When we think of the best musical artists today, we often associate names like Drake, Post Malone or Taylor Swift, and it’s for a good reason, as all of them were in the top 10 of the most streamed artists of 2022. Music fans understand there’s a difference between the best artists and our favorite artists. I want to talk a little about my favorite. Miles McCollum, A.K.A. “Lil Yachty” has been my personal favorite for many years, and I’ve received a lot of backlash in the past for expressing my appreciation for his music. 

A lot of the backlash came after the releases of songs like “Minnesota” or “Poland”, but it’s important for people who don’t like his music to understand most of his songs don’t sound that way. His viral songs are usually my least favorite. In fact, Lil Yachty has created two different alter-egos to differentiate his styles of music. In an interview with Genius, he discussed the meaning of Darnell Boat and Lil Boat. 

Darnell Boat is a character he created to help narrate songs and often introduces listeners to his “nephews” Lil Yachty and Lil Boat. Darnelle helps inform listeners to which artist is singing next with lines such as,  “Yachty and Boat have been working so hard over this past year, and we just want to welcome y’all to ‘Teenage Emotions.’” That was used at the beginning of his introductory song in a past album.

When talking with Genius, he described the alter-ego of Lil Boat as “aggressive.” Lil Boat is a more foul-mouthed and confident rapper than what he typically produces. “It’s all in the production, if it is heavy hitting, that’s Boat,” Yachty said. Songs like “Peek-a-Boo” are extremely explicit with dark and dirty lyrics spread throughout, and Yachty went further on to say, “He’s a ruthless dude. He don’t care. Yachty is a nice dude. Boat is crazy, you never know what he might do.”

While all of that may be confusing to new Lil Yachty listeners, people who have subscribed to his music for a while have grown to appreciate the different styles Lil Yachty can bring. So, if you don’t like his songs that have gone viral, maybe you could find a different style of his that suits you more. 

Don’t get me wrong, his sound variety isn’t the reason I think he’s underrated. Any artist can find two different ways to make music. Drake, for example, has songs that are more upbeat and use higher-pitched vocals but also has aggressive rap songs with vulgar lyrics. 

What’s the advice they give for relationships again? Oh yeah! It’s the personality that matters, not appearance. 

I believe this should be applied to musical artists as well. I have grown to love Lil Yachty’s goofy, energetic, and happy personality, but that’s not what a lot of people know him for. A lot of times, they know him for his signature bright red braided hair. Some people don’t like his appearance and will count him out solely based on that. 

But, just like relationships, there’s more than what meets the eye. Before gaining fame in 2016, Miles McCollum worked at a Mcdonald’s in Atlanta, Ga. One day on his car ride to work his mother jokingly suggested he dye his hair red, and Lil Yachty actually did it. He then continued dying his hair red, possibly trying to show how his life before fame influenced him as a person. He even includes lyrics like, “To the manager at Mcdonalds that fired me I need you to know, we did it,” in songs to show where he started out at.  

Want another reason to like Lil Yachty? He loves pizza! Maybe a little too much. He even went as far as to say in an interview that he eats pizza every single day. “I’ve been doing it for years. Since, like, second grade. I’ll eat pizza every day for my whole life. That’s just my life now.” That quote hasn’t been fact-checked, to my knowledge, but he has created his very own pizza brand since then. He created “Yachty’s Pizzeria” in 2022 so that fans can enjoy the same pizza that he does. 

In my opinion, Lil Yachty is a very lovable guy, and I can understand that his music isn’t for everyone because of his unique voice. But, I highly encourage people to avoid pushing his music away based on viral songs of his that you’ve heard on the radio or because of his appearance. His music touches on such a wide range of emotions that I think he has a song for you, no matter how you’re feeling.