Lil Yachty has been a controversial figure since he emerged on the rap scene with 2015’s “One Night.” He seemed to constantly say the wrong thing at the wrong time, with that wrong thing often finding the wrong audience. This honest, off-the-cuff approach has kept him in the news and at the center of various discussions over the years.
Whether or not Yachty is just an outspoken renegade with controversial opinions is not really the point. The Atlanta-bred rapper often says shit that gets people very, very mad at him. For a very smart dude, Yachty is constantly spraying shit off of his shoe; or, rather, he should be cleaning up his Nautica boots, but instead digs in a little deeper. He’s a classic heel, and as much as people love to bicker with him online, there’s love in there somewhere. I love Yachty. He’s one of the most thoughtful figures in rap, and I think he knows it, too. His opinions come from a genuine place, and he’s always willing to use his platform to explore and upend traditionally held beliefs.
The latest dust ups—we’ll get to those soon—have led to Yachty declaring that he was quitting the internet. During a live last week, he said, “I’m not doing no more talking. I don’t got shit else to say. I’m gone off this internet shit. I think I’m gone for the rest of the year.”
Time will only tell how true this is. In the meantime, here is a brief list of all the times Lil Yachty has pissed off some segment of the music-enjoying community since his meteoric rise.
Atlanta fashion vs. Bronx fashion
We might as well start with the statement that made this story worth doing in the first place. Back on July 24, Yachty hosted rising New York rapper Cash Cobain on an episode of his podcast, A Safe Place. Just because you call something a safe place, doesn’t mean it is. Things got out of hand quickly.
"I feel like New York didn't have this, like...I don't want to say identity,” Yachty said, before adding: “Y'all are so clearly separated now. As far as like, everyone used to just kinda copy Atlanta."
Cash was confused, but allowed Yachty to continue.. Yachty added, "As far as style goes, I don't think it's shit going on when it comes to New York fashion. Y'all like Purple Label, Amiri...and y'all wear a lot of y'all homeboy's brands. Y'all wear all y'all's homie's shit. I know, we can tell."
Not only did Yachty anger New York rappers like A$AP Ant, who accused Yachty of jacking his style, Juelz Santana, and Fivio Foreign, but regular old X users were equally perplexed.
“Hip-Hop is in a terrible place” comments
Last year, Yachty found himself in water again when he released his psych-rock opus Let’s Start Here and used the rollout to state very harsh views on the state of rap. Look, I love a lot of Yachty’s rap music. I love his taste. I think his decision to rep Detroit is an awesome one. I don’t love when he shat all over the industry and genre that made him a star.
During his conversation at Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians event in Brooklyn back in November, Yachty talked about the lack of risks in rap music.
“Hip-hop is in a terrible place,” Yachty said to co-host Tierra Whack. “The state of hip-hop right now is a lot of imitation. It’s a lot of quick, low-quality music being put out.“
He added: “It’s a lot less risk-taking, it’s a lot less originality…People are too safe now. Everyone is so safe. I rather take the risk than take the L.”
Yachty again addressed the controversy on his podcast, noting that the numbers on the charts back up his statement. “Up until about a year ago (or two), and it fell in the rankings from being number one. I believe [now] it’s Latin music or country.”
He has a valid point, and seemed genuinely curious about helping hip-hop reemerge as a power player. Could he have stated his point more eloquently? Certainly. Is he right in saying that dudes still listening to Nas’ greatest hits on repeat aren’t the ones who should be speaking on the current state of hip-hop? Also certainly.
Working with Ian
The richest part of Yachty criticizing the state of rap music was that, less than a year later, he hit the studio with Ian, one of the more controversial rappers to gain attention in 2024. As an artist, Ian is heavily indebted to stars like Playboi Carti and it’s unclear how serious he really is, when you account for all the factors. If Yachty was looking for originality, Ian seemed like an…interesting choice.
In May, since-deleted videos of Yachty in the studio with Ian making their track “Hate Me” made waves, and led to plenty of commenters pointing out the hypocrisy of Yachty’s past comments about hip-hop.
Lyrics about Billie Eilish and Addison Rae
Yachty has had a habit of writing lyrics about artists with super protective fan bases. On “Another Late Night,” from Drake’s For All The Dogs, Yachty raps: “I let her go, she fine as hell but baby wasn't stylish/ She had big tits like Billie Eilish but she couldn't sing.” In an IG dump, Eilish included a screengrab of the lyrics, a moment that drew defense from so many of her fans that the moment made its way into a Variety profile.
