement from Blur

Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 — which featured a guest appearance by Billie Eilish during Lana Del Rey 's Friday headliner set and also some major celebrity sightings — is in the books, and Weekend 2 is about to commence, sans Vampire Weekend but with a planned set from Kid Cudi . What other surprises will unfold at the Empire Polo Club in Indio?

Follow The Desert Sun's live team coverage all weekend long for the latest on celebrity sightings, special guest performances, weather, traffic, music reviews and more.

• Plan your festival: Coachella Weekend 2 set times, and where to see Kid Cudi
• Know before you go: What you need to know about road closures and traffic delays in Indio
• No pass, no problem: How to livestream Coachella and buy merch from the comfort of your own couch
• First look at Coachella 2024: Five things that are new on at the festival grounds

Tyler, the Creator brings out Earl Sweatshirt for Weekend 2 Coachella set

Perhaps the most exciting part of Tyler, the Creator's Weekend 2 set (other than his pyrotechnic-heavy entrance) was a guest appearance by Earl Sweatshirt, one of the members of Tyler's alternative hip-hop collective Odd Future.

— Niki Kottmann

Blur frontman Damon Albarn announces Coachella Weekend 2 set is probably the band's 'last gig'

Before launching into a goosebumps-inducing rendition of “Tender,” Blur’s famous frontman, Damon Albarn, seemed to declare that the Weekend 2 show would be the band’s last time playing not just at Coachella, but anywhere.

“This is probably our last gig,” said Albarn, who said he was making the statement in the interest of truth, although his strong English accent made it difficult to make out every word of what he said at that pivotal moment.

Read the full story here.

— Paul Albani-Burgio

Quasar Stage designer explains the idea behind Coachella's new stage

Coachella's new Quasar Stage made its debut on the first day of Weekend 1, April 12, with an opening set by the Berlin-based techno and house DJ Patrick Mason. The crowd was modest, but the new stage was still getting its footing. By the first day of Weekend 2, those brave enough to wander over to where the Sahara tent used to stand were greeted by a much larger group of electronic music fans.

One thing many of those fans might not even realize is that the design of Quasar includes many groundbreaking features that its performers have utilized to deliver dynamic and specialized sets during the festival.

— Brian Blueskye

Jon Batiste delivers energetic set, but includes too many solos

It was nothing but good energy and uplifting music at Jon Batiste's set during Weekend 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

During Weekend 1, Batiste and the Britpop band Blur , who were performing at the same time (Blur on the Coachella Stage and Batiste next door at the Outdoor Theatre), saw less crowd reception after  reports of Taylor Swift being in the wings of the Mojave tent  during Bleachers' set. This time, people came in droves to dance and sing along with the Grammy Award-winning Batiste and his unique blend of funk, rock, R&B, blues and soul with African-style percussion.

Read the full review here.

Grimes claps back at haters during redemptive Coachella Weekend 2 set

Canadian singer Grimes had a chance at redemption after her Weekend 1 performance was filled with technical problems, leading her to issue an apology and promise her Weekend 2 set would be an improvement.

She delivered on that front, showing that a lively show is possible when she handles her own mixes and rehearses before going on stage (and does the math). However, there was one moment where she screamed out that she forgot to turn the bass on during a song transition, but quickly bounced back.

But perhaps even more exciting to see was that she took time to poke fun (and strike back) at all the online haters who dissed her Weekend 1 performance, as well as her DJ skills. An opening video featured a breaking news report detailing the disastrous set with videos of her screaming during her performance and a number of scathing social media posts from X (owned by her ex and father of her children, Elon Musk). What a way to take back the narrative and show everyone what she can do.

— Ema Sasic

Jack Antonoff goes full rock star and stage dives during Coachella Weekend 2 Bleachers set

There's something special about a band helmed by someone who understands their own talent. Nearly 10 years ago, the last time I saw Bleachers, it wasn't even their show — they were opening for The Kooks, who of course are amazing in their own right — but the members of Bleachers still had the energy of a band that knew they had that secret sauce, that inexplicable magic that truly moves people (or, in my case today, produces full-body chills).

