lil yachty album first week sales

Lil Yachty's First Week Sales Projections For "Let's Start Here"

Lil Yachty just made a massive cultural splash with his latest album, Let's Start Here . Moreover, the psych-rock album turned heads for Yachty's diversion into a different genre for a whole project. Still, predictions for its first week chart performance indicate a modest start with a lot of potential for growth.

Furthermore, reports predict that Let's Start Here will push anywhere from 19,000 to 24,000 copies in its first week. Of course, these copies are album equivalent units taking into account streaming, physical sales, and more. However, some may consider these numbers underwhelming. After all, Yachty's last studio release Lil Boat 3 sold around 30,000 copies in its first week.

Still, numbers don't show just how awe-inspiring, thoughtful, and creative Let's Start Here is. Overall, the album is a hazy but vibrant exploration of mental isolation, love, idiosyncrasy, and finding yourself in a world full of feedback static. While Yachty's vocal performance is odd in the traditional sense, his animated and hazy voice fit well on the trippy instrumentation. Many already made their jokes on Twitter: Purple Floyd, The Wock Side Of The Moon, the whole nine yards.

Moreover, the team behind Let's Start Here shows how deeply Yachty rooted himself in all kinds of music over the years. For example, the album features Fousheé, Daniel Caesar, Teezo Touchdown, Diana Gordon, and Justine Skye. Also, it includes producers, collaborators, and band members including (and related to) Yves Tumor, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Magdalena Bay, MGMT, Alex G, and Mac DeMarco. While the Atlanta native certainly deserves all the praise he's getting, let's not forget he didn't do it alone.

Also, Lil Yachty recently spoke on what this album means to him at a listening event.

“This album is so special and dear to me,” he remarked presumably before the album played. “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. 

“So I think I wanted to make something to show the world just how great it was to me,” Yachty continued. “If we just gonna be honest, I mean, I had n***as that were copying the swag. I just felt like ‘Okay, cool, everyone can do this, that’s fine, but I’m gonna show y’all what y’all can’t do.’ You feel me? That’s what’s on this other side. I hope y’all are good, I hope everybody got the shrooms in your body. You feel me? Like I said, just no flashes, and… see you n***as on the other side.”

Still, what did you think of Lil Yachty's first week sales projections for his new album, Let's Start Here ? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, come back to HNHH for the latest album drops, numbers discussions, and more amazing music.

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Lil Yachty Pens Letter in Response to First Week Album Sales

Yachty wrote a long letter to his fans after finding out what the first week sales figures for 'Teenage Emotions' were.

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"I understand first week numbers didn't do what most people expected but that's only because they don't understand me," Lil Yachty wrote on Instagram today, in a long letter to his fans. "They don't understand us. I don't expect anybody to."

Debuting at number five on the Billboard album charts this week, moving 46,000 units, Yachty seemed to express some disappointment in the reception of his debut album, Teenage Emotions . But he stressed that he didn't make it for the critics or huge numbers. He made it for his fans.

"I didn't make this 21 project for the old reviews and bloggers," he wrote. "I made it for real Lil Yachty fans who have been dying for new music from me... That's why I put so many songs.. That's why it's mostly just me. Because it's from me to you."

For months, he's been vocal about thinking of himself as a brand first , and explained that his brand became bigger than the music itself—which led to the underwhelming sales figures.

"I feel like my brand is so big and blew up so big, it blew up bigger than my actual music," he said. "Which isn't the worst situation it could be worse all I have to is make it to where my brand hype and music hype equal out."

Throughout the letter, he expressed his love for his fans and repeatedly thanked them for their support. Then, he said he's already back in the studio working on his next EP and focusing on his tour.

Read the full letter below.

"Message to all my fans. I just want to thank you for giving me your all. Supporting me and backing me up when I'm not around but am always in spirit. I didn't make this 21 project for the old reviews and bloggers. I made it for real Lil yachty fans who have been dying for new music from me... that's why I put so many songs.. that's why it's mostly just me. Because it's from me to you. I understand first week numbers didn't do what most people expected but that's only because they don't understand me. They don't understand us. I don't expect anybody to. I make it for those who listen. I feel like my brand is so big and blew up so big, it blew up bigger than my actual music. Which isn't the worst situation it could be worse all I have to is make it to where my brand hype and music hype equal out.. I am back in the studio. Working on my next ep. I know what you guys (my fans) liked about the project and didn't like.. I'm putting that into consideration. It is now time to focus on my tour. Teenage Tour. Which is going to be fucking lit. A fucking experience to the young youth ready to lose there minds!!!!!!!! With this being my last few months of being a teenager I am just living with no regrets having fun and enjoying life. And that's what I did with this album. I'm glad I made it and I personally love it. Think it's awesome. I need to see everybody at the local date on the teenage tour singing there heart out. I need to meet y'all at the meeting greets and I need to know y'all' favorite song and why. Videos coming soon. To my fans. I appreciate you for riding this journey with me. I love you guys always and forever. Fuck the outsiders.. do you. See you on tour."

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Lil Yachty’s Great Gig in the Sky

Since the release of his Lil Boat mixtape in 2016, Lil Yachty has cultivated a peculiar rap career that has benefited from versatile musical interests. The Atlanta rapper, singer, and producer’s early work juggled booming southern trap drums, gauzy synths, unclearable samples , and melodic sensibilities on loan from children’s television. Shifting listlessly between disaffected snark and sweet repose, the best songs answered the question of what Brian Wilson’s teenage symphonies might’ve sounded like if he’d grown up hanging around the Migos. On future projects, Yachty leaned into the gruff anthems of his labelmates on Atlanta’s Quality Control Music, toughening up on 2018’s Lil Boat 2 in some of the ways Drake did on Scorpion the same year, this after dividing critics and listeners with the synthpop and reggae excursions on Yachty’s 2017 debut studio album Teenage Emotions .

Restlessness saves his catalog from the pedestrian work of peers chasing the sound of a beloved early mixtape. Lil Yachty is always up to something , quietly penning an undisclosed piece of the City Girls smash “Act Up,” or producing a chunk of Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss , or logging an unlikely chart hit about sneaking promethazine through customs . He’s a lightning rod for guys who see a new wave of absurdists and crooners as a displacement of rap traditionalism (rather than a continuation of a detailed history within it); he knows what the fans are into and where they’re getting into it online, so accusations about his music ruining hip-hop are complicated by every unforeseen success. The work varies greatly in style as well as quality, but being difficult to pin down also buys him freedom to make unusual plays.

Let’s Start Here , his fifth album and first full-length excursion into psychedelic rock, didn’t spawn entirely from nowhere, and not just because it sprung a leak under the name Sonic Beach a few weeks back. His appearance on a remix for Tame Impala’s Slow Rush jam “Breathe Deeper” hits a few of the markers the new album visits: the taste for psychotropic drugs and the interaction between the shimmering sound achieved by an elaborate pedal board and raps that feel both lightly thought through and also spirited and spontaneous. The first song, “The Black Seminole,” outlines the project’s guiding ethos, from its burbling, delay-drenched analog-synthesizer sound to the trippy changes and show-stopping vocal performance by “Bad Habit” co-writer Diana Gordon — all of which amount to an attempt to jam every idea housed in Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon into a single seven-minute performance. Bolstered by memorable spots from Gordon (who gives the Clare Torry screams in “Failure” and “Seminole” her all), Fousheé (whose softCORE album served rockers like “Die” and “Bored” that share Yachty’s love of walls of noise), and Justine Skye, the new album makes more space for women in its love songs than most rappers percolating on the charts tend to care to now. (Note also the presence of one Daystar Peterson in the credits as a co-writer on “Paint the Sky.”)

Let’s Start Here journeys back in time and out to space and sometimes up its own ass. It’s a drug odyssey that delightfully defies expectations whenever it’s not overindulging, taking its adulation for its influences from pastiche to parody, pushing its sound from psych to cacophony. Much will be made of Kevin Parker’s impact here, because Tame is also a project about savvily jumbling ideas from other eras and getting synthesizers to feel as delicately enveloping as puffs of smoke. It’s also an oversimplification of the scope of Let’s Start Here to call it Lil Yachty’s Tame album. Patrick Wimberly co-produced every song, and the snap of the drum sound and the flair for gooey horn accompaniment are assets Chairlift — Wimberly’s former group with Caroline Polachek and Aaron Pfenning — used to employ. U.K. producer Jam City and Yves Tumor collaborator Justin Raisen sat in on a lot of these, too; the maximalist sonics and the mix of love songs and acid-addled horror here are both a result of its pick of personnel and an authentic re-creation of the wild fluctuations of a lurid trip.

Its intriguing bio- and band chemistry are Let’s Start Here ’s gift and curse. “Running Out of Time” kicks off with drums that feel like Thundercat’s “Them Changes” (which, in turn, feels like Paul McCartney’s “Arrow Through Me”) and a bubbly bass line evoking “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. Pushing through to a gorgeous bridge, matching vocals with Skye, Yachty pokes out from under the shadow of his forebears and delivers one of the finest bits of music he’s ever made. The blissed out “The Ride” plants the Texas rapper Teezo Touchdown into a wobbly groove that could’ve fit into last year’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs album. It feels like both songs could collapse at any moment, hanging a sharp turn into an unflattering section wrecking the momentum they built. Equally prone to swift tense shifts and long detours, Let’s Start Here meanders a great deal between highlights, raining sheets of sound that soak and weigh down the delicate grooves it’s trying to build. “Paint the Sky” sounds like a radio hit dropped into a flooded pit cave. These songs sink or swim on Lil Yachty’s ability to steady himself amid a maelstrom of phase-shifted guitars, delay-kissed drums, and synths shrouded in reverb. He’s a good study and a great hook man, but the novelty of some of his experiments wear off as ideas repeat and choruses get smothered. The less they tinker, the better.

