Following the disastrous ‘Teenage Emotions,’ rapper Lil Yachty returns with a new mixtape, ‘Lil Boat 2.’ Showing potential at times, he’s still a work in progress.

There’s’ no sugarcoating it. Lil Yachty had the absolute worst album of 2017 with Teenage Emotions.  Almost everything felt off about his debut studio album.  EVERYTHING. At times, he was off-beat, while at others, his eccentricity felt totally misguided and poorly executed.  In some regards, the 20-year old rapper should feel relieved to return with a new project just to escape the vast criticism.  In some respects, he feels more natural on Lil Boat 2, the follow up to mixtape, Lil Boat. The emphasis is on some.

Lil Boat 2 personally feels stronger than Teenage Emotions.  Perhaps there’s not a huge improvement, but, the straightforward approach is more accessible.  While the production work doesn’t go as ambitious as it did on Teenage Emotions, it’s generally a better fit.  Yachty feels slightly more normal and confortable over some of the skeletal, trap-oriented offerings, including “Oops,” “FWM,” and “Baby Daddy.”  There’s nothing as outlandish in sound like “Bring it Back”, which is certainly a blessing.

Highlights

In regards to his rapping, Lil Yachty has his moments.  After the forgettable brief opener “Self Made,” he drops a banger with “Boom!” collaborating with another up-and-comer, Ugly God.  The flow is familiar, failing to be game changing, but it’s not a bad start.

The aforementioned “Oops,” featuring 2 Chainz & K$upreme is even better. Short and sweet, it benefits from its brevity – Yachty is better served in moderation.  In addition to its skeletal beat, K$upreme drops a stupid, yet absolutely infectious hook, assisted by Yachty.

“Oops, oops, ooh
F**k a n***a’s b*tch, I’m like, “Oops” (oops)
Pass her to the gang, n***a, that’s an alley-oop (oop)
Ridin’ ’round town in an all-white coupe (yeah)
Gang of bad b*tches blow a n***a like soup (yeah)
You was buyin’ Polos, I was buyin’ coupes
Oops, oops, oops, oops.”

Near the end of the album, “Baby Daddy” is a surefire winner.  Lil Yachty drops a low-energy, deadpan verse and hook (partially mumbled you might say), yet both are incredibly appealing and effective.  Again, it’s in small dosages – moderation.

“Your baby daddy a sucka, ayy, your baby daddy a busta, ayy
Your baby daddy so broke, he hit the plug for a free line of coke
I’m thirty deep with the whole gang, pull up, we bringin’ the pain
F**kin’ a b*tch, grabbin’ her throat, poppin’ out all of her veins
Ride a Maybach, not a Mustang, nut on her face, f**k up her bangs
Choke-slam a n***a, like I was Kane, choppa, it sing like Zayn
Shoot out the roof, no aim, shoot out the roof, no aim
I want the guap, you can have fame, I make them blue hunnids sing.”

Unfortunately, the aforementioned hook is filthy – sexually-charged and misogynistic.  Nonetheless, the delivery, as opposed to the lyrics themselves, shows the potential he has. Lil Pump, dropping the millionth oral sex reference of the tape, shines on his verse.  The flow is quite similar to “Gucci Gang,” completely contrasting the flatter Yachty.  Offset, referencing the Patek Phillipe for the umpteenth time, is a great fit, bringing energy to this banger.

Final Thoughts

While Lil Yachty still suffers from being off-beat at times, it’s not a total deal breaker on Lil Boat 2 (remember the clumsy “DN Freestyle”).  Generally, the biggest problem is a lack of inspiration.  More often than not, he opts for the cliché of sex.  Too many times he drops lyrics fueled by fellatio as opposed to thinking bigger.  Also, at times, his cadence and flow are obviously recycled, which makes some of the many ‘turn-up’ tracks lack distinction from one another.  Although arguably better than Teenage Emotions with moments showcasing potential, Yachty still has a way to go to become a truly respected artist.

Gems: “BOOM!”, “Oops” & “Baby Daddy”

Lil Yachty • Lil Boat 2 • Capitol / Motown • Release: 3.9.18 

Photo Credits: Capitol / Motown