Today, nearly a decade after I first saw them, I can confidently say that Bleachers has only gotten better (not a pun off their song "I Wanna Get Better," I promise). I'd heard these guys crushed it Weekend 1, but much of that performance was overshadowed by the fact that frontman Jack Antonoff's close friend and collaborator Taylor Swift was spotted in the wings.

This week, however, Antonoff was in no one's shadow. I felt like I was watching a true rockstar, from his Angus Young-like spasm move to his (unsuccessful, sadly they appeared to drop him LOL) stage dive, watching Antonoff felt like what I can only imagine it was like to see Elvis or Jim Morrison or The Beatles.

In the words of one of my favorite men in the arts, Matt Rogers , "Jack Antonoff, you are a king ... we were all saying 'that's the king right there.'"

The Aquabats offer energetic, goofy set that was a nightmare for security workers during Saturday Coachella set

The Aquabats packed the Sonora to capacity on Saturday and put on the type of fun and goofy set that the superhero-themed band is known for. Lead vocalist MC Bat Commander and the rest of the band walked on stage in the signature blue costumes with cowboy hats, which they joked was a nod to the Stagecoach country music festival taking place here next weekend.

An intergenerational audience turned out to see the family-friendly punk and ska band that Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker was once in during the late ‘90s. The Aquabats were also featured on the children’s Nickelodeon TV series “Yo Gabba Gabba!”

Costumed characters from “Yo Gabba Gabba!” appeared on stage and then were in the audience dancing and taking selfies with fans as the security staff tried to clear paths to the emergency exits on both sides of the stage.

The band has a new album coming in June and will perform at the No Values festival on June 8 at the Pomona Fairplex. 

Militarie Gun gets audience crowd surfing at Saturday Coachella set

If any of the few Coachella early birds who wandered into Militarie Gun’s early Sunday set were feeling groggy from a late night when they entered the Sonora tent, they surely weren’t by the time they left. This LA alt rock outfit on the rise played a set that was far more energetic than anyone has any right to expect in a mostly empty tent at 2 p.m. Full disclosure: I had not previously listened to this band until I found myself drawn in by the hardrocking vibes emanating as I walked by.

Sure enough, this was not a case of false sonic advertising, as within seconds of entering, I was confronted with the sight of bodies (who did not look to belong to anyone in the band itself) throwing themselves into the air from the stage and down into the crowd below.

The stage dives and crowd surfing were a fixture for the final few songs I caught of the set, which included a cover of Blur’s “Song 2” — in a tribute to the band that will be playing the Coachella Stage later in the day — and the equally rousing “Do It Faster.” I’m also not normally one to endorse phony depictions of militancy, but there was also something undeniably cool about the combat vest worn by frontman Ian Shelton.

It was a fun throwback to the days when raucously jumping around on stage before crowd surfing was more of a fixture of the Coachella scene — and one that made me eager to see what we might see from these fresh-faced upstarts (some of the bandmembers looked like they could still be in high school) in the future.

Young Fathers call for ceasefire, say 'Free Palestine' during set

Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers took time during its Coachella set on Saturday to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Toward the end of their set, after not addressing the crowd as much as other performers typically do, member 'G' Hastings called for a "ceasefire now" and to "free Palestine."

They are the latest performers to speak out about the conflict during the two-week music festival. During Weekend 1, Saint Levant , a Palestinian-French-Algerian-Serbian rapper, discussed the war and performed “From Gaza, With Love.”

“Coachella, my name is Saint Levant and I was born in Jerusalem and raised in Gaza,” he said. “As I hope all of you are aware, the people of Gaza have been undergoing a brutal, brutal genocide for the past six months. And the people of Palestine have been undergoing a brutal occupation for the past 75 years.”

Coachella special guests: Friday recap edition, including Camila Cabello, Anitta and Chencho Corleone

The opening day of Weekend 2 didn't have nearly as many special guests as Weekend 1, but there were still some fun surprises in store for festivalgoers.

Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko, who performed by herself on the Coachella Stage at the start of the day, came back as a surprise guest for Bizarrap, the Argentine record producer who brought out Shakira during Weekend 1 . The pair performed their collaboration, "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 58," to a hyped crowd.

