lil yachty new album 2023

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.

The post is captioned : “Let’s Start Here. – 1/27  Chapter 2. Thank You for the patience,” hinting at a potential redux of an already teased album, collectively referred to as “Sonic Ranch.” On Dec. 25, Yachty’s latest album was leaked by Leaked.cx, much to the Michigan rapper’s disappointment. He took to Twitter later that day to post a half-hearted sad-face emoji to express anguish in the untimely launch of a potentially seminal work within his discography.

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’s Great Gig in the Sky

Since the release of his Lil Boat mixtape in 2016, Lil Yachty has cultivated a peculiar rap career that has benefited from versatile musical interests. The Atlanta rapper, singer, and producer’s early work juggled booming southern trap drums, gauzy synths, unclearable samples , and melodic sensibilities on loan from children’s television. Shifting listlessly between disaffected snark and sweet repose, the best songs answered the question of what Brian Wilson’s teenage symphonies might’ve sounded like if he’d grown up hanging around the Migos. On future projects, Yachty leaned into the gruff anthems of his labelmates on Atlanta’s Quality Control Music, toughening up on 2018’s Lil Boat 2 in some of the ways Drake did on Scorpion the same year, this after dividing critics and listeners with the synthpop and reggae excursions on Yachty’s 2017 debut studio album Teenage Emotions .

Restlessness saves his catalog from the pedestrian work of peers chasing the sound of a beloved early mixtape. Lil Yachty is always up to something , quietly penning an undisclosed piece of the City Girls smash “Act Up,” or producing a chunk of Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss , or logging an unlikely chart hit about sneaking promethazine through customs . He’s a lightning rod for guys who see a new wave of absurdists and crooners as a displacement of rap traditionalism (rather than a continuation of a detailed history within it); he knows what the fans are into and where they’re getting into it online, so accusations about his music ruining hip-hop are complicated by every unforeseen success. The work varies greatly in style as well as quality, but being difficult to pin down also buys him freedom to make unusual plays.

Let’s Start Here , his fifth album and first full-length excursion into psychedelic rock, didn’t spawn entirely from nowhere, and not just because it sprung a leak under the name Sonic Beach a few weeks back. His appearance on a remix for Tame Impala’s Slow Rush jam “Breathe Deeper” hits a few of the markers the new album visits: the taste for psychotropic drugs and the interaction between the shimmering sound achieved by an elaborate pedal board and raps that feel both lightly thought through and also spirited and spontaneous. The first song, “The Black Seminole,” outlines the project’s guiding ethos, from its burbling, delay-drenched analog-synthesizer sound to the trippy changes and show-stopping vocal performance by “Bad Habit” co-writer Diana Gordon — all of which amount to an attempt to jam every idea housed in Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon into a single seven-minute performance. Bolstered by memorable spots from Gordon (who gives the Clare Torry screams in “Failure” and “Seminole” her all), Fousheé (whose softCORE album served rockers like “Die” and “Bored” that share Yachty’s love of walls of noise), and Justine Skye, the new album makes more space for women in its love songs than most rappers percolating on the charts tend to care to now. (Note also the presence of one Daystar Peterson in the credits as a co-writer on “Paint the Sky.”)

Let’s Start Here journeys back in time and out to space and sometimes up its own ass. It’s a drug odyssey that delightfully defies expectations whenever it’s not overindulging, taking its adulation for its influences from pastiche to parody, pushing its sound from psych to cacophony. Much will be made of Kevin Parker’s impact here, because Tame is also a project about savvily jumbling ideas from other eras and getting synthesizers to feel as delicately enveloping as puffs of smoke. It’s also an oversimplification of the scope of Let’s Start Here to call it Lil Yachty’s Tame album. Patrick Wimberly co-produced every song, and the snap of the drum sound and the flair for gooey horn accompaniment are assets Chairlift — Wimberly’s former group with Caroline Polachek and Aaron Pfenning — used to employ. U.K. producer Jam City and Yves Tumor collaborator Justin Raisen sat in on a lot of these, too; the maximalist sonics and the mix of love songs and acid-addled horror here are both a result of its pick of personnel and an authentic re-creation of the wild fluctuations of a lurid trip.

Its intriguing bio- and band chemistry are Let’s Start Here ’s gift and curse. “Running Out of Time” kicks off with drums that feel like Thundercat’s “Them Changes” (which, in turn, feels like Paul McCartney’s “Arrow Through Me”) and a bubbly bass line evoking “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. Pushing through to a gorgeous bridge, matching vocals with Skye, Yachty pokes out from under the shadow of his forebears and delivers one of the finest bits of music he’s ever made. The blissed out “The Ride” plants the Texas rapper Teezo Touchdown into a wobbly groove that could’ve fit into last year’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs album. It feels like both songs could collapse at any moment, hanging a sharp turn into an unflattering section wrecking the momentum they built. Equally prone to swift tense shifts and long detours, Let’s Start Here meanders a great deal between highlights, raining sheets of sound that soak and weigh down the delicate grooves it’s trying to build. “Paint the Sky” sounds like a radio hit dropped into a flooded pit cave. These songs sink or swim on Lil Yachty’s ability to steady himself amid a maelstrom of phase-shifted guitars, delay-kissed drums, and synths shrouded in reverb. He’s a good study and a great hook man, but the novelty of some of his experiments wear off as ideas repeat and choruses get smothered. The less they tinker, the better.

Restraint guides Let’s Start Here to a few of its most sublime moments. “Pretty” will draw comparisons to Childish Gambino’s Awaken My Love! and the hit slow jam “Redbone,” but the drum programming recalls the stuff Prince did with the LinnDrum and the vocal performances feel inspired by cloud rap, a sensibility teased out in a cocky, carefree verse by Fousheé . “Say Something” strikes gold coolly poking around the pillowy synth pads and echoing drums of ’80s pop in the same way recent albums from the Weeknd picked up where Daft Punk left off in marrying dueling interests in 20th- and 21st-century popular music. “Pretty” and “Say Something” keep things relatively simple, stacking a few complementary ideas on top of each other and allowing space to breathe. (Other producers might abuse the clav hits in the latter for the old-school feel they bring, but this group lets them drift in and out of frame, recalling the minimalist trap lullabies on the back end of Lil Boat .) The noisier and less structurally sturdy cuts that surround them feel like the jams a band works through on the way to more refined compositions, before taking them on the road where they grow new layers of sound and significance. Let’s Start Here begs to be untangled in a live setting the way artists drawn to the tactile and communal experience of music tend to, allowed to drift over warm air, playing during the sunny days and reckless nights it describes.

Maybe this album is the new beginning its title implies, a first step toward tighter songcraft on the horizon, and maybe Yachty will pop back up in six to 18 months’ time on some different shit entirely, as is often his tendency. The new record finds him sniffing around the same intersections of pop, rock, psych, and soul as “Bad Habit” or Frank Ocean’s “Pretty Sweet,” sacrificing the brevity of his hits for a purposeful sensory overload, which sometimes works in his favor but sometimes encumbers tracks that ought to seem weightless. It is important for young artists to get the space to grow and change and eat mushrooms and make weird but enthusiastic indie-rock music.

Let’s Start Here fits into a long tradition of pleasant curveballs from rappers, unheralded classics like Q-Tip’s Kamaal the Abstract, side projects like the Beastie Boys and Suicidal Tendencies offshoot BS2000 , imperfect genre excursions like Kid Cudi’s WZRD , and effortless R&B pivots like Tyler, the Creator’s Igor . Yachty is stumbling down well-trod pathways, learning lessons imparted on generation after generation of listeners ever since Pink Floyd’s international breakthrough 50 years ago and taking metaphysical journeys endeavored since humans first discovered fungi and plants that made them see sounds and smell colors. The sharpest songs here could go toe-to-toe with the best in the artist’s back catalog, and the worst ones sound like excitable demos for various guitar pedals. Let’s Start Here isn’t Lil Yachty’s greatest work, but it goes over better than the pitch — “Poland” guy does shrooms and jams on instruments — implied it might. And if shoegaze-adjacent rockers like “I’ve Officially Lost Vision” and sound experiments like the one at the end of “We Saw the Sun” drone-pill even a fraction of the audience, it was all worth it.

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Music Features

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.

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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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Lil Yachty Stuns Fans With Brand New Rock Album 'Let's Start Here'

By Tony M. Centeno

January 27, 2023

Lil Yachty has been teasing his new album for some time, but fans weren't ready for the psychedelic vibes he had in store. On Friday, January 27, the Quality Control rapper stunned the industry with his brand new album Let's Start Here. With help from a live band, Lil Boat puts rap to the side as he offers a fresh alternative rock vibe throughout the project. He self-produced 12 out of the 14 songs with contributions from executive producer SADPONY, Patrick Wimberly, Jake Portrait and plenty other beatmakers. The experimental LP has been in the works for over a year. Last January, he explained that he's always wanted to make an alternative rock album.