Restraint guides Let’s Start Here to a few of its most sublime moments. “Pretty” will draw comparisons to Childish Gambino’s Awaken My Love! and the hit slow jam “Redbone,” but the drum programming recalls the stuff Prince did with the LinnDrum and the vocal performances feel inspired by cloud rap, a sensibility teased out in a cocky, carefree verse by Fousheé . “Say Something” strikes gold coolly poking around the pillowy synth pads and echoing drums of ’80s pop in the same way recent albums from the Weeknd picked up where Daft Punk left off in marrying dueling interests in 20th- and 21st-century popular music. “Pretty” and “Say Something” keep things relatively simple, stacking a few complementary ideas on top of each other and allowing space to breathe. (Other producers might abuse the clav hits in the latter for the old-school feel they bring, but this group lets them drift in and out of frame, recalling the minimalist trap lullabies on the back end of Lil Boat .) The noisier and less structurally sturdy cuts that surround them feel like the jams a band works through on the way to more refined compositions, before taking them on the road where they grow new layers of sound and significance. Let’s Start Here begs to be untangled in a live setting the way artists drawn to the tactile and communal experience of music tend to, allowed to drift over warm air, playing during the sunny days and reckless nights it describes.

Maybe this album is the new beginning its title implies, a first step toward tighter songcraft on the horizon, and maybe Yachty will pop back up in six to 18 months’ time on some different shit entirely, as is often his tendency. The new record finds him sniffing around the same intersections of pop, rock, psych, and soul as “Bad Habit” or Frank Ocean’s “Pretty Sweet,” sacrificing the brevity of his hits for a purposeful sensory overload, which sometimes works in his favor but sometimes encumbers tracks that ought to seem weightless. It is important for young artists to get the space to grow and change and eat mushrooms and make weird but enthusiastic indie-rock music.

Let’s Start Here fits into a long tradition of pleasant curveballs from rappers, unheralded classics like Q-Tip’s Kamaal the Abstract, side projects like the Beastie Boys and Suicidal Tendencies offshoot BS2000 , imperfect genre excursions like Kid Cudi’s WZRD , and effortless R&B pivots like Tyler, the Creator’s Igor . Yachty is stumbling down well-trod pathways, learning lessons imparted on generation after generation of listeners ever since Pink Floyd’s international breakthrough 50 years ago and taking metaphysical journeys endeavored since humans first discovered fungi and plants that made them see sounds and smell colors. The sharpest songs here could go toe-to-toe with the best in the artist’s back catalog, and the worst ones sound like excitable demos for various guitar pedals. Let’s Start Here isn’t Lil Yachty’s greatest work, but it goes over better than the pitch — “Poland” guy does shrooms and jams on instruments — implied it might. And if shoegaze-adjacent rockers like “I’ve Officially Lost Vision” and sound experiments like the one at the end of “We Saw the Sun” drone-pill even a fraction of the audience, it was all worth it.

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Lil Yachty Addresses First-Week Album Sales

Lil Yachty has the No. 5 album in the country with his debut Teenage Emotions , but the Atlanta rapper says he underperformed expectations.

In a statement to fans, the “Bring It Back” rapper addressed his sales and explained why he believed they weren’t as high as many projected.

“I understand first week numbers didn’t do what most people expected but that’s only because they don’t understand me,” he wrote. “They don’t understand us. I don’t expect anybody to. I make it for those who listen. I feel like my brand is so big and blew up so big, it blew up bigger than my actual music. Which isn’t the worst situation it could be worse all I have to is make it to where my brand hype and music hype equal out.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU90OwdDUFE/

With that goal in mind, Lil Boat said he is rolling up his sleeves and starting a new project. “I am back in the studio. Working on my next ep,” he added. “I know what you guys (my fans) liked about the project and didn’t like.. I’m putting that into consideration.”

Despite the sales figures, Lil Yachty said he’s excited about the album he’s created. “With this being my last few months of being a teenager I am just living with no regrets having fun and enjoying life,” he wrote. “And that’s what I did with this album. I’m glad I made it and I personally love it. Think it’s awesome.”

Teenage Emotions debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, selling 46,000 equivalent album units. The project was outperformed by Bryson Tiller’s True to Self , Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. , The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band , and Drake’s More Life .

Up next, Lil Yachty is embarking on the “Teenage Tour,” which is set to run from Aug. 11 through Oct. 20. “It is now time to focus on my tour,” he wrote in his message to fans. “Which is going to be fucking lit. A fucking experience to the young youth ready to lose there minds!!!!!!!!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUcb4f3jg9W/

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UPDATE : The final numbers for last week’s releases are in. Yachty debuted at #14, selling 34,164 copies of his album first week with 3,722 coming from pure sales.

At #15 is Freddie Gibbs who sold 31,290 copies of Alfredo , 20,524 from pure sales.

Just behind is G Herbo who sold 28,313 of PTSD after putting out the deluxe version. He sits at #16.

Killer Mike and El-P weren’t originally supposed to put out RTJ 4 last week but they decided to release the album on Wednesday instead of today. Even in just two days, they managed to sell 34,609 copies first week, debuting at #12.

Previous story:

In the middle of chaos gripping America following death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a few albums released this past Friday.

Music releasing in these times is always tricky as some believe it’s a relief from the mayhem while others says artists should “read the room” and withhold the drops. Lil Yachty released the third and final installment on his Lil Boat series with guest appearances from Drake, DaBaby, Young Thug, Tyler, The Creator, Lil Durk, Future. HDD projects that the album will move 35-45k copies in the first week with about 4-6k coming from pure sales.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAtKUAWj1wc/

G Herbo shared the deluxe edition of his PTSD album as well, adding as many as 14 tracks to the original and features from the likes of Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Durk. The album is currently expected to move 24-27k copies in the first week.

Lady Gaga’s new album Chromatica will have an easy way to the number 1 spot this week with total activity projected at 265-285k (205-220k pure sales).

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Lil Yachty Addresses ‘Teenage Emotions’ First-Week Sales in Emotional Message to Fans

"I didn't make this 21 project for the old reviews and bloggers. I made it for real Lil yachty fans who have been dying for new music from me," he writes in an Instagram post.

By Adelle Platon

Adelle Platon

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After Lil Yachty ‘s debut  Teenage Emotions entered the Billboard 200  at No. 5 with 46,000 units, the Atlanta rapper took to Instagram on Monday (June 5) to share a personal message to his fans and shake off both the criticism and expectations. 

See latest videos, charts and news

“Message to all my fans. I just want to thank you for giving me your all. Supporting me and backing me up when I’m not around but am always in spirit,” he began. “I didn’t make this 21 project for the old reviews and bloggers. I made it for real Lil yachty fans who have been dying for new music from me… that’s why I put so many songs.. that’s why it’s mostly just me. Because it’s from me to you.”

Team Behind Hï & Ushuaïa to Open Ibiza 'Hyperclub' -- But What Does That Mean & What Does Will…

Lil Boat — whose previously released mixtapes Lil’ Boat  and  Summer Songs 2 charted in 2016 — continued, “I understand first week numbers didn’t do what most people expected but that’s only because they don’t understand me. They don’t understand us. I don’t expect anybody to. I make it for those who listen. I feel like my brand is so big and blew up so big, it blew up bigger than my actual music.”

Trending on Billboard

  Message to all my fans. I just want to thank you for giving me your all. Supporting me and backing me up when I’m not around but am always in spirit. I didn’t make this 21 project for the old reviews and bloggers. I made it for real Lil yachty fans who have been dying for new music from me… that’s why I put so many songs.. that’s why it’s mostly just me. Because it’s from me to you. I understand first week numbers didn’t do what most people expected but that’s only because they don’t understand me. They don’t understand us. I don’t expect anybody to. I make it for those who listen. I feel like my brand is so big and blew up so big, it blew up bigger than my actual music. Which isn’t the worst situation it could be worse all I have to is make it to where my brand hype and music hype equal out.. I am back in the studio. Working on my next ep. I know what you guys (my fans) liked about the project and didn’t like.. I’m putting that into consideration. It is now time to focus on my tour. Teenage Tour. Which is going to be fucking lit. A fucking experience to the young youth ready to lose there minds!!!!!!!! With this being my last few months of being a teenager I am just living with no regrets having fun and enjoying life. And that’s what I did with this album. I’m glad I made it and I personally love it. Think it’s awesome. I need to see everybody at the local date on the teenage tour singing there heart out. I need to meet y’all at the meeting greets and I need to know y’all’ favorite song and why. Videos coming soon. To my fans. I appreciate you for riding this journey with me. I love you guys always and forever. Fuck the outsiders.. do you. See you on tour. ?? A post shared by KING BOAT #fortheyouth (@lilyachty) on Jun 5, 2017 at 10:14am PDT

The “Peek a Boo” rapper also said he is grinding in the studio for an upcoming EP and promised more videos plus a “f—ing lit” tour. Keeping it on-brand, he signed off with a positive message to his supporters. “With this being my last few months of being a teenager I am just living with no regrets having fun and enjoying life. And that’s what I did with this album. I’m glad I made it and I personally love it,” he added. “To my fans. I appreciate you for riding this journey with me. I love you guys always and forever. F–k the outsiders.. do you. See you on tour. ??”

The Teenage tour kicks off in Dallas on Aug. 11 and wraps in his native ATL on Oct. 20. 