(If you want to learn how to get tickets to Shakira's two upcoming local shows at Acrisure Arena, click here. )

Another widely popular Latin American musican, Brazil's Anitta , came out to great fanfare for Mexican corridos tumbados singer Peso Pluma. The pair got steamy during their performance of "Bellakeo," which caused some fans on Twitter to speculate whether there could be a connection between them after Pluma is rumored to have broken up with his girlfriend recently.

Pluma also brought out Colombian singer Ryan Castro to perform “Quema," Puerto Rican singer Chencho Corleone to perform "Humo" and Mexican singer Jasiel Núñez to perform "Rosa Pastel.”

Other special guests included Lil Yachty with Faye Webster and, as we previously reported, Camila Cabello, Jon Batiste and Jack Antonoff during Lana Del Rey's headlining performance .

Record Store Day comes to Coachella

Record Safari, the on-site record store at Coachella, was a little busier than usual on Saturday afternoon for Record Store Day. The annual event held during the third Saturday in April to celebrate record stores comes with a release of limited-edition records sent through participating stores.

Some of the available releases at the Record Safari were special editions of Blur’s “Parklife and Parliament’s “Osmium,” and newly released live albums by De La Soul and Fleet Foxes. Most were priced between $30 to $40, but box set collections by Mudhoney and Grateful Dead were almost $200.

Record Safari is also selling LPs by most of the festival performers and various used and new records. All of the prices are decent, and some — like the prcies on albums by headliners Tyler, the Creator and Lana Del Rey — rival those of national chains such as Barnes & Noble and Target. Even better, Record Safari will hold your purchases for you until you leave. 

Lana Del Rey brings out Camila Cabello, Jon Batiste, Jack Antonoff during Coachella Weekend 2 set

Lana Del Rey surprised fans Friday night by bringing out pop singer Camila Cabello to sing the guest's latest single, "I LUV IT" during Del Rey's headlining set.

Cabello came out with her recently dyed blonde hair (confusing some people who didn't recognize her at first) and performed a whole choroegraphed dance routine with Del Rey's dancers. Del Rey jumped in a few times, but for much of the performance, she let her Cabello shine all on her own.

At the end, the pair hugged and gushed about how much they respect one another.

"I mean come on, pink palm trees, Miami and Camila? We're not not going to do that," Del Rey said with a smile after Cabello left the stage.

Later on, just like last weekend, Del Rey brought out Jon Batiste to sing their collaboration "Candy Necklace" and Jack Antonoff to sing "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it."

Read reporter Brian Blueskye's full review here.

More: Coachella 2024: Here's the complete setlist from Lana Del Rey's Weekend 2 headlining set

Hatsune Miku brings a one-of-a-kind (aka not even human) performance to Coachella

I've seen acts at Coachella where I thought to myself, "I don't know how to describe what I just saw." But I've never meant it as literally as I did Friday night when I saw Hatsune Miku perform. 

Hatsune Miku is a lifelike animated projection on a specially coated glass screen. The result is something similar to a crystal clear holograph (move over Tupac). She performs in sort of a high-pitched digital sounding Japanese voice and she has a real-life human band headbanging along side of her playing drums, keyboards, guitar and bass. 

But she isn't just a cartoon, turning to the official description now, she is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media and its official anthropomorphic mascot character is a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails.

OK, well I guess I don't feel so bad about not being able to describe it after all. 

So, I still don't quite know how the music is generated although she boasts a catalog of more than 100,000 songs (and you thought Taylor Swift was prolific). Despite that, it was fascinating to watch — the image is so vivid it really did fool you at times — and they were clever with the way she moved around the stage. Like she would get a little bit bigger as she moved toward the crowd like a really corporeal person would, little touches like that. 

She did say "Hello Coachella" at one point, but that was about the extent of her interaction with the crowd. 

I'm glad I got to see "her." It was mesmerizing and enjoyable, even if I can't explain who, why or how anything on the stage was happening.

— Shad Powers

Clown Core's Coachella set proves that there's nothing weirder than a clown outside of a circus setting

When festivalgoers packed into the Sonora tent Friday for the venue's last set of the day, avant-garde jazz and grindcore duo Clown Core, they had some idea of what they were getting, but it was even stranger than most could probably imagine.