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

"My new album...it's a non-rap album, it's alternative. It's sick," he told Ice Box jewelers in Atlanta . "I've always wanted to [do an alternative album] but now I have met all these amazing musicians and producers." "It's like a psychedelic alternative project that's cool, it's different," he add. "It's different. It's all live instrumentation. I've changed my dynamic, you know what I'm sayin'? Like, I'm telling you, this album...I'm creating music a whole lot differently." Yachty embraces his love for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon , which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year , and completely switches up his flow as he croons over live guitars and drums. Prior to the album's release, Yachty hosted an exclusive listening party in New Jersey. Initially he advertised "fine dining" on a flyer that went out earlier this week, but was actually just an assortment of snacks and drinks. Among the theater full of attendees were his friends Drake and Offset , who sat next to him in their reserved section.

Lil Yachty shows off the food menu at his album release party for “Lets Start Here” pic.twitter.com/TCVfv0jU4F — 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) January 27, 2023

Lil Yachty at his album release party for “Lets Start Here” with Offset & Drake pic.twitter.com/kLxaWeS7pa — 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) January 27, 2023

Drake was in attendance for Lil Yachty’s album release party tonight in New Jersey pic.twitter.com/yL1Yn6yOFJ — Drake Direct (@DrakeDirect_) January 27, 2023

Earlier this week, Yachty also dropped a teaser for the album, which could also be a sneak peek into his upcoming video. Let's Start Here. serves as the follow-up to his viral hit "Poland" and his 2021 album Michigan Boy Boat . The latter features Tee Grizzley , Icewear Vezzo , Babyface Ray , Sada Baby , BabyTron and more. Listen to Lil Yachty's new album below.

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Lil Yachty made a psychedelic rock album and it’s pretty good

Lil Yachty is pressing restart. “Let’s Start Here” is his fifth studio album and as the name implies, it marks the beginning of a new era — one that came out of nowhere. Last autumn, Yachty released his hit single “Poland,” which he described as “just trolling.” “Poland” is addictively jarring and hypnotically catching — and it leaves the listener wanting more. But “Let’s Start Here” is a departure from “Poland,” infusing psychedelic rock with soul. The end result is an abrupt pivot away from “Poland” or “Lil Boat,” and, despite a few rough edges, was a genre-transcending mishmash that shows off Yachty’s versatility. 

The album starts off with a bang with “the BLACK seminole.,” featuring lush guitars and Yachty’s autotuned singing. While Auto-Tune sometimes gets a bad rap, I found that it complimented the instrumentals of the song. Yachty uses his vocals to paint a picture of the Black Seminoles, an Afro-Indigenous group comprised of descendants of Seminole people and freed slaves. Yachty meticulously crafts this scene as a metaphor to discuss his coming-of-age, which is paralleled by the gradual evolution of his sound. It’s a soulful start to the album, setting itself apart from Yachty’s past work right away.

Yachty continues his metaphorical storytelling on “the ride-” where he likens his fame to a terrifying ride, singing on the chorus “Don't ask no questions on the ride/ Making eye contact is suicide/ When I'm alone with my thoughts, I'm terrified/ that's why I need you here, just by my side.” The guitars once again carry the song to enormous heights, and the chorus makes for a catchy earworm. The following song “running out of time” sees Yachty and Justine Skye opt for a more pop-oriented sound. Except for the anthemic chorus, Yachty’s vocals here don’t mesh particularly well with the guitars.

My favorite song on this album, hands down, is “pRETTy.” As soon as you press play, the most magical instrumentals leave your speakers, granting free real estate for one of the most euphoric songs to reside in your head for life. The chorus capitalizes on the trippy autotuned vocals that distinguished “Poland,” with Fousheé’s hypnotic vocals complementing it in the end.

It should be clear that this album’s greatest strong suit is its instrumentals. That’s not to say that the vocals or lyricism are bad, because nothing could be further from the truth. However, the tracks where the instrumentals take a backseat are the weaker tracks of the album. For example, “:(failure(:” operates more as a spoken word piece, despite being produced by as accomplished a musician as Mac DeMarco. What Yachty says on the track isn’t particularly groundbreaking; he speaks about the power of perspective in one’s own situations: “When someone broke into my house I felt like someone certainly needed more than I did, these things are replaceable,” he croons. I think poverty is a little more complicated than that.

He concludes the track by preaching that failure is not a negative thing, but rather something that should motivate you. That sounds like the type of thing you’d see on a poster at your grandma’s house. There are many factors of failure and setbacks that go beyond wealth and fame, so I’m not sure that this message is necessarily universal. 

So I do think that the album grinds to a halt when Yachty lets the instrumentals take a backseat. Luckily, however, that rarely happens. “Let’s Start Here” allows itself to experiment, resulting in energizing songs like “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” and psychedelic-soul bangers like “sAy sOMETHINg.” Daniel Caesar’s vocals fit perfectly on the final track, “REACH THE SUNSHINE,” allowing the album to end on a definite high note.

I love when artists go outside of their comfort zone because such projects allow artists to create their most impactful work. Being largely unfamiliar with the genre of psychedelic rock, “Let’s Start Here” provides me with the perfect starting point, and I’m sure the same can be said about many other listeners. Yachty truly created something special with this project, and if “Let’s Start Here” is just the beginning, then I am very excited to see where he ends up.

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Questlove Gives High Praise to Lil Yachty’s New Album: ‘I Love When Artists Pull off a Good Departure Record’

Lil Yachty has received a big cosign from Questlove for his new album Let’s Start Here . Hitting Instagram, Questlove shared the album’s cover art as the lead image of his praise for the young star.

“I had to let 24 hours go by just so I could process this,” Questlove wrote. “Then I hesitated cause I didn’t wanna use hyperbole to naturally give the trolls ammo to hate it or to further evidence sort why my co-signs are whack.”

He then added, “How should I put it? I really really really really love this @lilyachty record and I love when artists pull off a good departure record (departure albums are when musicians pull a COMPLETE creative left turn —-most times as a career sabotage of feeling doomed to not be able to live up to a standard they set. Not being able to make the Thelma & Louise jump. Quitting the job/relationship before you give em a chance to fire you—)”

You can read Questlove’s full thoughts on the release below.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Questlove (@questlove)

Lil Yachty’s new album, Let’s Start Here, continues to further the star’s reputation as an innovative savant. The new album is 15 tracks in length, delivering a new experience for fans.

Let’s Start Here was crafted in areas ranging from El Paso to Brooklyn, with Lil Yachty immersing himself in day and night sessions. The result is a Psychedelic Alternative album executive produced by SADPONY. The album is influenced by Pink Floyd’s classic Dark Side of the Moon and experiential psychedelic journeys.

Ahead of the album, Yachty released a skit titled “Department of Mental Tranquility.” In the skit, Yachty strolled a hallway entering what would be the first step into the rest of his life. Playing multiple roles, Yachty was introduced to his upcoming float experience in a sweltering room until it overcomes his body, and he is directed to room 10. What you hear is the result of that trip, double entendre, don’t even ask me how.

You can see the skit and hear the full album below.

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Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here. (Album Review)

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This might be the one for Lil Yachty.

Honorable mention. reach the sunshine., “reach the sunshine.” is a five-star track. why didn’t it make my top 5 because i’m stupid, that’s why..

From a quality standpoint, no other song on this album is touching “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” It is gorgeously structureless, extremely hypnotizing, and impressively organic. The song blends hip-hop elements, rock elements, and classical elements ingeniously. “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” doesn’t have a future in nightclubs; it has a future in Fantasia 2.

5. sAy sOMETHING

Remember when we used to make fun of high school simps that listened to music like this who are the fools now.

So, Lil Yachty’s vocals in “sAy sOMETHING” aren’t amazing, but I think that his passion (Which everyone should respect) carries him to the finish line of the song. He really does a good job of creating a sound that brings out his vulnerable, youthful, and charming side. Yachty literally gives all of his heart to his woman here; let’s pray that she doesn’t have Dak Prescott’s throwing arm.

4. running out of time

Who knew yachty had some childish gambino in him (please don’t take this sentence literally).

“running out of time” just feels like the kind of track Childish Gambino would slaughter. It features Kaytranada-like production (Which Gambino loves) and a vintage sound that the Atlanta actor flirted with quite a bit in the past. While Yachty doesn’t quite sound like Gambino vocally in the song (That’s probably an understatement), I do think that the flair he sings with is comparable. I also think he fully understood the kind of melodies and bridges the production needed. Yachty understood the assignment here.

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3. the ride-

My soul went for the greatest f**king cruise ever while i was listening to “the ride-.”.

You can’t call yourself a true music fan if you don’t appreciate all of this song’s elements (Besides Yachty’s vocals). “the ride-” is a trippy, crafty, utopian, slick, romantic, Homeboys in Outer Space-Esque experience that you will need 3D glasses for to fully enjoy. Your Tesla can’t take you for a ride like this!

2. The Alchemist

Remember when we used to make fun of emo-white kids that listened to music like this who are the broccoli-with-cheese-eating dummies now.

Remember when we were kids and would jump on our parent’s bed while they were at work, but immediately ran to our rooms and acted like we were peacefully doing our homework when they got back home? This song feels like the musical version of that situation. “The Alchemist” has two sounds: A tumultuous/stormy one courtesy of Lil Yachty, and a sparkly/gentle one courtesy of Fousheé. The way the two sounds meld, creating an experience that only folks who do HIIT workouts can relate to, is f**king rad (Yes, I used the word rad here).