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July 1, 2024

When James Blake and Lil Yachty debuted as divisive wunderkinds, they earned feverish acclaim—and controversy—for the way they blurred the lines etched by their predecessors. Blake stormed dubstep’s dancefloor and rendered it a dusty confessional booth; Yachty looked at the hip-hop landscape he inherited, cursed its gods , and spent the beginning of his career at war with a generation. Not everything has changed: They’re still divisive, and they’re still doggedly trying new things. But they aren’t upstarts anymore; nor are their disruptive ideas breaking boundaries so much as reinforcing them. (So long, saxophones , and so long, rap .) A pair that once embodied youthful iconoclasm now often seem to see only as far as their next grievance. More and more, they sound like the gatekeepers who didn’t believe in them years ago.

Thus the defensive crossover spectacle of Bad Cameo , their new joint album. Few things announce themselves louder than a tag-team LP by a polarizing producer and an equally polarizing rapper-turned-rocker. But instead of provoking, this record largely takes the low-key road, like a terse postscript to a more transgressive past. It’s dreamy and occasionally danceable, steely electronica rubbing shoulders with a sharp, stadium-ready take on Yachty’s sing-rap sensibilities. The shoulder-rubbing is promising, but at a certain point, when the friction hasn’t progressed any further, the party starts to feel like a corporate lunch: Hey Post-Dubstep, have you met Post-Trap? I’ll leave you two alone to hit it off! Sometimes, they do. More often, Blake and Yachty are cozy in their respective corners, taking turns in the spotlight rather than sharing it. You get the sense that they’re trying to rekindle old magic—the wonders Blake worked with his glitchy soul-searching, the weightlessness Yachty proffered with his pitch-shifted lilts. These elements sound nice next to one another. They’d sound even better if they did more than just coexist.

When Yachty released “ Poland ,” his unlikely 2022 hit single, part of the draw was his quivering, liquid delivery: “It is a really fucking weird song,” Blake told him in a recent sit-down, revealing that it brought him to tears. He’s right to identify the weirdness as jolting—at least enough to channel raw emotion, or inspire it in others. But when they try to accomplish this on Bad Cameo , they sound maddeningly riskless. The title track registers like an attempt to run “Poland” through Blake’s chilly alt-pop processing and produce something equally apt for dorm rooms and sound baths. There’s a repeatable mantra, minimal frills that foreground the vocals, and an air of confession—only now, instead of spiking one another’s worlds, the crossover dilutes their respective strengths. “Did you ever love me?” Yachty begs, in full “Poland” voice, with Blake echoing his prayer in the background. You might recall a similar plea on the 2022 song (“Hope you love me, baby, I hope you mean it”). Where “Poland” producer F1lthy supplied Yachty with a jumpy, trap-infused hotbed, Blake’s canvas is restrictive, limiting the singer to a cramped crying closet both have outgrown. Solemn as it sounds, it’s hard to take very seriously.

Part of Bad Cameo ’s appeal is the promise of a novel palette: lean meeting lemon tea, hip-hop meeting post-dubstep, confessionalism meeting vanity. Sometimes, as on “Twice,” this works beautifully—a staggered four-on-the-floor beat might morph into something airier, a haggard Yachty and wistful Blake taking turns reveling in their respective terrains. Other times, in moments where you’d expect the contrast to unearth rich new flavors, there’s a dulling effect. “Save the Savior,” a crunchy ballad that sounds a bit like a screen-adapted Future therapy session, would absolutely crush in a ritzy, white-walled gallery. Play it a second time, this time with the pair’s capabilities in mind, and it starts feeling like it should go beyond those insular limits. Blake is coming off his most energetic and danceable record to date; Yachty is freshly removed from a risky, compelling—if controversial— psych-rock dispatch . Considering the boundary-breaking instincts each contributor brings to the table, Bad Cameo feels too safe, too familiar, to tell us anything we don’t already know.

The bulk of Bad Cameo ’s novelty arrives, instead, in songcraft. To Blake’s credit, he’s a master of seeing tracks as living things, subject to as much growth and meandering as the masterminds who make them. Familiar as they may feel, the most striking songs on this project keep some powder dry, sprawling into realms far beyond their starting places. Midway through “Midnight,” when Yachty and Blake’s harmonized refrain gives way to a beat switch and the drums fall out from beneath their voices, it sounds like they’re prostrate before something powerful. “Woo” begins with an echoey grand piano over a trap beat, no new addition to the annals of introspective hip-hop. But by the chorus, it seems like it’s all falling apart: The drum pattern sputters, and a sly ghost chord gradually infiltrates Blake’s somber progression, culminating in a single jolt of dissonance. You wish there were more room for such uncompromising mischief.

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• Best Rap Albums

Best Lil Yachty Albums Ranked, Worst to Best

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Lil Yachty, the self-proclaimed “King of the Teens,” has carved a unique lane for himself in the world of hip-hop. With his infectious energy, melodic flows, and vibrant personality, Yachty has become one of the most polarizing figures in the rap game. And what better way to dive into his artistic journey than by exploring his discography?

From the early days of “Lil Boat” to his most recent releases like “Lil Boat 3.5,” Lil Yachty has consistently pushed the boundaries of his sound, creating a catalog that is as diverse as it is experimental. Each album offers a glimpse into his ever-evolving creative mind, showcasing his ability to seamlessly blend elements of trap, pop, and alternative rap.

At the forefront of our Lil Yachty Album: Top 9 List is his debut mixtape, “Lil Boat.” Released in 2016, this project introduced the world to Yachty’s signature style, filled with joyful melodies and youthful exuberance. It was a breakout moment for the young artist, setting the stage for his subsequent releases.

As we journey through his discography, we encounter gems like “Summer Songs 2,” a project that solidified Yachty’s status as a hitmaker. With tracks like “Minnesota” and “Wanna Be Us,” this album showcased his knack for crafting catchy hooks and anthems that resonated with his young fanbase.

Then there’s “Teenage Emotions,” an album that delves deeper into Yachty’s personal experiences and emotions. With tracks like “Better” and “Forever Young,” he explores the complexities of youth and the struggles of growing up in the spotlight.

Moving forward, we have “Lil Boat 2,” a project that sees Yachty embracing a more aggressive and trap-influenced sound. He proves his versatility as an artist while collaborating with heavyweights like Quavo, Offset, and 2 Chainz.

Yachty’s discography also boasts albums like “Nuthin’ 2 Prove,” “Michigan Boy Boat,” and “Let’s Start Here,” each representing different phases in his career and showcasing his growth as an artist.

So let’s get into it. From the early days of “Lil Boat” to the latest offerings like “Lil Boat 3.5,” here are Lil Yachty’ Albums:

9. Lil Boat ( Jul 2016 )

This album, filled with youthful exuberance and catchy melodies, introduced the world to Yachty’s unique style and playful persona. Tracks like “Minnesota” and “One Night” showcased his ability to craft infectious hooks that had fans singing along and hitting that replay button. “Lil Boat” was a breath of fresh air in a genre often dominated by gritty lyricism and aggressive beats. Yachty brought a sense of joy and fun back to hip-hop, with his carefree delivery and whimsical production. While some critics dismissed Yachty’s sound as “mumble rap,” the album’s impact cannot be denied. It opened doors for other artists to explore different sounds and paved the way for a new wave of melodic rap. Though “Lil Boat” may not be a classic in the traditional sense, its cultural significance and influence on the genre cannot be overlooked. It was a defining moment for Lil Yachty and marked the beginning of his meteoric rise in the industry.

8. Summer Songs 2 ( Jul 2016 )

Released in 2016, this project showcases Yachty’s ability to craft catchy hooks and deliver charismatic verses that perfectly embody the carefree spirit of summer. From the bouncy anthem “For Hot 97” to the dreamy vibes of “Life Goes On,” “Summer Songs 2” is a collection of catchy and addictive tracks that will have you bobbing your head and singing along in no time. Yachty’s unique vocal style, characterized by his playful flow and sing-song delivery, shines throughout the project, making every song feel like a party. While “Summer Songs 2” may not have received the same commercial success as some of Yachty’s other projects, it remains a fan favorite and a testament to his ability to create infectious and memorable music. So if you’re looking for a soundtrack to your summer adventures, be sure to add “Summer Songs 2” to your playlist.

7. Teenage Emotions ( May 2017 )

With its vibrant production and playful melodies, Yachty delivered an album that resonated with the experiences and struggles of adolescence. Tracks like “Forever Young” and “In My Feelings” showcased his ability to tap into the universal feelings of love and heartbreak. However, the album faced mixed reviews, with some critics highlighting a lack of lyrical depth and cohesiveness. While “Teenage Emotions” may not have been a commercial or critical triumph, it still served as an important statement of Lil Yachty’s artistry and willingness to explore new sonic territories. This album solidified Yachty’s place as a voice for the youth, blending catchy hooks with relatable lyrics, and reminding us of the complexities of growing up in a fast-paced world.

6. Lil Boat 2 ( Mar 2018 )

As the sequel to his breakout mixtape, “Lil Boat,” this album showcased Yachty’s growth as an artist while staying true to his signature style. With its trap-heavy beats and catchy hooks, “Lil Boat 2” proved that Yachty could hold his own in the rap scene. Tracks like “Boom!” and “66” showcased his ability to ride the beat effortlessly, while “NBAYOUNGBOAT” featuring NBA YoungBoy brought a captivating collaboration that had fans craving more. While some critics argued that the album lacked the depth of Yachty’s earlier work, “Lil Boat 2” solidified his place as a force to be reckoned with in contemporary hip-hop. This project served as a testament to Yachty’s ability to evolve and adapt while maintaining his unique style, further establishing him as an influential figure in the rap game.

