This might be the one for Lil Yachty.

---

STREAM

---

TOP 5

 

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.

---

[the_ad id=”102857″]

---

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)

---

RGM RATING

(B) (83%)

 

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.

---

Loading poll ...

Coming Soon

What Grade Do You Give "Let's Start Here.?"

{{ row.Answer_Title }} {{ row.Answer_Title }} {{row.tsp_result_percent}} % {{row.Answer_Votes}} {{row.Answer_Votes}} ( {{row.tsp_result_percent}} % ) {{ tsp_result_no }} {{row.tsp_result_percent}} % {{row.Answer_Votes}} {{row.Answer_Votes}} ( {{row.tsp_result_percent}} % ) {{ tsp_result_no }}