I don’t know why, but this song made me a little emotional. Underdog, give this f**king song 5 stars!

1. drive ME crazy!

Remember when we used to make fun of our parents when they would almost tear their acls dancing to music like this who are the prune juice-drinking fools now.

“drive ME crazy!” is my kind of s**t! Y’all can keep the “smoking on that *insert name* pack” music. First and foremost, kudos must go to the unbelievable performance featured guest Diana Gordon puts up on the song. It sounds replenishing, invigorating, and nostalgic in the most youthful way possible. Kudos must also go to the bloomy/funky/synth-heavy production and Yachty’s slick, I-am-only-doing-this-because-my-girl-told-me-I-had-to contributions.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. the BLACK seminole. (4/5)

2. the ride- (4.5/5)

3. running out of time (3.5/5)

4. pRETTy (3.5/5)

5. :(failure(: (N/A)

6. THE zone~ (4/5)

7. WE SAW THE SUN (3.5/5)

8. drive ME crazy! (5/5)

9. IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!! (4/5)

10. sAy sOMETHINg (4/5)

11. paint THE sky (4/5)

12. sHouLd i B? (4/5)

13. The Alchemist. (5/5)

14. REACH THE SUNSHINE. (5/5)

Wow, Lil Yachty went left field with this album and succeeded.

I absolutely love it when artists refuse to be shoved in boxes. When Lil Yachty first emerged onto the music scene, he was dropping hard-hitting rap verses here and there, but he always made it a mission to show the world that he was into numerous genres. While he never went full-blown with his experimenting in the past, I always had an inkling that he wanted to at some point. In this album, Yachty does just that.

Let’s Start Here is more psychedelic rock than trap hip-hop. More daring than safe. More vintage-sounding than trendy. More elaborate than basic. More Patrick Mahomes than game manager. More Chrisean Rock with Blueface than Chrisean Rock with nobody. While I wouldn’t say that Yachty’s vocal performances on the album are anything close to Mariah Carey’s level (His voice still makes me a little queasy), I do applaud him for finding the most complex/fearless routes singing-wise to make it to the finish line of tracks.

You can’t tell me that Yachty wasn’t cooking up these tracks with Tame Impala, Kaytranada, and Beethoven. I love how intimately rebellious, multi-layered, hazy, intoxicating, romantic, and/or nostalgic each song sounds. The album forces your ears to both engage and think beyond your workout playlists. If we’re going to praise Shaq for making jump shots, your relatives for making steak instead of Turkey for Thanksgiving, and Joe Biden for learning how to use Twitter, we need to praise musicians when they tap into sounds that are really f**king hard to conquer.

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.

5 thoughts on “ Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here. (Album Review) ”

Respectfully, pRETTy is probably my favorite song in the album

So many people like that track. I do think it’s very good too. I’m not mad at it!

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We heard a new Lil Yachty at 'Austin City Limits' taping. More rock, less rap.

Fans expecting yachty's iconic mumble rap were shocked by the psychedelic rock inspired "let's start here.".

Lil Yachty began his Austin City Limits taping by introducing a completely new song to the crowd, one he has never performed in front of an audience. A couple of seconds later though, he waved it off. Another attempt went by, and the artist shook his head. 

“Keys off bro,” Yachty said.  

One more time. No dice, and the rapper and his band went back to try to fix the tech issue. 40 minutes later, Yachty opted to skip the song altogether. 

So instead, let’s start here. 

His band broke into the first song off his new album, “Let’s Start Here” (get it) with “the BLACK seminole,” as guitars riffed and percussion rifled across the Moody Theater. Fans who were expecting high hats, a booming bass and Yachty’s iconic mumble rap were introduced to a new artist, one that had swerved from his past as a SoundCloud rapper in favor of a new psychedelic rock-based style. 

Cool tunes for the hot nights to come: Get your Austin summer music guide here

Yachty played through the entire album, most of which seemed foreign to a confused crowd that may have been expecting some of his iconic hits such as “Broccoli” or “iSpy.” This was a completely different energy from the artist who first became known for a viral You Tube skit that featured his song, “One Night,” and who had once beefed with old-school hip-hop artists over so-called “serious music” vs. his freestyle rap that they believed made a mockery of the art.  

Yet, it was obvious from the very first lyric that left Yachty’s mouth that this was not something he was simply doing for kicks. Having collaborated with Mac DeMarco, members of MGMT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Chairlift for the album, it was clear that the 25 year old had a vision for his new phase. 

It’s not like he hasn’t released other albums over the year. Having started his career with the debut album “Lil Boat” in 2016, Yachty has released seven other projects since then, all variations of the style of rap that made him famous. However, like rappers before him, he looked to break through the identity that he’d crafted over his career with this new work. 

“I did what I wanted to do, which was create a body of work that reflected me,” Yachty explained in a Billboard cover feature. “My idea was for this album to be a journey: Press play and fall into the void.” 

And into the void he and his band did fall. Often, it felt like they were in a completely different space than the audience. They swayed on songs like “drive ME crazy!,” one of the funkiest bops of the night, infecting the mellow crowd with a melody so groovy that they couldn't help but dance.

Another highlight came right afterward, with “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSion!!!!” Yachty's dreads swung back and forth as he headbanged to one of the more rock-inspired songs of the night.

Austin City Limits 2023: Daily lineups announced

Yachty was conversational and casual with the audience. Never too high, never too low - he had a humble sort of vibe throughout the night, seemingly content to let his fantastic all-black, all-female band take the spotlight whenever it was appropriate. There were also a couple of standout features. Teezo Touchdown delivered the only rap verse of the night, while Justine Skye and Fousheé’s vocals made appearances on several songs. 

At one point on “the BLACK seminole,” Yachty pulled up a stool and sat to the side, letting his guitarist steal the show with an incredible solo.  

“These black women are so talented and so f***** amazing...100% more talented than me,” Yachty said. 

He finished with a flourish on “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” Yachty's vocalists sang in harmony, soulfully fading into the distance as synth tickled in the background. He didn’t overstay his welcome or return for an encore. As soon as Yachty left the void, he was out of it. 

It wasn't the perfect night for the artist. The crowd never fully embraced Yachty's new style, and the debut of his new song had to be put on hold. However, it's only the starting point for the Georgia native and his new era.

“If you’ve never failed, you never know how great it is to truly succeed in something,” Yachty said. 

The taping will air on PBS this fall as part of Austin City Limits' upcoming Season 49. Yachty will also return to Austin for his slot in 2023’s ACL Festival. 

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The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 So Far: Staff Picks

Our staff's 50 favorite albums of 2023 so far, presented alphabetically, with our 50 favorite songs to follow tomorrow.

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In 2022, Billboard ‘s staff revealed our mid-year albums list in early June, seemingly just after the year had really kicked off in earnest in terms of big releases. After a tortoise-slow first four months to the year, the spring had kicked into high gear with successive chart-topping albums in May from superstar artists Future, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and Harry Styles. The floodgates were officially open, and 2022 never really looked back from there.

In 2023… well, we’re still kinda waiting, aren’t we? Nearly six months into the year, and we’ve still only had four albums top the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time, and only one for more than one week: Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time , which has ruled the chart for 13 non-consecutive weeks, and still stands over three months after its release as the album to beat — a challenge not many other albums have been up to so far. Besides that 36-track country blockbuster, the culture has largely been dominated by a pair of albums that are holdovers from late 2022 — SZA’s SOS and Taylor Swift’s Midnights — while most of pop’s overdue A-listers continue to lie dormant, and no rising or brand new sensations have put their imprint on the year in the same way.

Does that mean there haven’t been great albums to discover from this year? Of course not: Look a little lower on the Billboard 200 (or outside the chart altogether) and you’ll find plenty of still-impactful sets that have delighted us this year while the names at the top remain the same. Legacy-building releases from artists building formidable catalogs, successful left-turns from hitmakers we thought had long finished surprising us, and totally new breakthroughs and debuts from phenomenons who very likely may turn into superstars of future years: 2023 has packed plenty of delights to keep us entertained while we await further turnover at the top.

Here are our 50 favorite albums from the year’s first half — and let’s hope that this year’s deluge of game-changing chart-toppers is just around the corner.