5. Nuthin’ 2 Prove ( Oct 2018 )

This album showcases Yachty’s growth as an artist, proving that he’s got the skills to back up the hype. From the infectious beats to the clever wordplay, “Nuthin’ 2 Prove” puts Yachty’s talent on full display. On this project, Yachty collaborates with heavyweights like Cardi B, Offset, and Playboi Carti, adding extra firepower to an already impressive lineup. Tracks like “Who Want the Smoke?” and “Get Dripped” hit hard, combining Yachty’s signature melodic flow with hard-hitting beats that make you want to turn up the volume. But it’s not all about party anthems. Yachty digs deep on tracks like “Forever World” and “Worth It” to reflect on his journey and the challenges he’s overcome. It’s a testament to his growth as an artist and his ability to craft meaningful lyrics. “Nuthin’ 2 Prove” solidifies Lil Yachty’s place in the rap game and cements his status as one of the most exciting artists of his generation. With this album, Yachty proves that he’s got the skills and the staying power to continue making waves in the hip-hop world.

4. Lil Boat 3 ( May 2020 )

With this album, Yachty delivers an electrifying mix of trap beats and melodic flows, showcasing his growth as an artist and his ability to effortlessly ride different waves within the rap game. Lil Boat 3 is a sonic journey that explores Yachty’s confidence, creativity, and versatility. Filled with catchy hooks, infectious melodies, and high-energy bangers, the album boasts a star-studded lineup of features from some of the biggest names in the industry, including Drake, Future, and Young Thug, adding an extra layer of excitement to the project. While Yachty stays true to his signature playful and carefree style, Lil Boat 3 also reveals a more introspective side, with Yachty sharing personal anecdotes and reflecting on his journey in the music industry. Tracks like “Pardon Me” and “Westside” showcase his vulnerability and provide a deeper glimpse into his mindset. Overall, Lil Boat 3 is a testament to Lil Yachty’s evolution as an artist, showcasing his growth and solidifying his place in the rap game. With its infectious beats, catchy hooks, and captivating lyricism, this album is a must-listen for any fan of Lil Yachty and the modern hip-hop scene.

3. Lil Boat 3.5 ( Nov 2020 )

With its groovy beats and catchy hooks, this album showcases Yachty’s growth as an artist while still staying true to his signature sound. The project features a slew of high-profile collaborations, including Future, Lil Baby, and Playboi Carti, adding a dynamic energy to the tracks. Yachty’s clever wordplay and playful delivery shine throughout the album, making it a standout in his discography. From the introspective “Concrete Boys” to the bouncy anthem “Coffin,” Lil Boat 3.5 demonstrates Yachty’s versatility as he effortlessly navigates between introspective storytelling and club-ready bangers. It’s a testament to his ability to evolve within the ever-changing landscape of hip-hop.

2. Michigan Boy Boat ( Apr 2021 )

This album showcased Yachty’s versatility and his love for his home state of Michigan. With a mix of bangers and introspective tracks, he took listeners on a journey through his experiences and the culture he grew up in. Featuring collaborations with fellow Michigan natives like Tee Grizzley, Sada Baby, and Babyface Ray, “Michigan Boy Boat” captured the essence of the state’s rap scene. The production was top-notch, with hard-hitting beats and infectious melodies that kept heads nodding from start to finish. Yachty’s signature melodic flow shined on tracks like “Dynamic Duo” and “SB 2021,” while he flexed his storytelling abilities on introspective cuts like “Royal Rumble” and “Never Did Coke.” This album solidified Yachty’s place as a versatile artist who could hold his own on any type of beat. “Michigan Boy Boat” proved that Lil Yachty was not only a hitmaker but also an artist with depth and substance. With its catchy hooks, impressive features, and personal storytelling, this album was an undeniable banger and a testament to Lil Yachty’s talent and growth as an artist.

1. Let’s Start Here. ( Jan 2023 )

This album is a testament to his growth, both lyrically and sonically. With infectious beats and catchy hooks, Yachty effortlessly navigates through a range of topics, from his rise to fame to personal struggles. Tracks like “the BLACK seminole.” and “drive ME crazy!” resonate with his core fan base. It’s a cohesive project that demonstrates Lil Yachty’s maturation as an artist, while still providing those playful vibes that made him a standout in the first place.

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Mike Will Made-It, Lil Wayne, and Lil Yachty Figure Out if the High Was Worth the Pain in ‘High3r’ Video

By Jon Blistein

Jon Blistein

Lil Wayne , Lil Yachty , and Mikę Will Made-It chart some serious highs and serious lows in the new music video for their recent collaborative single, “High3r.”  

The visual jumps between close-up shots of the three artists performing the song and three different vignettes that play off the themes of “High3r.” In the first, a couple’s euphoric night turns horrific after one too many pills; in the second, a wild joy ride ends with a seemingly inevitable crash; and in the last, a lovelorn pharmacists finds himself on the harrowing end of an armed robbery. 

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Prior to dropping “High3r,” Mike teased the album with a video trailer featuring surveillance footage from the studio that showed all the artists he collaborated with, including Chief Keef, Rich the Kid, Kodak Black, J. Cole, Future, and Lil Baby. 

In between Ransom 2 and R3SET , Mike Will dropped a handful of collaborative albums, including records with Yo Gotti (2017’s Gotti Made-It ), Trouble (2018’s Edgewood ), and Chief Keef (this year’s Dirty Nachos ). He also helmed the stacked soundtrack for 2018’s Creed II .

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Lil Yachty Continues His Run with "Sorry Not Sorry" Featuring Veeze

Following up “let’s get on dey ass” and “hate me.”.

The past month has seen another consistent compilation of solo releases from Lil Yachty . After he dropped off “Let’s Get on Dey Ass” in mid-July, Boat followed it up with “Hate Me” and today, he reminded us that he isn’t done with the run quiet yet, now unleashing “Sorry Not Sorry.”

Featuring Veeze , the just-over two-minute track came as a surprise when Veeze revealed its imminent release a few hours prior.  “sorry not sorry – me & twin out now,” Yachty wrote on Instagram; Boat also appears on Jean Dawson ‘s “Die For Me” this week.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Keep Dreaming (@veezeworst)

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Lil Yachty's Label Concrete Boyz set to release their first collaboration project 'It's Us Volume 1' this April

A ccording to NFR Podcast, Lil Yachty's record label, Concrete Boys (also known as Concrete Boyz), is set to release their first collaboration project titled It's Us: Volume 1 on all streaming platforms this April.

NFR's official X account posted on March 25, confirming the release date of the Concrete Boyz project as April 5, 2024. The post also revealed the featured artists, including Lil Yachty, Karrahbooo, Draft Day, DC2Trill, and Camo. The tweet read:

"LIL YACHTY, KARRAHBOOO, DRAFT DAY, DC2TRILL, CAMO!"

The tracklist for the upcoming album is yet to be confirmed, but based on the artists involved in this project, it's likely to showcase a fusion of alternative rock, R&B, and rap.

Lil Yachty and Concrete Boys Discography

Yachty (Lil Boat), who is currently signed to Quality Control, incorporated his own Record Label Concrete Boyz, a few years ago in an attempt to bring upcoming artists in his genre to the spotlight.

Over the years, Yachty and his team have been slowly recruiting rappers and artists from across the music industry, from 31 Camo to Karahbooo, all of whose music appears to have been inspired by Boat's discography.

Lil Yachty has also collaborated with his signees on some of his previous work. Below are two songs officially released alongside Artist Draft Day:

• Demon Time (Feat. Draft Day)
• POPOVICH Freestyle (Feat. Draft Day)

On May 29, 2020, Yachty released his fourth studio album, titled Lil Boat 3 , across all DSPs (Digital Streaming Platforms) via Quality Control Music and Motown Records. The 19-track project included a track titled Concrete Boys .

This track acted as the official introduction to the "Concrete Crew" he was building with his record label. The song includes a shout-out to the Concrete Boys in the chorus when Yachty implies that when his "back is against the wall," he can always rely on his crew to come through for him.

Another notable bar from Lil Yachty's song has been listed below:

"I just woke up, dreamin' 'bout the rose (Oh my God) / They had ni**as 'round me who don't stand on toes (Hell nah) / Barely ever do I think about my foes / How much longer will I live? Only God knows."

On December 16, 2023, a song titled Mo Jams was released on the official YouTube channel for Concrete Boys, alongside a music video that featured most of the CB roster, except for 31 Camo. Mo Jams was produced by Rawbone and acts as the first official collaboration between the members of Concrete Boys.

This track, although not being released on DSPs, has garnered significant attention for an upcoming collaboration project by racking up almost 4 million views on YouTube.

As fans await a Concrete Boys collaboration album, Lil Yachty continues to impress fans by following up on his widely acclaimed 2023 project Let's Start Here, which found the rapper delving into a more experimental sound with his music.

Notably, Yachty has been releasing a string of singles, which include his collaboration with Fred Again.. on stayinit. The rapper was also featured on Lyrical Lemonade's debut studio album, All Is Yellow , which dropped two months ago in January 2024.

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Photo: John Esparza

New Music Friday: Listen To Songs From Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, LISA & Rosalía, Benson Boone & More

Between Post Malone's first country album and an unexpected collab from two of pop's biggest names, today is chock-full of thrilling new music. Listen to new tracks from YG, Jean Dawson and Lil Yachty and more.

