With a daunting cascade of releases spewing from the likes of DatPiff, LiveMixtapes, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud, it can be difficult to keep up with the overbearing yet increasingly vital mixtape game. In this column, we aim to immerse ourselves in this hyper-prolific world and share our favorite releases each month. The focus will primarily be on rap mixtapes — loosely defined here as free (or sometimes free-to-stream) digital releases — but we’ll keep things loose enough to branch out if/when we feel it necessary. (Check out last month’s installment here.)
Lil Yachty - Lil Boat
Atlanta’s water-based rapper Lil Yachty is sailing over the heads of gut-check internet comments with nasally swoons and the confidence of a Coach K protege, and Lil Boat is just the beginning. His debut full-length mixtape comes at a new wave for Yachty. About six months after Chief Keef posted a video with Yachty’s “1Night” playing in the background and a month after he was front and center, decked in red for Kanye’s Yeezy Season 3 live show, Yachty is bringing love-bent positivity and Quavo into the same space. The remix of “Minnesota” and an extended version of “1Night” accompany 12 new tracks that feature Finding Nemo’s Dory, Super Mario, and further explanation into the dichotomy of Lil Yachty and Lil Boat. #BoatInsurance #YachtyRock #AmericasDoubleCup