Lil Yachty was met with serious amounts of backlash in 2016 when he admitted he “honestly couldn’t name five songs” by 2Pac or The Notorious B.I.G. during an interview with Billboard.
A few months later, his boat sank deeper when he called both Hip Hop legends “overrated” during Pitchfork’s Under/Over YouTube series. Granted, Yachty wasn’t even born when 2Pac and Biggie were tragically killed in the 1990s, but he still wasn’t given a pass and caught all kinds of hell from Hip Hop purists.
During a recent visit with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Lil Yachty admitted he didn’t mean to upset anyone with his comments.
“I never meant to disrespect,” he said. “I was just being honest. I didn’t have no media training, right? All I knew was to be an honest person. So someone asked me about whether it’s a Hip Hop lesson guide.
“My cousin would be honest. I’m going to tell the truth. I’m not like Biggie, Tupac, you’re going to say this every time, I didn’t listen to them but I didn’t say they were trash.”
But in a new interview with HipHopDX, there’s a sense Lil Yachty didn’t take the whole situation too seriously.
When asked if he studied up on 2Pac and Biggie’s music following the controversy, he replied, “I wouldn’t say study up, but I definitely went back and listened for about … 30 seconds. I’m good. If you’re good at what you’re doing then … art is art. Do you need to study Picasso to learn how to paint? No. If you care then yes, but if not, who cares?”
Lil Yachty’s nonchalant attitude isn’t out of character for the 23-year-old. When he was first called out for not knowing his Hip Hop history, he tweeted, “I’m sorry but I refuse to lie. If I don’t listen to biggie or think he is as big as everybody else why is that a problem lol who cares bro? I speak my mind. I might be the only new age artist speaking his mind.”
Over the last five years, Lil Yachty’s star power has continued to rise. From campaigns with Sprite, Target and Burger King to a role in the ill-fated How High 2, Yachty just continues to land lucrative gigs.
More recently, he teamed up with Charmin for the toilet paper’s “Crap Battles” campaign, which pit Yachty, Lil Dicky and Rico Nasty against each other in a freestyle battle.
Lil Yachty Talks Doing Charmin's 'Crap Battles' With Lil Dicky & Rico Nasty - From His Toilet
After dropping Lil Boat 3 in May 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic had started ravaging the globe, he was forced to stay home like the rest of the music industry. But he’s anxious to get back on the road. Mostly, he says he misses “that energy.”
“It’s like no other when you connect with a crowd,” he says. “And I haven’t toured for two or three years almost, so I am super excited to get back on tour. Definitely.”
These boys love to get naked with each other.
“Who cares bro”…. if not for those guys you wouldnt be able to do what you do. Kids dont respect those who came before them, and you see it in all aspects of life. Bunch of arrogant ass idiots who will soon realize how disrespectful they’re being when the world moves past them. Luckily, hip hop moves past a bunch of these lames. The only time I hear anything Lil Yachty related is on here, nobody checkin for him like they used to.
When someone doesn’t know the difference between honesty and ignorance, this is what you get. He is smart however for knowing he has to keep his “fans” just as dumb as he is to remain relevant.
I never had a problem with this. The ironic thing is that B.I.G. had this infamous interview when he first hit the scene in some obscure magazine shitting on a lot of rappers who had paved the way from him from KRS to west coast artists (reason E-40’s boys pulled his cord in the Bay). It would actually be more disappointing if this guy listened to them and still made this shitty music like a lot of these artists who are Pac or B.I.G. fans.
It’s called being competitive. If you’re into something you should want to know why someone is considered the GOAT even if you’re doing things your own way. Problem is no one cares about the art of music anymore they’re just chasing a check.
I would love to know how he got his shot. Guys music is ass. Hes a fun loving dude but so is anybody with some money. Does he produce? If not then it’s nepotism
Insult: Your music is trash, yachty.
His reply: At least I’m rich.
Everyone else: Take that away and what are you? Lol What talents are left? What philosophy are you going to present without money?
That’s what I thought.
I listened to lil boat for about 30 seconds and I cut it off. Itbwas trash. Too much singing and mumbling, hardly any rapping.
I don’t think I ever listened to a complete lil boat song,but listened to every Big and pac song!!
No, it’s totally fair. I couldn’t name one song by this dude.
There are tons of people living today that actually lived in that era that may have not cared for that music. Let the man live
he must be trolling.
Lil boat , the difference between you , pac, and biggie. They made TIMELESS music
YOU MADE music that lasted half a month . YOUR MUSIC has no value or substance to stand the times of the world .
He needs to brush up on his history of rap the problem with this new lot no respect for the people who paved the way for them working hard to get less than what these wank rappers get for releasing absolutely awful music
Actually as someone who studied art and did art history yes, as with most of the arts, people study who came before them. The work of the past informs the present.
Whether he likes it or not they have informed his work because nothing exists in a void.
Maybe if he did study more his music wouldn’t be so trash.
I mean its only clickbait rap, it’s not really anything to do with the music anyway. He says shit for attention, people stream his music to see how trash he is and laugh, he gets those streaming pennies. Clickbait rap.
Yes, i have a art education as well. I think he couldn`t have picked a worse comparison then Pablo Picasso. But you never know what other music he has “studied”. I think he makes good music. Not saying i listen to him because it doesn`t really move me. But Music (not just rap) has alot more greats then Pac and Big if you look at the bigger picture. Everybody doesn`t like Munch`s, Matisse`s or Rembrandt`s stuff. I think you`re being very arrogant.
He immediately became jealous…
Lame
If he actually listened to pac and biggie, he’d realize why his music fucking sucks and would become a better artist. If you suck at something, you take notes from people doing it better to improve yourself
He probably peed his panties when he heard that real sh*t!
But why would a pop musician listen to Pac? I bet Redman doesn’t listen to Bryan Adams either.
No Bryan Adams slander will be tolerated. Have you not heard Everything I Do ???????
Dude looks like a human fart.
Sam Cooke died 20 some odd years before I was born so he is wack to me.
I can’t even name one of lil boats songs