Summer may be slowly edging toward fall, but the red-hot streak of this summer's musical output shows no signs of slowing down.

This New Music Friday (Aug. 16), Post Malone goes country with his sixth studio album F-1 Trillion , Meghan Trainor adds four songs (and rearranges the track list) to the deluxe edition of her latest LP Timeless , and global girl group KATSEYE unveil their debut mini-album SIS (SOFT IS STRONG) . Plus, Muscadine Bloodline share their fourth full-length The Coastal Plain and Nikka Costa drops Dirty Disco , her first album in eight years.

When it comes to singles, there's just as many new songs to explore — from superstar collabs like ROSALÍA and LISA's empowered "NEW WOMAN" to the latest releases from Hozier and Peggy Gou. 

Below, dive into eight more new releases from pop and K-pop to rap, rock, country, dance, and more.

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — "Die With a Smile"

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars gave the world just 12 hours notice that they were dropping "Die With a Smile" this week, sending Little Monsters and Hooligans alike into a tizzy as they braced themselves for the surprise duet.

Mars' sensual vocals lead off the moony, apocalyptic love song, which marks Mars' first release since his GRAMMY-winning work with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic. Strumming an electric guitar, the 15-time GRAMMY winner vows, "I, I just woke from a dream/ Where you and I had to say goodbye/ And I don't know what it all means/ But since I survived, I realized/ Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow." 

As for Mother Monster's oeuvre, "Die With a Smile" lands somewhere between Joanne and "Shallow" as her fans wait impatiently for LG7 . Not to be outdone, Gaga takes over on the second verse, supported by Mars' swooning harmonies as the duo crescendo the intensity of their devotion to meet the literal end of the world.

LISA & ROSALÍA — "NEW WOMAN"

On New Music Friday eve, BLACKPINK member LISA added to her blossoming collection of solo bangers with "NEW WOMAN," an empowering shapeshifter of a duet that sees her joining forces with ROSALÍA.

"Hit it when I serve/ B—, you better swerve/ Revving up my aura/ Focus on my mind/ Taking my time/ I'm a new woman, woman," the K-pop star proudly announces on the chorus of the song before Rosalía slams on the brakes to sing and rap her way through a sultry verse in her native Spanish that translates, in part, to "I was born pure, yes/ Not an era will be a flop in my future/ W—, I'm Rosalía, I only know how to serve."

The accompanying Dave Meyers -directed video is filled with high-fashion looks (thigh-high boots on fire, that massive, floor-sweeping pearl necklace…or is it made of ball bearings?), Y2K nostalgia (flip phones!) and a bevy of quirky, genuinely off-beat moments that will be sure to help drive the conversation as LISA continues to establish herself — and her nascent LLOUD partnership under RCA Records — as a global force in control of her musical destiny.

Benson Boone — "Pretty Slowly"

Fresh off "Death Wish Love" — his folksy contribution to the Twisters soundtrack — Benson Boone uses his newest single "Pretty Slowly" to celebrate his sudden rise as one of pop music's shiniest new stars.

The deceptively upbeat track's lyrics reflect on the dissolution of a relationship lost to all the recent, stratospheric changes in his life as he croons, "Oh, how come all the best things fall apart/ And it started pretty slowly/ When you asked about the old me/ Oh, is he gone? Oh, is he gone/ Oh, I don't know/ I think I left him somewhere I no longer go."

However, the song's accompanying music video acts as a both a victory lap in the wake of his debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblade, from earlier this summer and and energetic peek into the "Beautiful Things" breakout's high-octane live show — complete with thousands of ecstatic fans and his signature, onstage backflips .

YG — 'Just Re'd Up 3'

More than a decade after his 2013 mixtape Just Re'd Up 2 , YG adds to the series with the long-awaited Just Re'd Up 3 .

The Compton native has released six other albums and a litany of other mixtapes and collaborative projects in the interim, and his decade-plus in the spotlight allows him to recruit a wide array of contemporaries for the two-disc LP — from Saweetie ("SHE PRETTY") and Ty Dolla $ign ("IT'S GIVIN," "RESCUE ME") to Tee Grizzley and G Herbo ("MALIBU") and Lil Yachty and Babyface Ray ("STUPID").

Jean Dawson & Lil Yachty — "Die For Me"

"Die For Me," Jean Dawson's new collaboration with Lil Yachty, blends the experimental leanings of the L.A.-based polymath (and musical arranger on Beyoncé 's COWBOY CARTER ) with the bubblegum trap rapper's one-of-a-kind flow — and the result is magnetic.

Sonically, the swirling track feels like a logical follow-up to Bad Cameo , the "Poland" rapper's recent collaborative album with James Blake . After Dawson warbles the hook ("Don't show up at my funeral/ If you won't die for me"), Lil Yachty grabs the mic for a blunt-force eulogy that demands repeated listening.

Morgan Wade — ' Obsessed'

Morgan Wade preceded her fourth album, Obsessed , with delicate, heart-on-her-sleeve singles like "2AM in London" and "Time to Love, Time to Kill." Arriving almost a year to the day since her previous full-length Psychopath , the country upstart — and occasional Real Housewives of Beverly Hills guest star — is just as vulnerable on the rest of the album.

Showing off her aptitude for laying bare emotional storytelling and heart-crushing nostalgia, Wade cleverly exposes her fragilities and regrets across the album's 14 tracks — whether she's gender-flipping Shakespeare and competing with Romeo on the forbidden "Juliet," finding somber inspiration in fairy tales on the wistful "Hansel and Gretel," or duetting with Kesha on the repentant "Walked on Water."

Falling In Reverse — 'Popular Monster'

Seven years since 2017's Coming Home , Falling In Reverse are back with their fifth studio album, Popular Monster . The LP's rollout has been spread across nearly half a decade, with the title track being released as the lead single way back in November 2019. Six additional singles have followed in the lead-up to the long-awaited project, including collaborations with Tech N9ne and Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible ("Ronald") and Jelly Roll ("All My Life"), as well as a reimagined cover of Papa Roach's "Last Resort."

And while Popular Monster 's cover art is plastered with frontman Ronnie Radke's 2012 mugshot for alleged domestic assault, the release is hardly a solo project. In fact, it's the first Falling in Reverse album to feature Max Georgiev on guitar, Tyler Burgess on bass and Luke Holland on drums. (Derek Jones, the band's late rhythm guitarist, also contributed to the title track before his untimely death in 2020 from a subdural hematoma.)

DJ Snake & Fridayy — "Complicated"

Fridayy is practically begging to keep things simple on "Complicated," his yearning, pulsating new collaboration with DJ Snake . "Tell me what you want/ Girl, I want to know/ Please don't make it complicated/ We ain't gotta complicate it," he repeats over the DJ's hypnotic rhythms filled with Spanish guitar and distant jungle sounds.

Eventually, the three-time GRAMMY nominee's desperate pleas morph into an atmospheric echo as DJ Snake's handiwork takes center stage, plunging the track into a spellbinding synth breakdown that dances all the way to the finish.

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2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: Watch Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Gojira & More Perform

The Olympic Games have long featured iconic musical performances – and this year is no different. Check out the performers who took the stage in the City of Light during the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris.

The 2024 Paris Olympics came to life today as the Parade of Nations glided along the Seine River for the opening ceremony. The opening spectacular featured musical performances from Lady Gaga , Celine Dion , and more. Earlier in the week, some of music’s biggest names were also spotted in the city for the Olympics, including Olympics special correspondent Snoop Dogg , BTS ' Jin , Pharrell Williams , Tyla , Rosalía , and Ariana Grande .

Read More: When The GRAMMYs & Olympics Align: 7 Times Music's Biggest Night Met Global Sports Glory

Below, see a full breakdown of some of the special musical moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

In a grand entrance, Lady Gaga emerged behind a heart-shaped plume of feathers on the golden steps of Square Barye, captivating the audience with her cover of the French classic "Mon truc en plumes." Accompanied by cabaret-style background dancers, she flawlessly belted out the song, executed impressive choreography, and even played the piano.

Lady Gaga’s connection to the song is notable, as Zizi Jeanmarie, the original artist, starred in Cole Porter’s musical "Anything Goes," which was Lady Gaga’s debut jazz release.

"Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music — I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth — Paris," Lady Gaga shared on Instagram .

Celine Dion

Closing out the ceremony with her first performance in four years since being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, Celine Dion delivered a stunning rendition of Edith Piaf’s everlasting classic, "L’Hymne à l’amour" from the Eiffel Tower. Her impressive vocals made it seem as though she had never left.

This performance marked Dion’s return to the Olympic stage; she previously performed "The Power of the Dream" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and composer David Foster for the 1996 Olympics.

Axelle Saint-Cirel  

Performing the National Anthem is no small feat, yet French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel knocked it out of the park.

Dressed in a French-flag-inspired Dior gown, she delivered a stunning rendition of "La Marseillaise" from the roof of the Grand Palais, infusing the patriotic anthem with her own contemporary twist.

With the stirring lyrics, "To arms, citizens! Form your battalions. Let’s march, let’s march," Saint-Cirel brought the spirit of patriotism resonated powerfully throughout the city.  

Making history as the first metal band to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony is just one way Gojira made their mark at the event.

The French band took the stage at the Conciergerie, a historic site that once housed French kings during medieval times and later became a prison during the French Revolution, famously detaining Marie Antoinette – Creating a monumental moment as the first metal band to perform at the ceremony, but also stirring the pot as they used the chance to nod toward politics.  