100 Gecs, 10,000 Gecs

Hyperpop pioneers Dylan Brady and Laura Les, better known as duo 100 Gecs, proved the tongue-in-cheek subgenre to be limitless with their sophomore album  10,000 Gecs.  While the term was understood in the late 2010s to describe a maximalist, campy take on bubblegum pop,  10,000 Gecs  pushed past that, colonizing new genre influences like thrash metal, emo and children’s music in standouts like “Hollywood Baby,” “Frog on the Floor,” and “Dumbest Girl Alive.” No territory is off limits here, no sound too strange, no expectations beyond subversion. It’s no wonder that in a time when TikTok users can only pay attention to the video they’re watching if Subway Surfers is also running in split screen that the overstimulating world of  10,000 Gecs  should become a comfort, and perhaps one of the most culture-defining projects of the year. — KRISTIN ROBINSON

Alex Andwandter, El Diablo en el Cuerpo

Agony, ecstasy and burning desire take center stage in Alex Anwandter’s visceral dance album,  El Diablo en el Cuerpo . Armed with anthems for weekend reveries, the singer/producer unleashes unbridled freedom, with a dash of deviance. The provocative-yet-alluring opener “Maricoteca” boasts menacing wordplay (“Don’t look for your mother/ No one will save you here,” he pleads) and his collab with Puerto Rican indie-pop duo Buscabulla sees the duet amplifying avant-garde disco to euphoric richness, with the help of Raquel Berrios’ heavenly pipes. Over 14 tracks, the Chilean pop iconoclast draws from quiet storm, Latin American ballads, synth pop and more sounds — immersing himself in bodily pleasures, with dazzling effects. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Alex Lahey, The Answer Is Always Yes

If there is one thing you can always count on with Alex Lahey, it’s that the Melbourne-born indie singer-songwriter is going to provide fans with a hell of a good time. It does not matter that her third studio album, The Answer Is Always Yes , covers heavy topics like heartbreak, discrimination, gentrification and some good ole s—t-talking, because every song is delivered with the signature wit and joyous guitar riffs Lahey has become known for. From the first lines of album opener “Good Times” (“everyone’s a bit f–ked up, but they think they are okay”) to the hilarious “You’ll Never Get Your Money Back” (“I just got the letter you shouldn’t have sent/ You said a lot of s–t, but still owe me rent”), every track feels anthemic and is impossible to get out of your head. — TAYLOR MIMS

Arlo Parks, My Soft Machine

After releasing an album as critically lauded as her debut  Collapsed in Sunbeams,  Arlo Parks set the bar as high as possible for her follow-up — yet, somehow,  My Soft Machine  managed to clear it with ease. This wistful, wide-ranging album about the trials and tribulations of her 20-something years lets Parks play around with her sound, delving into more dance-fueled motifs on album standouts like “Weightless” and “Devotion.”  My Soft Machine  is the ascendant singer-songwriter’s proof of concept that she’s only going further up from here. — STEPHEN DAW

Avalon Emerson, Avalon Emerson & The Charm

Avalon Emerson is best known for her prowess as a DJ, and for releasing her own room-galvanizing  electronic   productions . But she told  Pitchfork  that her musical ideal “is a Cocteau Twins record, things that are soft and beautiful.” That’s certainly a fitting description of this year’s Avalon Emerson & the Charm , a handsome, soothing album shot through with chiming guitars and serene washes of synthesizer. The best songs are gently euphoric — like “A Vision,” where she pushes for respite as the bass squiggles playfully beneath her. “I know the race, it makes you tired,” she sings. “Couldn’t it just let up for a while?” — ELIAS LEIGHT

boygenius, The Record

The Record ; The Tour; The Film: everything the trio of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus have put out related to their debut studio album this year has sounded casually definitive, and for good reason. While their first EP five years ago felt like magic in a bottle — quickly assembled, creatively alchemical, almost too good to be true — the record shows off not a winking supergroup but a straight-up solid rock band, still comprised of distinct individuals (see the three lead singles, each a perfect reflection of its lead singer’s essence) but buzzing with the energy and clear point of view of an artistic team that’s more than “strong enough” to last. — REBECCA MILZOFF

Carin León, Colmillo de Leche

In this 18-track set, which includes collaborations with Camilo, Pablo Alborán and Ángela Aguilar, Carin León fuses traditional Regional Mexican with soul, flamenco, pop and salsa melodies, marking a new musical era “in all aspects, especially in my way of thinking,” he told Billboard . Titled after the Mexican analogy of a milk tooth, the album’s concept represents that sometimes we may think we are experienced in life, but unexpected events can quickly change our perspective. The set earned León his first top 10 entry on any Billboard albums chart, bowing at No. 10 on the Top Latin Albums chart and No. 5 on Regional Mexican Albums. — JESSICA ROIZ

Caroline Polachek, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek’s long-awaited sophomore album  Desire, I Want to Turn Into You  is an ode to, well, desire. Equally so, it’s the singer’s way of manifesting it, willing it to overcome life’s inherent mundanity. A masterful follow up to 2019’s  Pang, the album carries over the alt-pop singer-songwriter’s trademark vocal style, but pushes her work to even further embrace the playful lust that first established her solo stardom (via breakout hit “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings”). Fervorous like a prayer,  Desire, I Want to Turn Into You  builds upwards throughout — ending at its highest crest, “Billions,” which stands as monument to the bounties of burning desire: success, excess and pleasure. “Yeah my cup overfloweth,” she sings with a wink. — K.R.

Chase Rice, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell

It’s one of 2023’s most unexpected artistic pivots — or, it would have been if not for that eye-catching album title, which clearly shows something new is up with country hitmaker Chase Rice this time around. The album title is a lie (as revealed across the two partial title tracks), but the makeover is sincere: Rice has done away with the radio-ready gloss and safe hooks that made him a mid-’10s star, in favor of being more open in both his sound and songwriting. “Way Down Yonder” and “Bad Day to Be a Cold Beer” are still catchy and clever enough to be hits, but the production’s just a little dustier, the performance just a little more patient, the lyrics a little more detailed than past Country Airplay smashes. And then there’s album centerpiece “Oklahoma,” a heartfelt 7:38-long guitar epic that sounds like a potential signature song for an artist who’s somehow managed to totally change his handwriting a decade in. — A.U.

Daniel Caesar, Never Enough

Ushering in his return to the spotlight, Daniel Caesar’s stellar third album refreshes the R&B scene with its balance of laid-back bops (“Valentina,” “Do You Like Me?” and “Disillusioned” with serpentwithfeet) and introspective ballads (“Let Me Go,” “Always,” “Cool”). The 15-song record reached No. 14 on the  Billboard 200  and features Caesar’s signature stripped-back, bass-driven production paired with his peerless falsetto — making for the perfect soundtrack for a cool summer day. — CYDNEY LEE

Davido, Timeless

Coming from of the titans of Afrobeats, Davido’s latest album is a masterpiece of the umbrella genre, incorporating Afropop, dancehall, high life, amapiano and hip-hop into the mix for a statement project that is arguably the finest of his career. The textures and production tie the album together and make it flow seamlessly through its milieu of styles without any feeling out of place. There are moments of true beauty as well, like on the Morravey-assisted “In the Garden,” “Na Money” with The Cavemen and Angélique Kidjo and the standout “No Competition” with Asake. It is, simply, the most accomplished Afrobeats album of 2023 thus far. — DAN RYS

Don Toliver, Love Sick

Though the status of his long-awaited Astroworld follow-up Utopia  remains unknown, Travis Scott and his Cactus Jack label aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet on their mainstream takeover, as proven by the release of Don Toliver’s  Love Sick . Armed with slick hooks and syrupy melodies,  Love Sick  finds Toliver dishing out amorous advances to his queen Kali Uchis on “4 Me,” putting a spin on Beenie Man and Mya’s 2000 collaboration “Girls Dem Suga,” while the burst of nostalgia continues when Don tags in R&B legend Charlie Wilson for “If I Had.”  Love Sick  was a much-needed wintry mix of pain and passion for the frigid months of ‘23. — CARL LAMARRE

Durand Jones, Wait Til I Get Over

In his first solo effort since launching Durand Jones & The Indications, Jones gives fans everything they’ve come to expect from gospel and soul to tenderly sung ballads and feet-pounding anthems. Jones’ vocal range is on full display with the exuberant “Lord Have Mercy” and the heart-wrenching “That Feeling.”  Wait Til I Get Over  is an intimate look at an artist – through untold love stories and tales about his hometown of Hillaryville, La., which was founded via reparations – who has been buttressed by a stellar band until this year, when he stood firmly on his own and delivered a collection of deeply-felt reflections of his lived experience. — T.M.

Ellie Goulding, Higher Than Heaven

Much was made of Ellie Goulding calling  Higher Than Heaven  her “least personal” album, but by trading straightforward confessions for slick, textural dance pop and lyrical sweet nothings about dim lights and easy lovers, the U.K. star delivered one of her best (and most club-friendly) albums to date. Goulding’s singular delivery — indeed one of the defining voices of dance music over the last decade — serves as both centerpiece and through line over 11 tracks spanning synth-pop to nu-disco, which indeed altogether foster a sense of blissful dancefloor anonymity. — KATIE BAIN

Eslabon Armado, Desvelado

The Mexican music group’s sixth studio album, a stunning guitar-driven production led by Eslabon frontman Pedro Tovar, is packed with hidden gems that might not seem like obvious hits (yet) but will definitely grow on you. Yes, the blockbuster “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma is included — but if you liked that one, you’ll probably want to listen to norteña-tinged cumbia “Quédate Conmigo” with Grupo Frontera, the cathartic sad sierreño “Me Decepcionaste” with DannyLux and “Tomando Tequila,” Eslabon’s groundbreaking collab with Jhayco. — GRISELDA FLORES

Fever Ray, Radical Romantics

Longtime fans of The Knife were exhilarated by the first four songs of Karin Dreijer’s latest Fever Ray album, with their brother Olof joining them to re-create the steely, propulsive magic of the groundbreaking duo. Yet Radical Romantics is, first and foremost, a statement of purpose from a singular perspective: Dreijer’s songwriting, focused primarily on queer love and the complexities of adult connection here, speeds up into dance breaks and slows down into mournful dirges, but never loses the gravity of its audacious creator. — JASON LIPSHUTZ

Fuerza Regida, Pa Que Hablen

“I have the motives to be the devil/ Of a b–ch life and bitter moments,” howls Jesús Ortíz Paz against a sinister corridos backdrop in “Mi Vecindario.” A grim look at the history of the chart-topping troupe from San Bernardino, Calif. — which was released within days of sibling set Sigan Hablando in the waning days of 2022, though both albums first reached the Billboard charts in 2023 — Pa Que Hablen shows how Fuerza’s no-holds-barred approach to songwriting makes it a force to be reckoned with. Through contemporary storytelling that displays the group’s devotion to the grind, the album equally showcases Fuerza’s party side (“Whisky con Agua”) and pays respect to its roots (“Igualito a Mi Apá”). Spanning banda, norteñas, cumbia and more styles, with a hip-hop flavor, Pa Que Hablen straddles Mexican tradition and street-oriented SoCal life, elevating its biculturalism with massive appeal. — I.R.