The weirdness started with a lengthy intro video warning the audience of flashing lights before switching to a new-age video showing Earth from outer space before quickly zooming into the location of the Empire Polo Club. A message flashed across the screen that said “The Earth is flat” as suspected members Louis Cole (drums) and Sam Gendel (saxophone) began playing an abstract jazz song.

Read more here.

NEIL FRANCES climbs — and hangs from — the stage light scaffolding at the band's Coachella Weekend 2 set

The paradox of Coachella is that you can see so much it can sometimes start to feel like you’ve seen it all. But during NEIL FRANCES’ Friday night set, I saw something that I have absolutely never seen before at Coachella ... or anywhere.

Just as I was starting to get lost in a particularly long and trancy intro or outro (what happened next was so distracting I no longer recall which), FRANCES suddenly started to climb one of the scaffolding poles that holds up the stage lights in the Gobi tent.

“Is this really happening?” I thought to myself, half unsure if the psychedelic vibes had suddenly caused me to somehow hallucinate.

But it was and it was about to get weirder as FRANCES somehow flipped himself around and dangled himself from the apparatus at the top for what felt like at least a minute by his feet (I am still as amazed as you likely are but I swear this is what I saw).

Now I’ve never previously needed to think about how high the top of this stage is but I’m going to guess it was around 15 feet tall. Whatever its exact height though, I’m sure that it was far too tall to be safely dangling by your feet from (if there was some secret way he was pulling this off it was not apparent to me).

Which is why it was all the more impressive to me that FRANCES nonchalantly climbed down, immediately went back to jamming on his guitar and then launched into his biggest hit “Music Sounds Better with You,” all without seeming to even verbally acknowledge his feat.

If nothing else, FRANCES made clear that if his music career ever goes south, he could easily get work with Cirque Du Soleil. But based on the reaction of the crowd spilling out of the Gobi tent to his vibey set, he’ll likely never need to.

Tinashe's Coachella performance would have made Beyoncé and Jay-Z proud

With a plane flying a banner promoting Beyoncé’s latest album flying circles over head at the start of the show, Tinashe put on a show Friday night that would’ve made Queen Bey proud. (Note: Tinashe was previously signed to Roc Nation, the label owned by Beyonce's beau Jay-Z), before creating her own independent label.)

While Tinashe is best known for her debut single “2 On,” she showed she was so much more than just that decade-old hit during a set that showcased her as a bonafide singing, dancing and (occasionally) rapping triple-threat.

The highlights came fast and furious as Tinashe  performed new music (“Nasty”), ushered in a weekend of partying by singing her portion of Snakehip’s  “All My Friends Are Wasted,” which she is featured on (she even took a sip of something after declaring she was planning to get wasted this weekend) and repeatedly provoked shouts of delight from the crowd from her energetic shaking of her, uh, behind.

“She was so hot,” declared one female fan at the end of the show in a quick but accurate summary of surely what most in the Mojave tent were thinking at the end of this one.

Tinashe’s vibe was so infectious that I was even willing to forgive what turned out to be a rendition of “2 On” in which Tinashe seemed to let backing vocals do most of the work so she could give fans one more taste of her incredible dance moves from atop a giant cube.

Between us, I think Doja Cat could learn a thing or two from Tinashe before she headlines the Coachella Stage again on Sunday.

Chappell Roan's Weekend 2 Coachella set proves she IS the moment

Chappell Roan is having a musical moment right now. Her debut album, "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess," was named one of Rolling Stone's top 100 albums of 2023. Throughout the winter and spring, she's been opening for Olivia Rodrigo on Rodrigo's "Guts" World Tour . And on Friday, she followed up — and probably trumped — her Weekend 1 performance at Coachella with an even livelier and more well-attended set as the sun was going down and her stock is going up.

The big special guest at the Weekend 2 performance wasn't another artist, but a major costume change from Weekend 1. Roan came out Friday in a full pink butterfly costume complete with huge wings to a volley of roars and squeals from an overflowing Gobi tent crowd. That was a stark change from Weekend 1, when she wore cheetah print leggins and a small white tank that said "Eat me" on it. 

She performed in the full butterfly garb for her first three songs — "Femininomenon," "Naked in Manhattan" and "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" — bouncing around the stage at full energy. She then went back into the wings (no pun intended) and took off the super-heavy looking top portion of the wings and came back out as a half-butterfly.