Eilish put some water on the flames. She said: “I think it’s fun!,” she said in the interview. “I’m flattered! Yachty is my friend. Drake is my friend. It’s a joke. I do have big tits. I love it.”
Before that, on DJ Scheme’s 2020 track “E-ER,” Yachty name-dropped Addison Rae, which brought the ire of her millions of fans. Yachty rapped: “I want Addison Rae to become my doctor and check on my privates/ Put her in a skirt and a scarf like a pilot/ He didn't make it past the first clip like a pilot.” The bar caused such a stir that it became a talking point in paparazzi circles, with celebrities like Dixie D’Amelio being tasked with defending Rae.
Yachty’s comments about Biggie, Tupac… and now Jay-Z
Yachty always gins up controversy when he interacts with rap traditionalists, or offers up his opinions on unimpeachable legends of the game. The trouble first began in 2016 when Lil Boat was interviewed by Billboard and was asked about his opinion on some of rap music’s GOATs. Regarding The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac Lil Yachty said, “‘My whole vibe is different’ from other rappers.” This is an understatement coming from a boat-obsessed, straight-edge 19-year-old from the ‘burbs who admits that he ‘honestly couldn’t name five songs’ by hip-hop heroes Tupac and Biggie. ‘But if I’m doing this my way and making all this money’ he reasonably inquires, ‘why should I do it how everybody says it’s supposed to be done?’”
Five years later, when Yachty was doing promo for Michigan Boy Boat with Zane Lowe, he revealed the trouble these comments caused. “Rap is opinionated, everything is opinionated…I was so young. I was like 19, 18,” he said. “I had never been hated like that. People hated me after that, like death threats. I think that’s what really started that hate for me. So many people were just automatically trying to dump me like, ‘He’s wack, he’s corny’ or whatever the case may be.”
During another 2021 interview, this time with HipHopDX, Yachty didn’t do much to support his cause. Yachty was asked if he went back and listened to 2Pac and Biggie’s music following the 2016 drama.
“I wouldn’t say study up, but I definitely went back and listened for about 30 seconds,” Yachty admitted. “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?”
Yachty never really learned his lesson, though, because late last month, he stopped by the Flagrant podcast and shared his dream list of collaborators. Jay-Z, notably, wasn’t on the list; not because Yachty doesn’t like his music, but because he hasn’t heard it. “I listened to The Black Album for the first time like three days ago,”He said. “And then I listened to Reasonable Doubt. Aaaand—I think that the Reasonable Doubt album was better in my opinion. He’s an insane lyricist. I’m not a big fan of the live production—that type, that sound.”
He continued: “But I think he’s sick. I think the shit he talks about is like shit most people never actually get to experience in life.”
Yachty vs. oldheads
Noted oldhead Ebro Darden went after Yachty way back in 2016 when the radio host felt threatened by the rapper’s pending reign. Their spat took an ugly turn during a June episode of Hot 97 when Ebro dissed him on air, not feigning interest in his bars. A month later, Yachty shared Summer Songs 2, which featured a track called "For Hot 97." Yachty claimed the track was a way for him to showcase he could really rap, but shockingly enough, Ebro took it as a personal affront. "Another high school ass rapper is offended," he began, and proceeded to lay into Yachty for the track. "Get your bars up. I ain't here to be your friend," he said.
A year later, Joe Budden took note of all the attention Ebro got by taking a shot at Yachty and decided to take a swing himself. Budden spoke about the rapper on the former Complex show Everyday Struggle, and said, “I don’t think Yachty is hip-hop. I don’t think Yachty’s label is hip-hop, and when you’re not hip-hop and you’re trying to just troll or exploit, you get things like this album cover, which is to draw attention to music that’s not drawing attention.” If that comment wasn’t cringy enough, he also said that Yachty was “ruining the culture.”
About a month later, Yachty appeared on Everyday Struggle for a standoff that was at times tense but represented the generational standoff building. Yachty represented himself well, while Budden was seen as being unnecessarily aggressive. Even after all of these years, this conversation is probably the best encapsulation of Yachty and the many beefs he’s had over the years.