Ice Spice, Like..?

After giving fans a taste of her singular style with breakout 2022 single “Munch (Feelin U),” Ice Spice served a proper appetizer with her debut EP Like..? . She takes the rap throne on “Princess Diana,” flips a Diddy classic for her first Hot 100 hit with the Lil Tjay-assisted “Gangsta Boo,” and introduces phrases like “maddie,” “baddie friend” and “smoochie” to the pop culture lexicon, while breathlessly bouncing off RIOTUSA’s rollicking drill production. With Like..? , Ice Spice proves she’s not a one-hit wonder — not even a two-hit wonder — but rather, a ubiquitous hitmaker, one who has unsurprisingly continued to dominate 2023. — HERAN MAMO  

Jack Harlow, Jackman

With this semi-surprise album, titled after his given name, Harlow successfully strips back some of the glitz and glamour that populated last year’s Come Home the Kids Miss You and trades it in for songs that yearn for a less polished lifestyle (“F–k buffing my nails, dawg, I’m tryna get buff,” he raps on “They Don’t Love It”). He grapples with the consequences of fame throughout, be it burnout from an overextended press run or the weightiness of how to navigate difficult relationships with both friends and family. With only one song eclipsing three minutes, it’s a brisk listen — but still yields him the opportunity to effectively flex his writing chops, with some of his most vulnerable work to date. — JOSH GLICKSMAN

Jelly Roll, Whitsitt Chapel

Jelly Roll first hit Billboard ’s charts as a rapper in 2011, but a dozen years later, his country album debut shows he’s bringing the same scorching honesty to Nashville.  Whitsitt Chapel  is a searing, often gut-wrenching, look at man’s fallibility and the search for redemption in a world where sinners outnumber saints. Jelly Roll laments on “Save Me” that he is “damaged beyond repair,” while he hopes for salvation on “Need a Favor” — even as he admits “I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer.” Legendary songwriter Harlan Howard famously observed that country music is about “three chords and the truth,” and it doesn’t get more real than Jelly Roll’s raw brand of country. — MELINDA NEWMAN

Jessie Ware, That! Feels Good!

Longtime U.K. pop favorite Jessie Ware completes her pivot from soulful melancholy to dancefloor liberation on That! Feels Good! , an album that more than earns two exclamations points in its title thanks to the absurdly good vibes it delivers over 10 tracks of funky, lush disco. From the swirling rush of “Begin Again” to the luscious romance (for one night, at least) of “These Lips,” Ware deftly dances on the line separating wry camp and sensual earnestness. – JOE LYNCH

John Cale, Mercy

With  Mercy , John Cale turns what could have been a passing lark of an album – underground rock forefather teams up with indie artists indebted to him – into a quiet yet vital assemblage of electronic soundscapes. When you consider his work with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, The Stooges and Patti Smith, it’s clear that Cale is the rare musical multi-hyphenate you would never accuse of being a chameleon. On  Mercy , the 81-year-old demonstrates that his deft collaborative skills continue to draw fresh ideas out of others as he pulls them into his idiosyncratic orbit. – J. Lynch

JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown, Scaring the Hoes

Scaring the Hoes , the first collaborative release from JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown, has two different cover images: the streaming visual sends up the poster for the 1973 blaxploitation flick Sweet Jesus, Preacherman , while the Bandcamp version bears a photograph of then-President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un meeting. The dichotomy encapsulates the project’s disorienting, trollish swirl, where eclectic samples of classic soul, orchestral gospel and ’00s pop coexist uneasily with found-footage sound effects from old Nintendo commercials, cellphone notifications, and YouTube videos. It’s further evidence that rapper/producer JPEGMAFIA is among the most creative beatsmiths currently working, and the instrumentals underscore the absurdist verses he and Brown trade off: “First off, f— Elon Musk!” JPEG exclaims at the top of the album. “Eight dollars too much, bitch, that’s expensive.” — ERIC RENNER BROWN

Kali Uchis, Red Moon in Venus

Love may well be the most tired subject matter in pop music history, but Kali Uchis manages to bring an entirely new energy to it on  Red Moon in Venus.  Her romantic sophomore project studies the emotion as a jeweler studies a gem through their loupe; with precision and single-minded focus. Whether demanding to be treated right with Don Tolliver on “Fantasy,” or inventing entire relationships out of thin air on “Hasta Cuando,” Uchis speaks every love language fluently and beautifully on this moving project. — S.D.

Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito

An emotions-first album that narrates the Colombian star’s post-breakup journey,  Mañana Será Bonito  shines a light on a liberated-yet-vulnerable Karol G. With tracks like the empowered reggaetón anthem “TQG” with Shakira and the blissful “Mientras Me Curo del Cora,” the 17-track album covers many sides of Karol, while staying true to her sophisticated lyrics and bold musical palate. Along the way, Mañana Será Bonito  also made history as the first fully Spanish-language album by a female artist to top the Billboard 200. — G.F.

KAYTRAMINÉ, KAYTRAMINÉ

Haitian-Canadian DJ/producer Kaytranada and Ethiopian-American rapper Aminé orchestrated the soundtrack of the summer with their clever 11-track collaboration, KAYTRAMINÉ . Aminé delivers charismatic and crude bars over Kaytra’s groovy, gleaming production — sampling everything from Busta Rhymes to Bollywood — making for a combination that’s refreshing as an ice-cold drink (pinkies up!) on a hot afternoon. Pharrell’s pulsating, lightweight hook and production assist on lead single “4EVA” and Amaarae’s pitched-up, scrumptiously snide verse on “Sossaup” stand out from the project’s star-studded features. Arriving almost a decade after Kaytra and Aminé’s relationship first flourished on SoundCloud, KAYTRAMINÉ  proves that their musical blend has aged like fine wine. — H.M.

Kelela, Raven

Bolstered by a braintrust from electronic music’s vanguard – Kaytranada, LSDXOXO, OCA, AceMo, Bambii, and more contribute production – Raven continues Kelela’s visionary exploration of the place where R&B and club music collide. Near-ambient passages connect slithering soul, brisk breakbeats, and pulsating low-end, as Kelela’s ethereal vocals adapt to each sonic setting. The 40-year-old musician has spoken about how, particularly in the wake of 2020’s mass protests regarding racism and police brutality, she wanted to use her new album to honor electronic music’s queer, Black lineage; here, she not only achieves that, but boldly pushes the genre’s rich history forward. — E.R.B.

Key Glock, Glockoma 2

“Number one rule, get that money — man, I got this s–t from Dolph,” Key Glock raps into the opening minutes of  Glockoma 2 . In the process, the Memphis fixture confirms that, following the tragic death of his frequent collaborator Young Dolph and the musical tributes that followed, he was always destined to get back to work, keep his head down and grind out more Tennessee-honeyed bangers.  Glockoma 2  is not particularly intense — Glock always operates with a relaxed flow — but remains unrelenting in its approach, hooks blending into verses and warm soul samples bubbling underneath the surface of Glock’s laser-focused chill. — J. Lipshutz

Khea, Seratonina

Khea’s ultra-personal Seratonina (his first studio album in three years) is the result of his very own battle with mental health, which included him disconnecting from his art and falling into severe depression during the pandemic. But thanks to his support system and understanding record label, the Argentine artist released a 13-track set that’s musically charged with R&B, salsa, and EDM fusions, and grounded in some weighty lyrical themes. “I was already distancing myself from this world … I really thought that one of the things that caused me to be like this was that I was no longer connecting with what my art said,” he told Billboard . “So this whole process also went beyond a search to grow personally, and it was rediscovering my musical self.” — J.R.

Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

As the name implies, Lana Del Rey’s  Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd reveals the deeper realities of the singer-songwriter’s personal life, making it being one of her most sincere and well-crafted albums to date. Arriving eleven years after debut album  Born to Die,  Del Rey’s  Ocean Blvd  excels in its self-referential postmodernism. She places her family at the set’s central axis and calls back to melodies, themes and images from albums past, with songs like “Taco Truck x VB” (weaving in elements of 2019’s “Venice B–ch,” and perhaps even callbacks to earlier favorites “Lolita” and “Radio”) and “Fingertips” (continuing stories begun in 2021’s  Blue Banisters ) further expanding her world-building. Ocean Blvd shows how Del Rey has her own distinct universe of songs, one that’s increasingly well-defined with each project and constantly building on top of itself. — K.R.

Larry June & The Alchemist, The Great Escape

In 2022, Larry June played the role of spoiler to the A-listers when he became a main-event draw with his album of the year contender  Spaceships on the Blade.  Looking to evolve from his underdog days, June partners with producer The Alchemist for his biggest heist yet:  The Great Escape . With venerated hip-hop vet Alch piloting the ship, June glides through songs like “Orange Village” and “Palisades, CA” with seamless precision. And when paired with fellow lyrical warriors like Big Sean, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$, June relishes the challenge and punches in high-quality verses for his day-one fans. — C. Lamarre

Lil Yachty, Let's Start Here

It’s a shame that Lil Yachty’s press tour for Let’s Start Here ultimately clouded reception of the album with discourse about whether or not an album carries more artistic heft for being primarily rock-based rather than rap-based (of course it doesn’t). What we should have been talking about is how fun it is to have a veteran rapper making the leap into the fifth dimension; doing so not only with an all-star indie-psych supporting cast, but both the sonic scope and melodic instincts to make the trip convincing, even as a first-timer. Or we could have talked about how dope the the outro to “the BLACK seminole” is, how unshakeable the falsetto howls of “pRETTy” are, how random the total pop perfection of “drive ME crazy!” and “sAy sOMETHINg” feel amid all the warp-speed-jumping. Or we could have just talked about how good music rules, always, no further context needed. — A.U.

Liv.e, Girl in the Half Pearl

“My brain don’t go, One, two, three, four ,” Dallas do-everything artist Liv.e explained to Vulture earlier this year that she learned of herself when trying to study music in school. That’s not surprising from a trip through Girl in the Half Pearl : a 17-track, 40-minute float down the winding path of Lake Psilocybin, where beats, lyrics, instruments and ideas flit in and out seemingly on their own whims, intriguing, tantalizing and frustrating before making way for the next turn. It’s intoxicatingly frenzied, but never totally out of control, and often completely spellbinding — like on the elliptical breakup epiphany “Find Out,” where the intro synth hook from “Da Rockwilder” blares like an alarm clock, or on the clubhound kiss-off “Wild Animals,” which even her junior high teacher would have to admit is a pretty damn good pop song. — A.U.

Luke Combs, Gettin' Old

The companion to 2022’s Growin’ Up finds Combs further examining his move toward middle age, with opener “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” serving as the bridge between the two sets. Married and a dad now, Combs addresses the juggling act that is his life, as he expresses gratitude on songs like first single “Love You Anyway” and “5 Leaf Clover.” As he’s gotten older, Combs’ already tremendous voice has adapted a little more of a rasp, which he uses to great effect on the bluesy “Fox in the Henhouse” and on his stellar cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” — M.N.

Margo Price, Strays

Price proudly branded herself with the title of her compelling 2016 debut album as a “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter,” but you’d need to have witnessed the hell-breaking-loose energy of her live shows to be properly prepped for Strays . Crediting her use of psilocybin mushrooms to quit alcohol and take a “mind vacation” during the pandemic, Price’s wild and edgy fourth album features her declaring on opening track “Been to the Mountain” that she’s “going straight in the fire,” and then blazes through a 10-track musical “Change of Heart” that is both genre-defying and exhilarating. — THOM DUFFY

Meet Me at the Altar, Past, Present, Future

This young rock trio’s debut album wastes little time addressing the naysayers: “I’m a b–ch and my band is an industry plant/ Least that’s what it says on the internet,” frontwoman Edith Victoria sings on opener “Say It (To My Face).” As its tense-themed title suggests, the 30-minute project weaves together songs brimming with crunchy guitar licks and rambunctious choruses that feel at home both in the latest iteration of the pop-punk movement as well as the last — all while laying the foundation to experiment in every corner of the genre with future releases. — J.G.

Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time

It’s tempting to just spout stats when it comes to writing about Wallen’s third album: The 36-track extravaganza has spent the most weeks atop the Billboard 200 of any country album in 30 years and “Last Night” became the first song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Country Airplay charts simultaneously.  But to do so would ignore the wealth of insanely grabbing songs on the set. Though it’s debatable whether anyone needs three dozen tracks in one sitting, the collection shows off Wallen’s agility as he nimbly tackles different styles on songs marked by their often clever wordplay. He easily glides from the poppy, toe-tapping title track to the retro, chugging “Everything I Love” to the introspective “Don’t Think Jesus” and shows off a range only hinted at on his previous two sets. — M.N.

Nakhane, Bastard Jargon

Breaking through to wider cultural attention for their 2018 album  You Will Not Die , South African singer-songwriter Nakhane was once associated with beautifully tragic songs, bathing their music in wistful emotions and somber songwriting. But with  Bastard Jargon,  Nakhane rejected the narrative that they created for themselves. Ping-ponging between sex, anger and ecstasy,  Bastard Jargon  revels in its own indulgence, letting the performer try their hand and whatever else they feel like exploring. Sure, that melancholy still breaks through (especially on standout single “Hold Me Down”), but  Bastard Jargon  thrives thanks to its diverse array of soul-affirming songs, redefining the expectations placed on its author bit by bit. — S.D.

Paramore, This Is Why

Paramore didn’t blindly stumble into their longevity. From the Warped circuit to the rollicking guitar licks of “This Is Why,” the Tennessee-bred outfit have stuck around through so many musical and cultural eras because of their steadfast commitment to growing with the times. The band’s latest album harnessed the innumerable COVID-19-induced anxieties that continue to plague our collective consciousness and used them to anchor the trio’s own reflections on their childhoods, their relationship to change, and the possibilities of progress. Whether they’re dissecting the immobilizing nature of toxic relationships (“Liar”) or finding peace in accepting their most annoying habits (“C’est Comme Ça”), Paramore spends This Is Why filtering the messiness of contemporary life through their own new wave-tinged glasses. – KYLE DENIS

Raye, My 21st Century Blues

The product of an equally hellish and transformative experience at her former label, Raye’s  My 21st Century Blues  is a kaleidoscopic vision of pop music’s potential in 2023. The British singer-songwriter’s gorgeous debut album hurtles through several of her most formative influences: There are nods to Amy Winehouse in the funk and blues-infused “The Thrill Is Gone,” while a righteous fusion of gospel melodies and secular quips powers “Buss It Down.” And, of course, there’s breakout single “Escapism,” which blends hints of boom-bap into a moody recollection of depressing nights on the town. Above all, RAYE’s debut LP is a stunning reminder of what happens when artists reclaim their voice and achieve true catharsis through their music. — K.D.

Rebecca Black, Let Her Burn

With “Friday” now a dozen years in the rearview, accidental teen phenom Rebecca Black has grown into one of adult pop’s most clever and creative purveyors. If you hadn’t noticed from her singles and EPs, full-length debut Let Her Burn makes it abundantly obvious: 10 tracks of smart, detailed and timely-but-not-trendy pop music, bursting at the seams with hooks and ideas and tied together with the nervy energy of an artistic voice determined to prove itself worth paying attention to. Most arresting might be heartbreaking closer “Performer,” a fragile ballad about getting stuck under layers of persona in a relationship (or maybe in a false-started music career): “Multiple versions/ Of the same person/ All of them hurtin’/ Don’t think the performance is workin’.” — A.U.

Sam Smith, Gloria

Though boasting a lead single in “Unholy” that flaunted radio conventions and still topped the Hot 100 (making Smith and featured act Kim Petras the first nonbinary and trans artists, respectively, to top the chart), Gloria is more introspective than exhibitionist. Sam Smith grapples with their identity and celebrates their sexuality over an assured, smooth mélange of soul-pop, with occasional flourishes of disco (“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”), dancehall (“Gimme”) and even church choir music (“Gloria”). – J. Lynch

SG Lewis, Audiolust & Higherlove

The second LP from U.K. live electronic artist SG Lewis,  Audiolust & Higherlove  is a concept album exploring what Lewis himself  called  “the darker, lusty, infatuated, short-lived and ego-driven version of love” — and then, starting with track nine, “a much deeper, actualized and fulfilled version of love.” Both frameworks function equally well, with Lewis delivering 15 tight, slick, urgent and often very cool productions that weave in yacht rock influences with the occasional floor-filling jam (check the eight-plus-minute “Epiphany”), and altogether emphasize that dance music can be simultaneously sophisticated and fun. — K.B.

Skrillex, Quest for Fire

Skrillex came hot out the gates in the new year, releasing a litany of singles starting in early January that all eventually landed on February’s extremely buzzed-about  Quest for Fire . The album got a release party for the ages via a series of surprise b2b2bs with Four Tet and Fred again.. over the course of the week in New York City, culminating in a sold-out, five-hour Madison Square Garden show. Skrillex has always been divisive, and both this LP and its showy rollout had its predictable haters, but did the music live up to all this hype? Certainly: Lead single “Rumble” is a frontrunner for biggest dance song of the year, while the rest of the album is a textural, often thrilling, sometimes challenging collection of tracks that showcase the current sounds of electronic music, a crew of very of-the-moment collaborators and the latest phase of Skrillex’s own singular creative trajectory. — K.B.