Her high-octane set had the crowd, which seemed to be about half big fans of hers and half people just starting to know of her existence, jumping and singing and smiling. If we aren't already there, it feels like in six months, everyone will know who Chappell Roan is, and the world will be a more fun place because of it. 

Sabrina Carpenter brings out Norah Jones for Coachella Weekend 2

After last weekend brought some of the most guest-filled Coachella sets in recent memory, it was natural to wonder how Weekend 2 could possibly pack the same punch.

Well the jury is, of course, still out, but we got some early evidence that Weekend 2 may be no slouch in the guest department either about 40 minutes into Sabrina Carpenter’s set.

That was when the performance, which to that point had been snoozingly similar to the one we saw Weekend 1 took a rousing turn when Carpenter playfully asked if the audience wanted a surprise.

She then explained that she was going to play a song she had learned about when she was just 7. That song turned out to be Norah Jones' “Don’t Know Why” and then suddenly Jones, one of this world’s true vocal powerhouses, was on stage with Carpenter.

Jones, it turns out, still has it. Early on, I wondered how Carpenter could possibly match her, but to my surprise, she came pretty close as they dueted on the song’s impressive chorus toward the end.

Sorry Weekend 1ers, but when it comes to Sabrina Carpenter, y’all missed out.

Coachella's Sahara tent opens with DJ Val Fleury

Liberian-born DJ Val Fleury was the first performer on the Sahara stage on Friday. The small crowd who enjoyed the shade and cooler temperature inside the remodeled tent and those who put down blankets appeared to enjoy it. Fleury’s fusion of house music with ‘90s techno was percussive, upbeat and musically pleasing with sufficient visuals in shades of blue, purple, pink and more. At the end of the hourlong set, Fleury said Liberians are known as “Lone Stars,” which was the title of her last song that she played while waving a Liberian flag. 

The Japanese House makes up for tech issues last weekend

One of the biggest smiles at the Empire Polo Club on Friday belonged to Amber Bain, the lead singer of The Japanese House.

The band's Weekend 1 set was sabotaged by technical difficulties that hamstrung the first 15 minutes of their 40-minute show, so we were hoping for a redemption set this week.

And boy did we get one. When Bain stepped up to the mic this Friday and hit that first note, the singer broke into a relieved and wide smile. She was so happy that she could hear herself and her guitar at all the right levels. It was a big moment for the emerging artist (who's going on tour this summer with Maggie Rogers ), it was clear.

The band went on to perform a light and airy 40-minute set. While Bain's body language last week was forlorn and frustrated, this week had a walking-on-air quality.

You love to see it … and hear it.

Large ad for Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' album found at Coachella

During the first weekend of Coachella, it was an airplane banner. Now, during Weekend 2, it's a large semitruck parked on the grounds. Both were emblazoned with the words "Cowboy Carter," which any music fan knows is a reference to Beyoncé's new country album. 

The speculation continues to percolate. What does it mean? Is Queen B coming to the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival?

Read our theories here.

Coachella livestream on YouTube schedule for Weekend 2

Want to know when you can watch your favorite artist on the Weekend 2 livestrem? Check out the schedule blow (all times are Pacific and subject to change).

Coachella Stage: Channel 1

Friday, April 19

• 4:45 p.m. Young Miko
• 6 p.m. Sabrina Carpenter
• 7:35 p.m. Lili Uzi Vert
• 9:05 p.m. Peso Pluma
• 11:20 p.m. Lana Del Rey
• [Rebroadcast]

Saturday, April 20

• 4:45 p.m. Santa Fe Klan
• 6:05 p.m. Sublime
• 7:40 p.m. Blur
• 9:25 p.m. No Doubt
• 11:40 p.m. Tyler, the Creator

Sunday, April 21

• 4:05 p.m. YG Marley
• 5:25 p.m. Carin León
• 6:50 p.m. Bebe Rexha
• 7:35 p.m. Ludmilla
• 8:15 p.m. J Balvin
• 10:25 p.m.   Doja Cat

