Lil Yachty and James Blake are one of the most fascinating collaborations in recent memory. The rapper and electronic balladeer couldn’t be further apart, and yet, they’ve found a way to make their disparate sounds for an entire album. Bad Cameo, their debut release as a duo, is out June 28. They’ve been doing lots of promotion in the lead up to its release. That being said, the most surprising anecdote they’ve said thus far has to be their shared fascination with Young Thug.
Lil Yachty and Blake were asked about their wildest studio experiences during an appearance on the Safe Space Podcast. Incredibly, both artists picked sessions with Young Thug as their answer. “Probably Young Thug, during COVID,” Blake quipped. Lil Yachty instantly co-signed his collaborator. “I was just about to say the same thing,” he claimed. “Young Thug, for me, was definitely the craziest session ever.” What makes their shared answer so interesting is that Lil Boat and Blake recorded with Thugger during completely different times.
Lil Yachty Was Fascinated By Thugger's Musical Process
Lil Yachty elaborated on Young Thug’s unorthodox process. “It’s 60 people in a room, the mic’s in the room, he’s recording in the room,” he explained. “No one stops talking, it’s weed smoke, there’s nowhere to sit, the lights are low.” James Blake confirmed that he was brought into a similarly packed situation. The singer/producer did assert that Thug was very professional in terms of work ethic, however. He told the Safe Space host that the YSL boss was “very supportive” and focused when it came time to lay down vocals.
James Blake and Young Thug have only collaborated on one song, “Kisses Make Sure.” The former claimed that he worked with Thugger during COVID, however, so it remains to be seen whether they have more songs in the vault. Lil Yachty and Young Thug, meanwhile, have multiple collabs dating back to 2016. The two rappers are so close, in fact, that Yachty scrapped an entire album on Thug’s advice. “One time I played [Lil Boat 3] for Young Thug,” he told Pheno Bars in 2023. “He said it was dog sh*t, so I just started over.” It’s this brutal honesty that has led Lil Yachty to dub Thugger one of the “greatest” of his generation. Here’s hoping more collabs are around the corner.