Spinall, Top Boy

Nigerian DJ and producer Spinall has put together a number of compilation albums in the past decade, but  Top Boy  might just be the best of them. Having rolled out singles slowly yet steadily for the last few years, Spinall presents a collection here that includes moments of real magic — like on the Adekunle Gold track “Cloud 9” and the Asake collaboration “PALAZZO,” both earlier standouts. But this isn’t just a compendium of hits — each track brings something new to the table, with star turns from Stefflon Don, BNXN and Olamide rounding out a solid production. — D.R. .

Summer Walker, Clear 2: Soft Life

Summer Walker’s biggest hits may come from what she refers to as “Auto-Tune-packed radio joints,” but, more often than not, her best songs come from her stripped-down sessions.  Clear 2: Soft Life , sequel to her 2021  Clear  EP, finds Walker expanding her Erykah Badu influences into a vulnerable analysis of the state of contemporary Black romance. On “Mind Yo Mouth,” she deconstructs age-old advice that prioritizes the comfort of men over the self-expression of women, and “Hardlife” finds her encouraging solidarity amongst Black women in the face of intracommunal and intercommunal emotional abuse. Featuring a standout guest verse from J. Cole and some of her most heartbreaking melodies yet,  Clear 2  is a stunning, self-assured statement from an artist who is unafraid of evolution. — K.D.

Tanya Tucker, Sweet Western Sound

Tucker was her own tough act to follow with Sweet Western Sound, successor to her 2019 comeback set While I’m Livin’ . But collaborating again with producers Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, in her husky, twanging alto, Tucker lives up to that Grammy-winning set’s standard with the nine classic country tracks here — not counting the voicemail poem “Tanya,” from the late Billy Joe Shaver, which opens the album on a sweetly emotional note. Carlile shares writing credits and vocals with Tucker on the lead single “Breakfast In Birmingham,” an imagery-rich love song from the open road. With Sweet Western Sound , Tucker has once more created an album that is reflective, wise and wonderful. — T.D.

Wesley Joseph, Glow

Glow   is proof that the U.K. indie artist Wesley Joseph is a jack of all trades — and also a master of all. He sings, raps, produces and creatively directs nearly all of his music and visuals, and while the newcomer is still forging a path in the American music landscape, he has earned a spot on this list due to his precision and ability to effortlessly weave through genres like hip-hop (“Cold Summer”), dance (“Sugar Dive”) and alt-R&B (“Light Light”). “The feeling the record gives is almost like a warm glow in the darkness,” Joseph accurately summarized to  Billboard  about the set earlier this year. — C. Lee

Yves Tumor, Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Yves Tumor wields the tools of ’80s post-punk — guitar chopping like rusty hatchets, bass chugging in long lines — with vicious effectiveness on this rousing album. Its title may be ungainly, but the songs land like a jab to the throat, summoning the fire-breathing spirit of Public Image Ltd. Nothing here is more potent than “Operator,” which ratchets up tension until exploding into chants of “be aggressive, be-be aggressive.” “Fear Evil Like Fire” is breathless and adrenalized, while the buzzing “Lovely Sewer” races toward a dire warning: “You’re always so fly/ But you can’t start a war just for the feeling.” — E.L.

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Drake Co-Signed Nemzzz Drops New Track 'It's US' With Lil Yachty

Breaking new ground, the mixtape is available in physical format on CD and cassette, a first for the Manchester artist.

UK rapper Nemzzz has dropped his highly-anticipated debut mixtape, DO NOT DISTURB, (Deluxe) today.

This 11-track tape marks Nemzzz's most extensive release to date, delving into his upbringing and newfound fame. Breaking new ground, the mixtape is available in physical format on CD and cassette, a first for the Manchester artist. Nemzzz has gotten co-signs from Drake, Central Cee, iShowSpeed, and other US-based entertainers. 

The single "It's Us" featuring rapper Lil Yachty, a standout from the deluxe offering, has also been released, offering a short but punchy track with cool 808s and keys. Nemzzz and Yachty trade verses, showcasing their great sonic chemistry and marking a return to form for Yachty. Yachty has voiced his support for Nemzzz, a particularly strong co-sign as Yachty has aligned himself with other rising talent such as Teezo Touchdown and LORENZ.OG . 

Opening with the late-night confession "REFLECTION," Nemzzz delivers biting rhymes about the pitfalls of social media activism. The new single " ETA" features a collaboration with German rap heavyweight Luciano, with the duo trading bars over a siren-like beat and a video shot in Frankfurt during Nemzzz's appearance at Luciano's stadium show.

Recent single "PTSD," produced by frequent collaborator Zel, showcases a haunting vocal flip and a laid-back production, earning a co-sign from Central Cee. "L'S," a shimmering, jazz-inflected track, received acclaim from The Observer, Fader, CRACK, and NME, garnering spins across BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra.

Atmospheric cuts like "DOOM" and playful love song "STAR SIGN" add depth to the mixtape, while tracks like "NEED YOU" explore the ups and downs of toxic relationships. "DND," the title track, details the challenges Nemzzz faced leading up to the project's release. Rounding out the tape is "MONEY AND VIBES," where Nemzzz brings a UK flavor to a flip of Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body."

Nemzzz, shaped by his tough upbringing in Gorton, uses his music to reflect on experiences such as heartbreak, fake friends, financial literacy, finding one's path, and managing mental health amid social media addiction. The rapper, an old head on young shoulders, offers relatability in a unique way, helping his young fans navigate growing pains.

Following a successful 2023, which included his debut EP "Nemzzz Type Beat" and hit singles like "Therapy" and "8AM IN MANNY," Nemzzz is gearing up for his second headline tour this Spring across the UK and Ireland. With sold-out dates already and performances at major festivals, including Glastonbury and Ibiza Rocks, Nemzzz continues to make waves in the rap scene.

Since bursting onto the scene at 14, Nemzzz has steadily built buzz with over 180M combined streams in 2023, 9 Million TikTok views, and recognition from BBC Radio 1xtra, Amazon Music x Hunger Magazine, No Signal Class of '23, MOBO Awards 2022 Best Newcomer Nominee, and accolades from Pitchfork, The Face, DAZED, The Guardian, HYPEBEAST, CLASH, Complex UK, and NME. Nemzzz is undeniably making serious moves in the industry.

Nemzzz will be heading out on his second headline tour this Spring with dates across the UK and Ireland. He will be kicking off in Dublin on April 30th, and culminating in a homecoming show on May 7th in Manchester. With two dates already sold out - the tour is set to be another huge smash for the young star. TICKETS/MORE INFO.

30th April Dublin, Green Room Academy *SOLD OUT

3rd May Glasgow, Warehouse SWG3 *SOLD OUT

5th May London, Omeara *SOLD OUT

7th May Manchester, Club Academy

About Nemzzz:

Nemzzz is one of the most exciting breakout rap talents of recent years. An old head on young shoulders, Nemzzz is relatable in a different way than a lot of his rap peers; driven less by punchlines about Birkin bags and more by the challenge of helping his young fans navigate their way through growing pains.

The rapper is shaped by his tough upbringing in Gorton, using his music to reflect on his experiences in Manchester and his mental health struggles. Since bursting onto the scene at the tender age of 14, he has relentlessly chipped away at his craft – building steady buzz amongst the industry, media and fans alike.

With over 180M combined streams in 2023, 9 Million TikTok views, tips including BBC Radio 1xtra's Hot For 2023, Amazon Music x Hunger Magazine Ones To Watch, No Signal Class of '23, Best Newcomer Nominee MOBO Awards 2022, plaudits from Pitchfork, The Face, DAZED, The Guardian, HYPEBEAST, CLASH, Complex UK and NME - Nemzzz is making serious moves.

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Lil Uzi Vert with Special Guests Lil Yachty, JID, Rico Nasty & LIHTZ

To headline summerfest, on july 6, 2024, at american family insurance amphitheater, tickets on sale friday, march 15 at 10:00 a.m..

For immediate release

MILWAUKEE, WI (March 11, 2024) – Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance is excited to announce that Lil Uzi Vert, with special guests Lil Yachty, JID, Rico Nasty, and LIHTZ will headline the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on Saturday, July 6, 2024, during the festival's last day.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 15, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. CST at Summerfest.com and Ticketmaster.com and in person at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater Box Office, and include admission to Summerfest the day of the show.  

About Lil Uzi Vert RIAA Diamond-certified and multiple GRAMMY-nominated superstar LIL UZI VERT has a sound as dynamic as their vision and trend-setting fashion. The Philadelphia native boasts over 31 billion career streams, four GRAMMY nominations and over 100 career Billboard Hot 100 charted songs. Uzi released the 26-track album PINK TAPE, the first rap album of 2023 to top the Billboard 200 chart, their third consecutive #1 album. The success of Uzi’s latest project follows the critically acclaimed RIAA Platinum albums; LUV IS RAGE 2, ETERNAL ATAKE, and LIL UZI VERT VS. THE WORLD, two of which landed #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. LUV IS RAGE 2 featured the hit Diamond certified worldwide hit, “XO Tour Llif3,” 4X Platinum certified, “The Way Life Goes,” and Platinum certified, “Neon Guts (feat. Pharrell Williams).”