Performing a revamped version of "Ah! Ça Ira," an anthem that grew popular during the French Revolution, the artists aren’t new to using their songs as a vehicle for political messages. The GRAMMY-nominated group are outspoken about issues concerning the environment, particularly with their song, "Amazonia," which called out the climate crisis in the Amazon Rainforest. Using music to spread awareness about political issues is about as metal as it gets.  

Aya Nakamura

Currently France’s most-streamed musician , Aya Nakamura went for gold in a striking metallic outfit as she took the stage alongside members of the French Republican Guard. As there were showstopping, blazing fireworks going off behind her, she performed two of her own hit songs, " Pookie " and "Djadja," then followed with renditions of Charles Aznavour’s "For Me Formidable" and "La Bohème."  

Although there was backlash regarding Nakamura’s suitability for performing at the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the criticism. "She speaks to a good number of our fellow citizens and I think she is absolutely in her rightful place in an opening or closing ceremony," Macron told the Guardian .

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New Music Friday: Listen To New Songs From LISA From Blackpink, Lil Nas X, Kelsea Ballerini, MC Lyte & More

Hot summer days require even hotter tunes. Here are some fresh-out-the-oven songs and albums by Hiatus Kaiyote, Lucky Daye, Headie One, Kaitlin Butts, and more.

We’ve been feeling the heat for a minute now, but summer is finally, officially, upon us.

What do you have on deck to soundtrack it? Perhaps you’re checking out Camila Cabello ’s fourth offering, C,XOXO . Or Jxdn’s expectations-bucking new album, When the Music Stops . And there are so many other worthy candidates for your playlist — from Lupe Fiasco ’s Samurai to Omar Apollo ’s God Said No .

No matter where your stylistic compass points, this Friday release day has got something for you. As you gather your sunscreen and shades, let’s breeze through a cross-section of what’s out there.

LISA — "Rockstar"

K-pop loves its solo releases , showcasing how the various members of a group can shine individually while combining with ecstatic chemistry. Enter LISA, one-fourth of Korean titans BLACKPINK , who's already turned heads with her 2021 debut album, Lalisa .

"Rockstar" is another swing outside her main gig, featuring serrated chiptune production and LISA's commanding rap flow. The gritty, urban, futuristic video is a visual treat, and the chorus's boast of "Lisa, can you teach me Japanese?" is a multilingual flex — as well as a maddeningly unshakeable earworm.

Lil Nas X — "Here We Go!" (from the Netflix film 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F')

"So excited to release the best song of all time this friday!," Lil Nas X proclaimed on Instagram . (And on a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, no less!)

"Here We Go!" comes at an inflection point for the "J Christ" singer: "sorry I've been so scared with my art lately," he added in the same post. "I'm coming around to myself again. I will make you guys very proud."

This pro forma banger certainly inspires pride: tenacious lines like "I'm livin' and livin' I wanna die/ They tryna get even/ I'm beatin' the odds" will get under your skin. As for Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F , the Eddie Murphy joint will whiz to your screen July 3 via Netflix.

Lucky Daye — 'Algorithm'

Lucky Daye picked up a win for Best Progressive Album at the 2022 GRAMMYs , for Table for Two . After a slew of nominations for work with Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige , he's investigating the Algorithm.

The single "HERicane" was just a teaser, with songs like "Blame," featuring Teddy Swims; "Paralyzed," featuring RAYE;" and "Diamonds in Teal" expanding on and honing his soul-funk-R&B vision.

"Don't know pickin' sides/ 'Cause I'm rollin' in desire," he dreamily sings in the gently roiling "Diamonds in Teal." "I don't know which lie's true/ Or maybe I do, or maybe I'm you." It's a suitable mission statement wrapped in a stealthily seductive package.

Hiatus Kaiyote — 'Love Heart Cheat Code'

A jazzy, soulful, psychedelic band of Aussies, Hiatus Kaiyote has been wowing audiences for more than a decade. Whether through sampling or features, they've crossed paths with Drake , Anderson .Paak , and Beyoncé and Jay-Z .

Love Heart Cheat Code builds brilliantly on their last three albums: their 2012 debut Tawk Tomahawk , 2015's Choose Your Weapon, and 2021's Mood Valiant . Tracks like "Telescope," "Everything's Beautiful," and "Make Friends" are burbling brooks of atmosphere, groove and vibe.

Boulevards — 'Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road'

Any fans of deep, pungent funk grooves should investigate Boulevards immediately. The project of mastermind Jamil Rashad, their new album Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road tips its hat to yesterday's funk with a contemporary twist, bringing a refreshing spin on the well-trod template of syncopated basslines and stabbing horns.

Across highlights like "Do It Like a Maniac Part 1&2" and "Run & Move," Boulevards shows — once again — that few can nail this gritty sound quite like Rashad and crew.

Headie One — 'The Last One'

British drill-inflected MC Headie One first made a splash overseas with his 2023 debut album, Strength to Strength . Less than a year later, he's returning with The Last One .

Back in 2022, he hinted at the existence of his sophomore album in his non-album track "50s" — "The fans calling for 'Martin's Sofa'/ It might be the first single from my second," he rapped. 

Helmed by that single, The Last One features Potter Payper, Stormzy , Fridayy , Skrillex , and more. The album is a leap forward in terms of production, scale and exploration.

Katlin Butts — 'Roadrunner!'

Any theater kid worth their salt knows at least a few bars from the musical "Oklahoma!"; country sensation Kaitlyn Butts has just unfolded it into an entire album.

"It's a love story but there's also a murder and a little bit of an acid-trippy feel to it at times; it's set in the same place where I come from," she said in a statement, noting she saw "Oklahoma!" with her parents every summer during childhood. "Once I got the idea for this album," she continued, "I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before, and it turned into something that completely encompasses who I am and what I love." 

A laugh riot as well as a colorful, openhearted statement, Roadrunner! does the old Rodgers and Hammerstein chestnut good.

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Amaarae — 'roses are red, tears are blue — Fountain Baby Extended Play'

Futurist Afropopper Amaarae made a gigantic splash with her second album, 2023's Fountain Baby — even Pitchfork gave it their coveted Best New Music designation.

That lush, enveloping album just got an expansion pack: roses are red, tears are blue — A Fountain Baby Extended Play is a continuation of its predecessor with six new songs. The oceanic "wanted," featuring Naomi Sharon, is a highlight, as is a remix of "Disguise" with 6LACK.

"Ooh, I'll be wanted/ I've been wanted," a pitch-shifted Sharon sings near the end, as if turning over the phrase. "Wanted" is one way to describe Amaraae's position in the music landscape.

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MC Lyte — "King King" (feat. Queen Latifah)

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop may have come and gone, but hip-hop is forever. Today, legendary hip-hop pioneers MC Lyte and Queen Latifah continue to bear the flame of the genre as an elevating force with "King King," a conscious, uplifting offering.

"This is dedicated to all the kings and all the soon to be kings/ We're counting on you/ We love  you/ This is for you, you and you and you," MC Lyte begins, while Latifah holds it down on the chorus with "This your crown hold it/ Even if it all falls down show it/ You know the world is watching now I know you get tired from keepin' it all together/ We need you."

During Women's History Month in March, MC Lyte released "Woman," the first single from her upcoming album, featuring hip-hop icons Salt (of Salt 'N Pepa), Big Daddy Kane , and R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn . MC Lyte's first new album in nearly a decade drops this summer; keep your eyes and ears peeled.

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Lady Gaga's Biggest Songs: 15 Tracks That Show Her Avant-Garde Pop Prowess

As fans relive the exhilarating spectacle of Lady Gaga's 2022 stadium tour with a new HBO Max concert film, 'GAGA CHROMATICA BALL,' jam out to 15 of her signature songs, from "Poker Face" to "Rain on Me."

Nearly two years after bringing her 2020 album Chromatica to life with a sold-out stadium tour, Lady Gaga is bringing The Chromatical Ball to your living room. GAGA CHROMATICA BALL , an HBO Original special that premieres May 25 exclusively on MAX, will take Little Monsters into the mesmerizing, colorful world the 13-time GRAMMY winner crafted with her sixth studio set. 

The Chromatica Ball was a joyful cultural triumph as the world emerged from lockdown, hitting 20 stadiums across Europe, North America and Asia in the summer of 2022. While it was named after Chromatica and featured the majority of the dance-driven album's track list — including the smash Ariana Grande duet, "Rain On Me," and lead single "Stupid Love" — the tour was a celebration of the breadth of her acclaimed career as a whole, which has spanned decades, genres, styles, and entire industries. 

GAGA CHROMATICA BALL documents Lady Gaga's sold-out September 2022 show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, which was one of the biggest venues on the tour. Showcasing a stage inspired by brutalist architecture and a set list stretching from the pop star's 2008 debut album, The Fame , to her Top Gun: Maverick track, "Hold My Hand," the film will also take fans inside the raw passion Gaga brings to each and every live show. 

In celebration of the concert film, GRAMMY.com revisits 15 of Gaga's most career-defining songs to date, from early hits like "Poker Face" to stunning deep cuts like Chromatica 's "Free Woman."

"Just Dance" (feat. Colby O'Donis), The Fame (2008)

Lady Gaga burst onto the scene in 2008 with a fully realized point of view and pop star persona, but her debut single actually wasn't an immediate smash on the charts. Instead, "Just Dance" served as the sleeper hit that kick-started Gaga's legendary career, landing at the precipice of the Billboard Hot 100 after a 22-week climb from its initial entry at No. 76 to the nascent pop star her very first No. 1 hit. 