Outdoor Theatre: Channel 2

• 5:25 p.m. L’Imperatrice
• 6:45 p.m. Deftones
• 8:10 p.m. Everything Always
• 10:15 p.m. Justice
• 11:30 p.m. RÜFÜS Du Sol (DJ set)
• 6:10 p.m. Blxst
• 7:25 p.m. Jon Batiste
• 8:40 p.m. JUNGLE
• 10:40 p.m.  Gesaffelstein
• 5:05 p.m. Reneé Rapp
• 6:25 p.m. The Rose
• 7:50 p.m. Khruangbin
• 9:30 p.m. Jhené Aiko
• 10:30 p.m. Diplo x Mau P

Sahara: Channel 3

• 4 p.m. Cloonee
• 5:20 p.m. Ken Carson
• 6:30 p.m. Skepta
•  7:45 p.m.  - Bizarrap
• 9:15 p.m.   Peggy Gou
• 10:45 p.m.  ATEEZ
• Midnight Steve Angello
• 4:30 p.m.  Destroy Lonely
• 5:40 p.m.   Purple Disco Machine
• 7:10 p.m.  Grimes
• 8:30 p.m. Ice Spice
• 9:30 p.m.  ISOKNOCK
• 10:50 p.m. LE SSERAFIM
• 11:55 p.m.  Dom Dolla
• 4 p.m.  SPINALL
• 5:10 p.m.  Kid Cudi
• 5:55 p.m. Tita Lau
• 6:20 p.m.  NAV
• 7:45 p.m.  Anyma
• 9:15 p.m. DJ Snake
• 10:55 p.m.  John Summit

Mojave: Channel 4

• 4 p.m. Mall Grab
• 4:30 p.m.The Japanese House
• 5:40 p.m. Faye Webster
• 6:55 p.m. Tinashe
• 8:20 p.m.  Yoasobi
• 9:50 p.m.  Hatsune Miku
• 11:15 p.m. Anti Up
•  4:10 p.m. RAYE
• 5:25 p.m.  Kevin Abstract
• 6:10 p.m.  Kenya Grace
• 6:50 p.m.  Bleachers
• 8:05 p.m.  Charlotte de Witte
• 9:50 p.m. Coi Leray
• 10:45 p.m.  The Drums
• 4:20 p.m.  Taking Back Sunday
• 5:30 p.m. Skream
• 6:30 p.m.  FLO
• 6:55 p.m.  Victoria Monét
• 8:10 p.m.  Tems
• 9:20 p.m.  Lil Yachty
• 10:40 p.m.  BICEP

Gobi: Channel 5

• 4:20 p.m. Sid Sriram
• 5:30 p.m. Chappell Roan
• 6:45 p.m. Brittany Howard
• 8 p.m. NEIL FRANCES
• 9:15 p.m.  Chlöe
• 10:30 p.m. Suki Waterhouse

Saturday, April 20 

• 4 p.m. Young Fathers
• 4:20 p.m. thuy
• 5:30 p.m. The Last Dinner Party
• 6:20 p.m. Erika de Casier
• 6:45 p.m. Palace
• 8 p.m. Oneohtrix Point Never
• 9:15 p.m. Saint Levant
• 10:25 p.m. Kevin Kaarl
• 11:40 p.m. Orbital
• 4 p.m. Mdou Moctar
• 4:40 p.m. Jockstrap
• 5:50 p.m. Olivia Dean
• 7 p.m. Two Shell
• 8:20 p.m. Barry Can't Swim
• 9:40 p.m. Atarashii Gakko!

— Kate Franco

Dozens of cell phones supposedly stolen at Coachella Weekend 1 recovered by Indio PD

Roughly 50 cellphones believed to have been stolen during Weekend 1 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival were recovered by the Indio Police Department this week, with all of the devices returned to their rightful owners by midday Thursday.

The department announced the recovered property in a Facebook  post  Wednesday that included a photo of roughly four dozen iPhones, many of which had been reset so that detectives couldn’t access the contact lists to connect with their owners.

— Tom Coulter

Coachella operator Goldenvoice faced no curfew fines from Weekend 1 

After accruing six-figure fines for multiple sets that broke curfew rules last year, Coachella operator Goldenvoice did not face any fines during Weekend 1 of the 2024 festival, according to a city of Indio spokesperson.

