Rap Radar returns with another captivating episode, this time with Lil Yachty in the hot seat. It was just about a month ago when Yachty released his acclaimed album Let's Start Here, a project that was sonically different from his more recent releases. He was praised by his peers, including Drake and Questlove, but comments the rapper made during a listening party sparked a debate online.
“This album is so special and dear to me,” said Yachty at the time. “I think I created it just because I really wanted to be taken serious as an artist, you know. Not just some SoundCloud rapper, not some mumble rapper. Not some guy that just made one hit. You know, I wanted to be really taken serious because music is, like, everything to me. You know, I respect all walks of music, not just Rap and Hip Hop. Everything."
Lil Yachty Clears The Air
Soon, people called him out for allegedly suggesting that Rap, in its form and genre, wasn't "serious." However, in an exclusive clip of his interview shared with us by Rap Radar and Interval Presents, Yachty clarified his previous statement. "I wanna talk about that for a second, 'cause there was this conversation on the internet after I said that. And people took it as me trying to say like, 'Oh, I hate when rappers say I wanna be taken seriously as an artist.' As if I was saying that, like, Rap isn't being—you're not serious if you're a rapper. That's not what I meant."
"I mean, specifically, I do more than rap," he continued. "For a long time in my career, I wanted to be taken seriously as a rapper. And I said that. And I would go and try and do radio interviews, freestyles, whatever, just 'cause I wanted that. I did Michigan Boy Boat, I did things. That's when I was trying to prove I'm a rapper. But I'm past that. Now, I'm proving I'm an artist."
Yachty Speaks On Audiences Not Doing Their Due Diligence
"But people—it's so crazy. In music, you can do so many things, but people skip—people don't follow you," Yachty further stated. "They have no clue of a history. So, when they do start following you, they just completely write off whatever you've done beforehand. And no one actually does homework or cares enough to look back. It's just what they see."
"It be irritating, but I never wrote off being a rapper as not being taken serious or not being as big as other genre musicians or any of that. I just specifically, myself, not speaking on no one else or the genre, wanted to be taken seriously as an artist." Tune in to the full episode of Rap Radar with Lil Yachty tomorrow, February 23.