A polished dance floor banger produced by RedOne and co-written with Akon , "Just Dance" perfectly crystallizes the dance-pop resurgence of the late 2000s that Gaga not only helped spearhead, but masterfully rode into the upper echelon of 21st century pop stardom. Notably, the song also earned Gaga the first GRAMMY nomination of her career for Best Dance Recording in 2009 — a full year before her debut album would announce itself as a major force at the 2010 ceremony.

"Poker Face," The Fame (2008)

If "Just Dance" set expectations sky high for the music Gaga had up her well-manicured sleeve, "Poker Face" majorly surpassed them — and subsequently, became one of the defining pop songs of the decade. With its relentless rhythm, sing-song  "Po-po-po-poker face, po-po-poker face" refrain, and winkingly naughty lyrics ("'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin," anybody?), the song proved Gaga knew how to expertly construct an earworm while delivering a high-concept visual spectacle in spades. 

"Poker Face" became the singer's second consecutive No. 1 single on the Hot 100, marking the first time a brand-new artist had accomplished the feat since Christina Aguilera 's one-two punch of "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants" a full decade prior. By year's end, "Poker Face" had become top-selling single of 2009 across the globe, and the following year, it earned Gaga her first nods for both Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year at the 2010 GRAMMYs, with The Fame also being nominated for Album Of The Year.

Though the song and LP ultimately lost in the major categories, they respectively took home the golden gramophones for Best Dance Recording and Best Electronic Dance Album, officially making Gaga a GRAMMY-winning artist after less than two years in the industry. 

"The Fame," The Fame (2008)

While it was never released as an official single, the title track off Gaga's 2008 debut album serves as something of an early thesis statement for the avant garde star who so confidently declared , "POP MUSIC WILL NEVER BE LOWBROW" as she burst from New York City's underground scene to the global stage.

Gaga lays bare her ambitions with brazen clarity on the punchy electronic track, as she gushes over her single-minded love for "runway models, Cadillacs and liquor bottles" and sings, "Give me something I wanna be/ Retro glamor, Hollywood, yes we live for the fame/ Doin' it for the fame/ 'Cause we wanna live the life of the rich and famous." Later on the song's bridge, the pop star vows, "Don't ask me how or why/ But I'm gonna make it happen this time," and in retrospect, there's no denying Gaga accomplished everything she set out to achieve at the start of her career. 

"Bad Romance," The Fame Monster (2009)

The Fame heralded Gaga as the next big thing in pop music. But rather than spend a couple years fine-tuning her follow-up, the newly minted star decided to double down while the iron was red hot by reissuing the album as The Fame Monster , complete with eight new songs. And in doing so, she catapulted herself to superstar status with just five syllables: "Ra-ra-ah-ah-ahh." 

If the Gaga of "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" was a flashy striver fighting her way to the center of the cultural zeitgeist, "Bad Romance" presented Gaga as a high-fashion pop queen ready to turn her coronation into a victory lap. Not only did "Bad Romance" score Gaga her fifth consecutive top 5 hit on the Billboard 200, it also won her the GRAMMYs for Female Pop Solo Performance and Music Video/Short Form in 2011. ( The Fame Monster , meanwhile, took home the golden gramophone for Pop Vocal Album — the first of Gaga's four nominations and counting in the category.)

"Telephone" (featuring Beyoncé), The Fame Monster (2009)

"Hello, hello, baby, you called, I can't hear a thing…" On its face, "Telephone" may sound like a garden variety electro-pop bop, but Gaga turned the track into an unforgettable club banger of the highest order by recruiting the one and only Beyoncé . The two superstars play off one another with panache as they shrug off responsibility and incessant calls from home in favor of giving into the music.

The single's murderous, Jonas Åkerlund-directed visual remains one of the most iconic in Gaga's storied visual history. Fourteen years after Gaga and Honey B drove off in the Pussy Wagon with the promise to never come back, Little Monsters and the Beyhive are still clamoring for a follow-up. Need proof? Just look at the internet frenzy Queen Bey caused when she appeared driving a similarly hued taxi in a teaser for the album that became COWBOY CARTER earlier this year.

"Born This Way," Born This Way (2011)

Almost from the moment she emerged onto the national consciousness, Gaga was considered a gay icon in the making, proudly advocating for the queer community — and in turn, cultivating a passionate, devoted LGBTQ+ fan base who worshiped at the feet of Mother Monster. So, naturally, she used her 2010 sophomore album to gift the masses with the Pride anthem of a generation . 

Drawing comparisons to Madonna 's "Express Yourself," "Born This Way" became a defining hit of the 2010s and helped empower listeners from the clubs, to the streets, to the inside of the closet to embrace what makes them special and fearlessly declare, "Baby, I was born this way!" Additionally, the gay anthem holds the distinction of being the 1,000th No. 1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, as well as Gaga's first single to bow at the top of the chart upon its debut.

"Yoü And I," Born This Way (2011)

Though she would go on to explore the genre further in 2016's Joanne , Gaga pretty much perfected her interpretation of classic Americana with the country-rock stomp of "Yoü and I" in 2011. Released as the fourth single from Born This Way , the gutsy power ballad found the singer driving a muscle car right through the glitzy, electro-pop aesthetic of her past as she wailed, "This time I'm not leavin' without you" over a sample of Queen 's "We Will Rock You" and an original electric guitar line by none other than Brian May himself.

The music video for "Yoü And I," meanwhile, was classically high-concept in the most Gaga of terms. It saw the star transform into a number of alter egos including Yüyi the mermaid and the snarling, chain-smoking Jo Calderone. Whether running through the Nebraska cornfields of the song's setting or being brought back to life a la bride of Frankenstein by future ex-fiancé Taylor Kinney, Gaga proved that she could make a visit to America's heartland as avant-garde as ever.

"Marry The Night," Born This Way (2011)

Among Born This Way 's litany of hits, "Marry the Night" is widely regarded among Little Monsters as something of a cult favorite. Though it didn't ascend quite as high up the charts as preceding singles like "Judas" or "The Edge of Glory," the track's music video might just be the most autobiographical visual the New York City native has ever released. 

As the fantastical clip opens on an unconscious Gaga lying prone in a hospital bed wearing "next season Calvin Klein" and custom Giuseppe Zanoti, the singer lays out her entire approach to her artistry. "When I look back on my life, it's not that I don't want to see things exactly as they happened, it's just that I prefer to remember them in an artistic way," she explained. "And truthfully, the lie of it all is much more honest because I invented it…

"It's sort of like my past is an unfinished painting," she continues. "And as the artist of that painting, I must fill in all the ugly holes and make it beautiful again. It's not that I've been dishonest; it's just that I loathe reality." Gaga's rejection of the ordinary in favor of artistic reinterpretation has given fans not only the creative explosion of "Marry the Night," but the entirety of the pop star's avant-garde oeuvre.

"The Lady Is a Tramp" (with Tony Bennett), Duets II (2011)

Smack dab in the middle of Gaga's Born This Way era, Tony Bennett invited Gaga to duet on his 2011 album, Duets II . The pair's charming, spunky rendition of the Rodgers and Hart classic "The Lady is a Tramp" not only opened the album, but it showcased an irrepressible chemistry between the two stars that led to two more collaborative full-length albums, 2014's Cheek to Cheek and 2021's Love For Sale — both of which won GRAMMYs for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. 

The song ultimately became something of a cheeky hallmark to how much Gaga and Bennett adored one another; even after they'd released an album full of jazz standards like Cole Porter 's "Anything Goes" and Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek," the young pop ingénue chose to sing "The Lady Is a Tramp" for Bennett's 90th birthday celebration at Radio City Music Hall, dedicating it to her friend as he beamed from the front row.

The pair's sweet friendship would continue on all the way until Bennett's death in 2023 following a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease. In a heartfelt social media tribute , Gaga shared the impact of Bennett's friendship: "Sure he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight."

"Applause," ARTPOP (2013)

She lives for the applause! For the lead single for her 2014 album ARTPOP , Gaga shined a spotlight back on the parasocial relationship and adoration that comes with fame. This time, though, the pop star demands listener participation rather than simple voyeurism as she belts, "Give me that thing that I love/ Put your hands up, make 'em touch!" 

In the song, Gaga also shares the complex philosophy behind the album's title ("Pop culture was in art, now art's in pop culture in me.") But between shouting out famed sculpturist Jeffrey Koons (whom she commissioned to create the iconic ARTPOP cover art ) and referencing everything from Botticelli's The Birth of Venus to the pop iconography of Andy Warhol in the surrealist music video, Gaga's message was deceptively simple: She lives for the A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E, baby.

"Aura," ARTPOP (2013)

When it came time to present the highbrow themes of ARTPOP to the masses, Gaga chose to open the 2013 iTunes Festival with "Aura," a frenetic exploration of fame, celebrity, suppression and identity built over a skittering sonic palette inspired in equal parts by Middle Eastern music, spaghetti Westerns and mariachi.

Though she initially faced some backlash over accusations that she had appropriated the wearing of a Muslim burqa in the song's lyrics, "Aura" effectively set the stage for ARTPOP as a piece of sophisticated performance art unlike anything Gaga had created before — all while promising fans a glimpse "behind the curtain" at the girl underneath the camp and artistry. And though ARTPOP may have been more than a bit misunderstood at the time of its release, it arguably remains the boldest and bravest album in Gaga's manifold discography.

"Joanne," Joanne (2016)

Gaga found inspiration for her fifth studio album from the life and death of her late aunt (and namesake), Joanne Stefani Germanotta. The singer never met her relative, but Joanne's spirit was imbued throughout the album, from its homespun lyricism to its stripped-back sonic palette that found the singer exploring the sounds of country, soft rock and Americana.