Under rules set by the city, all performances at the festival must end by 1 a.m. for Friday and Saturday shows, and by midnight on Sunday. Goldenvoice is fined $20,000 each time a performance goes past curfew, plus $1,000 a minute starting at the sixth minute after that curfew.

But the operator didn’t face that issue during Weekend 1 this year, as all three headliners and other late-night acts ended on time (though Tyler, the Creator took a moment to needle Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett about having to end promptly near the end of his set).

Last year, Goldenvoice was fined $117,000 by the city of Indio after Bad Bunny, Calvin Harris and Frank Ocean each went past their curfews by roughly 20 minutes during Weekend 1, along with $51,000 for Weekend 2 . 

More: Coachella 2024: The ultimate guide to food and drink options at the festival

More: Coachella 2024: 5 things we hope are improved by Weekend 2

More: Coachella 2024: Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, Barry Keoghan among celebs at the festival

Coachella Weekend 2 weather: Warmer, with some wind in Indio

It's looking like a fairly mild weekend for those who will be spending it at the Empire Polo Club in Indio for Weekend 2 of Coachella. The forecast from the National Weather Service calls for slightly warmer temperatures than Weekend 1, with a usual dose of wind to keep things lively.

Friday: Sunny skies with a high near 92. Winds will start out in the 10 to 15 mph range with gusts up to 20 mph, diminishing in the afternoon.

Friday night: Expect blowing dust between 9 p.m. and midnight with lows around 65 degrees.

Saturday : Day 2 will be sunny with a high near 94 degrees, with winds around 10 to 15 mph, gusting up to 30 mph.

Saturday night: Expect a low around 68 degrees with breezy conditions. Winds will be about 10 to 15 mph with gusts of 25 mph possible.

Sunday : Sunny and breezy again with highs near 96 degrees. Winds may gust up to 20 mph.

Sunday night : Sunday night is expected to be clear with a low around 69 degrees

More: Coachella 2024: Need a break from music? 5 activities to do at the festival

Lana Del Rey Coachella concert merch: Where to find artist-specific tents

This year, the artist-specific tents aren't next to the main merch tent you see when you walk in the gates. Instead, Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat and No Doubt have their own merch tents to the right of the Heineken House stage at the back of the festival grounds. Noticeably, Tyler, The Creator doesn't have a traditional merch tent, but next to the other artist tents is a pop-up for his street-wear brand GOLF WANG.

More: Coachella 2024: Weekend 1 surprise guests include Billie Eilish, Shakira, Olivia Rodrigo

Car camping at Coachella? How to get there, rules, tips, silent disco

Car camping is the most classic way to experience a weekend at Coachella. Make friends. Do fun activities (silent disco, anyone?). Goldenvoice has perfected the experience over the years, and campers will be happy to know that the amenities are plentiful: Food vendors, free water refill stations, free WiFi, general stores where you can purchase basic necessities including ice, phone charging stations, restrooms and showers and even a free supermarket shuttle, should you run out of provisions.

First, let's get you there. GPS is fickle so here are some directions as provided by Goldenvoice:

• Day parking: From all directions, approach the Empire Polo Club and follow signs and traffic personnel.
• Preferred parking: From eastbound Interstate10, exit at Monroe Street and travel south. Take a right on Avenue 49 and a left into Lot 1. Don’t attempt to approach north on Monroe.
• Car camping/toll booths (Lot 13): From Eastbound Interstate 10, exit at Jefferson Street and continue to Indio Boulevard. Take a right at Jefferson Street and follow signs and traffic personnel to check-in lanes.
• Lake Eldorado: From Eastbound Interstate 10, exit at Jefferson Street and continue to Indio Boulevard. Take a right at Jefferson Street. Then take a left at Avenue 50 and a right at Madison Street. Follow signs to Lake Eldorado on left.
• Companion camping parking and tent camping parking (Lot 2A): From Eastbound Interstate 10, exit at Jefferson Street and continue to Indio Boulevard. Take a right at Jefferson Street and then a left at Avenue 50. Follow signs to Lot 2A on left

Some car camping rules , again from Goldenvoice:

• A festival pass is required for entry into the campground
• You must be 18 or older (or accompanied by an adult) to enter the campground
• The campground opened at 9 a.m. on Thursday and will close Monday at 10 a.m.
• All car camping sites are 30 feet by 10 feet
• Unlimited friends/tents per site
• One vehicle per site allowed, and required
• A vehicle must be a passenger car, truck or van. RVs and motorhomes (or any vehicle with running water or toilets) are not allowed, nor are motorcycles, buses or U-Haul trucks.
• Sites assigned in order of arrival
• Each site also includes one overnight parking space in an adjacent lot to leave a car for the weekend
• Campers and cars will be searched at check in
• Noise curfew starts at 1:30 a.m.