 Uzi’s boundless discography includes THE PERFECT LUV TAPE, LUV IS RAGE, PLUTO X BABY PLUTO with Future, RED & WHITE EP, and LUV VS. THE WORLD 2. In addition to their extensive catalog, the artist has also featured on several record-breaking tracks including Migos’ RIAA 4X Platinum, GRAMMY-nominated, chart-topping hit single, “Bad and Boujee.”  Lil Uzi Vert hit the road on the sold out PINK TAPE TOUR in 2023 and was nominated for Best Rap Song for the chart topping smash, “I Just Wanna Rock.”

About Lil Yachty Lil Yachty is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Atlanta Georgia. He’s released five studio albums, with his most recent being Let’s Start Here. , a psychedelic alternative rock album released in January of 2023 and debuted as #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums list, #9 on Billboard’s Top 200 list, was the #1 Album on Apple Music, and has received over 60 million streams in the first two months. He made his Saturday Night Live (SNL) musical guest debut April 1st of this year and he graced the cover of Billboard magazine’s 2023 March issue, has made multiple appearances on film and TV, collaborated with brands such as Sprite, Reese’s Puffs, and Nautica, delved into fashion with projects such as his own nail polish brand Crete, and has his own frozen pizza (Deep Cuts Yachty’s Pizzeria).

About J.I.D. Born and raised in East Atlanta, Grammy nominated J.I.D has been heralded as “one of rap’s best storytellers'' (Rolling Stone). He grew up on his parents’ collection of classic funk/soul LPs, and broke onto the scene with his 2015 EP, DiCaprio . Soon after J. Cole signed him to Dreamville Records and he

made his major-label debut with the widely celebrated The Never Story (2017), followed quickly by the critically acclaimed album DiCaprio 2 (2018) which helped induct him to XXL’s Freshman class. His momentum continued with stellar contributions to Dreamville’s Platinum certified compilation Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019) which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts and received multiple GRAMMY nominations. Having collaborated with music’s biggest names, J.I.D celebrated a global hit

with “Enemy” alongside Imagine Dragons in 2021; priming fans for J.I.D’s third studio album The Forever Story . Released last year, the album was widely acclaimed and included in many “best album of the

year” lists and included a stirring live rendition on NPR’s Tiny Desk stage. The album was kicked off with first single, “Surround Sound” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, and two years since its initial release the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 charts in Fall of 2023 thanks to a viral internet trend dubbed “Surround Sound Ceiling Challenge.” The song which has now been used over half a million videos garnering over 3.5 billion views is nearing double Platinum status. His most personal project to date, The Forever Story is a celebration of storytelling and J.I.D’s ability to weave personality and prose seamlessly across infectious production. Revered for his live performance style, he has toured across the globe selling out venues and festival stages creating a wave of throbbing fans with every performance. His nimble, head-nodding lyricism and lightning fast flow has awarded J.I.D a loyal and cult-like fanbase while his dedication to perfecting the art is sportsman-like, leaving room for J.I.D to be one of rap’s greatest in the making.

About Rico Nasty Many artists change the game. However, Rico Nasty reinvents, recharges, and reimagines it with every move. Instead, the Washington, D.C.-born and Maryland-raised sonic sorceress shapeshifts at the speed of the culture, infusing airtight rap with uncontainable punk energy, hyperpop unpredictability, industrial intensity, and just the right amount of heavy metal attitude. Back in high school, she made waves with a series of independent projects before reaching critical mass with 2017’s Sugar Trap 2. On its heels, she maintained this momentum with the fan favorite Nasty in 2018. The collaborative mixtape Anger Management with Kenny Beats closed out 2019 on over a dozen year-end lists, including Complex, Dazed, Fact, The FADER, GQ, NME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and Vice. During 2020, her full-length debut, Nightmare Vacation, boasted the gold-certified hit “Smack A Bitch.” Peers sought her out for high-profile collaborations, including the platinum “Tia Tamera” with Doja Cat, “#PROUDCATOWNERREMIX” with the late XXXTentacion, “¡aquí yo mando!” with Kali Uchis, and more. Rico’s’s the rare outlier who can grace the cover the XXL Freshman issue or light up Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show as an ambassador and ignite a mosh pit. With an inimitable and influential signature style, she has reached multiplatinum status, posted up nearly 1 billion streams, and sold out countless shows. Last year she unleashed unfiltered truth with the force of a tornado through a tidal wave on Las Ruinas but from here on out Rico’s new mission is to take us back to the Sugar Trap – where it all began.

About LIHTZ Philadelphia’s Andrew Christian Howard, p/k/a “LIHTZ” is a multifaceted artist that has made a name for himself in music and television. Born in West Philly, Lihtz had a rough upbringing moving from shelter to shelter with his sickly mother. At the age of 7-years-old, Lihtz and his family moved to West Oak Lane or the “Uptown” area of Philadelphia. It was here where he made a name for himself.

Inspired by his uncle, “Big Biscuit,” who was a rapper, Lihtz wanted to follow in his footsteps and by the age of 10-years-old, he found himself in a rap group. This along with his time in church played a heavy role in the soulfulness of his music and heartfelt lyrics.  Lihtz briefly moved to Atlanta after high school to hone in on his sound. Upon moving back to Philly, Lihtz received a cosign from Gillie Da Kid (Million Dollars Worth of Game Co-host) which helped launch his music career. Featured on songs from other artists in Philadelphia, Lihtz was able to build his own catalog of street anthems. This eventually led Lihtz to be featured on “Never Lose” by Meek Mill. Since that time, Lihtz has been met with moments of tragedy and career obstacles. In 2023 Lihtz emerged with a new image and sound which pushed him in a different direction from his earlier work. The intention of wearing a mask was to force people to focus on the music while also seeing him in a new light. Lihtz dedication to personal growth birthed many songs including his current single “Serenity.” The song represents the search for substance that gives your life purpose before it's too late.

About Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance   Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance is a premier independent music festival, hosting the industry’s biggest acts for an unforgettable live music experience.  Since its inception in 1968, Summerfest continues to distinguish itself as a top national music festival and has developed an unrivaled reputation, consistently featuring hundreds of performances across 12 stages, throughout the 75-acre festival grounds along Lake Michigan. Summerfest 2024 will take place over three weekends - June 20-22, June 27-29, and July 4-6. For more information, visit Summerfest.com , or follow us on social media @Summerfest on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.   

Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., producer of Summerfest, continues to fulfill its nonprofit mission of bringing the community together and providing a showcase for performing arts, activities, and recreation to the public, through music and special events.

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• [email protected]

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The Best Rising Artists of Spring 2024

Get to know 9 artists who are leading the next generation of music..

You are reading your free article for this month. Members-only

As Spring breathes new life into us once again, we’re introduced to a new selection of rising artists making their marks in music. This season, Hypebeast is focusing on nine artists who are creating and exploring their unique sounds in the realms of Afrobeats, indie rock, rap, bedroom pop, trap and more, further underscoring the notion that genres no longer serve as confines for the next generation of musical artists.

For fans of: Montell Fish, Toby Mai, Isabel LaRosa

Midas The Jagaban

Seafood Sam

Vyla Melinkolya

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Flo Milli Announces ‘Never Lose Me' Remix Featuring SZA & Cardi B

Flo Milli confirmed on Thursday (March 14) SZA and Cardi B will be featured on a new remix of her latest hit "Never Lose Me," one day before she releases her sophomore studio album, Fine Ho, Stay .

Flo and SZA have been teasing their "Never Lose Me" remix since January, but the announcement of Cardi B hopping on it was a "surprise surprise," and the two shared a video on X of them lip-synching the intro in a parking lot. "POP UP GUESS WHO B-TCH," Flo wrote.

The rapper has previously released two "Never Lose Me" remixes, one with Lil Yachty and another with Bryson Tiller .

"Never Lose Me" has become Flo's highest charting Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, peaking at No. 18. It also reached No. 7 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 14 on Rhythmic Airplay . In February, she achieved the  longest consecutive streak at No. 1 (four weeks) on TikTok Billboard Top 50 for any song since its September 2023 inception.

"I was in the studio all night, and I wasn't really focused," Flo told Billboard in a recent interview about the making of "Never Lose Me," which samples Babyface Ray  and  42 Dugg ‘s track "Ron Artest." "I was working on other stuff for my project, and then right when I was about to leave, I asked the engineer to pull up this beat - that's when I started rapping. For the ‘Never Lose Me' part, I'm such a perfectionist: Until I get a line right and it sounds like how it sounds in my head, I'll do it so many times. I just kept saying, ‘You never wanna lose me.' I wasn't expecting it to blow. I was just doing it for me."

See Flo Milli's announcement of the "Never Lose Me" remix with SZA and Cardi B:

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