Want more? Check out our evergreen guide to making your life easier while car camping at Coachella.

What is Coachella's bag policy?

Backpacks and bags are allowed, and they don't have to be clear but they need to be 18 inches x 13 inches x 8.5 inches or smaller. The trick is in what you can bring inside. The full list is long but here are a few key items that are allowed, and those that aren't.

Allowed: Cameras (non-professional), eye drops, hydration packs, binoculars, breast pumps, chapstick, face masks, GoPros, hand sanitizer, gum, inhalers, lighters, makeup, phone chargers, empty reusable water bottles, water misters.

Not allowed: Aerosol products, air horns, blankets, chairs, coolers, drones, discriminative or appropriative items, divisive or appropriative symbols, flags, fliers, glass bottles, glow sticks, illegal drugs and paraphernalia, laser pointers, selfie sticks, tripods, umbrellas, walkie talkies.

What time is it in Indio, California?

Trying to plan out your Coachella livestream-watching schedule and have no idea what the local time is at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California? Well, it's Pacific Standard Time. Here's a cheat sheet. Are you in New York (Eastern time zone)? Subtract three hours and that's local time in Indio. Are you in Chicago (Central Standard time)? Subtract two hours and ... there you have it. Denver (Mountain time?) Take away one hour, bro. You're welcome.

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Potential Evidence Leaks Proving Drake Didn’t Write ‘Jumbotron S**t Poppin,’ Lil Yachty Did

Audio of Lil Yachty rapping Drake 's lyrics to the Her Loss song "Jumbotron S**t Poppin" in a reference track has leaked.

"Jumbotron S**t Poppin" Reference Leaks

Drake is seemingly in a battle with half of the music industry  as several artists have recently formed like Voltron to go against the 6 God. In the latest apparent attempt to assassinate Drizzy's character, someone has leaked a reference track that finds Lil Yachty rapping the lines to Aubrey's "Jumbotron S**t Poppin."  In the leak, which can be heard below, Boat raps the exact same lines as Drake does, except he says "I was too sipped out," where Drake changed the lyrics to "Boat was so sipped out."

"We ain't even out in Turks, she finna take sand/Ridin' 'round with F&N, we like to hold hands," Yachty raps in the clip below. "I was too sipped out, he ain't leave the bed/Damn, they dipped a pint of TEC in a Code Red/If I tell this bitch to pull up, she gon' moped it/My dawg, he don't smoke on shit unless it's unleaded/I don't back and forth over no 'net, so just go on, dead it/See me when you see me, if it's smoke, dawg, you unleash it."

This wouldn't be the first time Drake has faced a ghostwriting scandal. Back in 2015, he was infamously accused by Meek Mill of having a writer, who turned out to be Atlanta artist Quentin Miller.

Read More: A History of Rappers Accused of Using Ghostwriters

Who leaked the reference track.

Word on road is that the leak was sent to multiple blogs by an unknown Atlanta phone number. Controversial streamer DJ Akademiks has gone so far as to surmise the leak was delivered by none other than Metro Boomin.

After being dissed by several artists on Future and Metro Boomin's We Don't Trust You and We Still Don't Trust You albums, Drake clapped back at his detractors over the weekend with the diss song "Drop and Give Me 50,"  which finds him taking aim at Kendrick Lamar, Future, The Weeknd, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and others. Rick Ross has already responded with his own song "Champagne Moments." 

Read More: Hip-Hop's 10 Greatest Ghostwriters [Poll]

Listen to Lil Yachty's "Jumbotron S**t Poppin" reference track and hear Drake's version below.

Listen to Lil Yachty's "Jumbotron S**t Poppin" Reference

Stream drake's "jumbotron s**t poppin", see 50 lyrics rappers got wrong, more from xxl.