Nowhere on the record is Gaga's profound connection to her aunt more evident than the title track, which she recorded two different versions of and released as the album's third and final single. "Take my hand, stay Joanne/ Heaven's not ready for you/ Every part of my aching heart/ Needs you more than the angels do," she sings softly over a spare piano line on "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)."

With its roots in her family tree, the song clearly holds a special place in Gaga's heart — especially considering she chose to mix it with "Million Reasons" for her performance at the 2018 GRAMMYs. (A full year later, she took home the GRAMMY for Best Pop Solo Performance in 2019 for the acoustic piano version.)

"Shallow" (with Bradley Cooper), A Star Is Born (2018)

"I can see myself in the movies/ With my picture in city lights," Gaga memorably sang in "The Fame." And a decade later, she manifested her dream into reality with a starring role in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born . 

Opposite Bradley Cooper , the singer proved she had plenty of star quality on the silver screen on top of her status as a pop supernova. The movie musical's soundtrack was also dominated by Gaga's vulnerability and vocal abilities, fully giving herself over to the story of a star-crossed love that ends in superstardom and tragedy — particularly on the emotional keystone that is "Shallow." In fact, by the time she lets out her famous, guttural wail in the song's emotional bridge, it's easy to forget that "Shallow" is, in fact, a duet rather than a dazzling showcase of Gaga's chops. 

On top of being an essential touchstone in Gaga's canon, "Shallow" is also memorable for being the song that turned Mother Monster into an Oscar winner after she, co-writer Mark Ronson and the rest of their collaborators took home the trophy for Best Original Song at the 2019 Academy Awards. (The song also won a GRAMMY for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance that year.)

"I've worked hard for a long time," Gaga said through tears while accepting her Oscar. "And it's not about winning, but what it's about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. There's a discipline for passion, and it's not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you're beaten up. It's about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going." 

"Rain On Me" (with Ariana Grande), Chromatica (2020)

Gaga's Chromatica era began with "Stupid Love" and its colorful, Power Rangers-chic video, but the star hit peak pop excellence by joining forces with Ariana Grande on the album's second single "Rain on Me." 

"I'd rather be dry but at least I'm alive/ Rain on me, rain, rain," the two superstars harmonized on the house-fueled disco fantasia's upbeat refrain, before letting the beat drop and giving in to the impulse to dance it out. Released in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the track provided hope, joy and a message of hard-fought resilience at a scary, unpredictable and unprecedented time when it felt like the world was ending as we knew it.

The following year, Gaga and Grande won the GRAMMY for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance at the 2011 ceremony, becoming the first female collaborators to take home the award in GRAMMYs history. 

"Free Woman," Chromatica (2020)

"Free Woman" was a bit overlooked when it was released as Chromatica 's fourth and final single in the spring of 2021, but the narrative Gaga shares on the jubilant track is central to her personal history and experiences in the music industry. Over a thumping Eurodance-leaning beat, she recounts the PTSD she suffered from after being sexually assaulted by an unnamed producer early in her career.

Gaga also offers a rallying cry for her beloved LGBTQ+ fan base on the song, particularly those in the trans community, as she belts, "This is my dance floor I fought for/ Ain't hard, that's what I'm livin' for…We own the downtown, hear our sound." Ultimately, that empowering lyric is a notion that encapsulates the overarching theme of Gaga's career thus far — one that fans around the world can revel in again and again with GAGA CHROMATICA BALL .

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How Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black' Changed Pop Music Forever

Ahead of the new Amy Winehouse biopic 'Back To Black,' reflect on the impact of the album of the same name. Read on for six ways the GRAMMY-winning LP charmed listeners and changed the sound of popular music.

When Amy Winehouse released Back To Black in October 2006, it was a sonic revelation. The beehive-wearing singer’s second full-length blended modern themes with the Shangri-Las sound, crafting something that seemed at once both effortlessly timeless and perfectly timed. 

Kicking off with smash single "Rehab" before blasting into swinging bangers like "Me & Mr. Jones," "Love Is A Losing Game," and "You Know I’m No Good," Black To Black has sold over 16 million copies worldwide to date and is the 12th best-selling record of all time in the United Kingdom. It was nominated for six GRAMMY Awards and won five: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album. 

Winehouse accepted her golden gramophones via remote link from London due to visa problems. At the time, Winehouse set the record for the most GRAMMYs won by a female British artist in a single year, though that record has since been broken by Adele , who won six in 2011.

Written in the wake of a break-up with on-again, off-again flame Blake Fielder-Civil, Black To Black explores heartbreak, grief, and infidelity, as well as substance abuse, isolation, and various traumas. Following her death in 2011, Back To Black became Winehouse’s most enduring legacy. It remains a revealingly soulful message in a bottle, floating forever on the waves. 

With the May 17 release of Sam Taylor-Johnson’s new ( and questionably crafted ) Winehouse biopic, also titled Back To Black , it's the perfect time to reflect on the album that not only charmed listeners but changed the state of a lot of popular music over the course of just 11 songs. Here are five ways that Back To Black influenced music today.

She Heralded The Arrival Of The Alt Pop Star

When Amy Winehouse hit the stage, people remarked on her big voice. She had classic, old-time torch singer pipes, like Sarah Vaughn or Etta Jones , capable of belting out odes to lost love, unrequited dreams, and crushing breakups. And while those types of singers had been around before Winehouse, they didn’t always get the chance — or grace required — to make their kind of music, with labels and producers often seeking work that was more poppy, hook-packed, or modern.

The success of Back To Black changed that, with artists like Duffy , Adele , and even Lady Gaga drawing more eyes in the wake of Winehouse’s overwhelming success. Both Duffy and Adele released their debut projects in 2007, the year after Back To Black , bringing their big, British sound to the masses. Amy Winehouse's look and sound showed other aspiring singers that they could be different and transgressive without losing appeal.

Before she signed to Interscope in 2007, "nobody knew who I was and I had no fans, no record label," Gaga told Rolling Stone in 2011 . "Everybody, when they met me, said I wasn’t pretty enough or that my voice was too low or strange. They had nowhere to put me. And then I saw [Amy Winehouse] in Rolling Stone and I saw her live. I just remember thinking ‘well, they found somewhere to put Amy…’" 

If an artist like Winehouse — who was making records and rocking styles that seemed far outside the norm — could break through, then who’s to say someone else as bold or brassy wouldn’t do just as well? 

It Encouraged Other Torch Singers In The New Millenium

Back To Black might have sounded fun, with swinging cuts about saying "no" to rehab and being bad news that could seem lighthearted to the casual listener. Dig a little deeper, though, and it’s clear Winehouse is going through some real romantic tumult. 

Before Back To Black was released, Fielder-Civil had left Winehouse to get back together with an old girlfriend, and singer felt that she needed to create something good out of all those bad feelings. Songs like "Love Is A Losing Game" and "Tears Dry On Their Own" speak to her fragile emotional state during the making of the record, and to how much she missed Fielder-Civil. The two would later marry, though the couple divorced in 2009.

Today, young pop singers like Olivia Rodrigo , Taylor Swift , and Selena Gomez are lauded for their songs about breakups, boyfriends, and the emotional damage inflicted by callous lovers. While Winehouse certainly wasn’t the first to sing about a broken heart, she was undoubtedly one of the best.

It Created A Bit Of Ronsonmania

Though Mark Ronson was already a fairly successful artist and producer in his own right before he teamed with Winehouse to write and co-produce much of Back To Black, his cred was positively stratospheric after the album's release. Though portions of Back To Black were actually produced by Salaam Remi (who’d previously worked with Winehouse on Frank and who was reportedly working on a follow-up album with her at the time of her death), Ronson got the lion’s share of credit for the record’s sound — perhaps thanks to his his GRAMMY win for Best Pop Vocal Album. Winehouse would even go on to guest on his own Version record, which featured the singer's ever-popular cover of "Valerie."

In the years that followed, Ronson went on to not only produce and make his own funky, genre-bending records, but also to work with acts like Adele, ASAP Rocky , and Paul McCartney , all of whom seemingly wanted a little of the retro soul Ronson could bring. He got huge acclaim for the funk-pop boogie cut "Uptown Funk," which he wrote and released under his own name with help from Bruno Mars , and has pushed into film as well, writing and producing over-the-top tracks like A Star Is Born ’s "Shallow" and Barbie ’s "I’m Just Ken."  To date, he’s been nominated for 17 GRAMMY Awards, winning eight.

Ronson has always acknowledged Winehouse’s role in his success, as well, telling "BBC Breakfast" in 2010 , " I've always been really candid about saying that Amy is the reason I am on the map. If it wasn't for the success of Back To Black , no one would have cared too much about Version ."

Amy Showcased The Artist As An Individual

When the GRAMMY Museum hosted its "Beyond Black - The Style of Amy Winehouse" exhibit in 2020, Museum Curator and Director of Exhibitions Nicholas Vega called the singer's sartorial influence "undeniable." Whether it was her beehive, her bold eyeliner, or her fitted dresses, artists and fans had adopted elements of Winehouse’s Back To Black style into their own fashion repertoire. And though it’s the look we associate most with Winehouse, it was actually one she had truly developed while making the record, amping up her Frank -era low-slung jeans, tank tops, and polo shirts with darker eyeliner and much bigger hair, as well as flirty dresses, vibrant bras, and heels.

"Her stylist and friends were influential in helping her develop her look, but ultimately Amy took bits and pieces of trends and styles that she admired to create her own look," Vega told GRAMMY.com in 2020. While rock ‘n’ rollers have always leaned into genre-bending styles, Winehouse’s grit is notable in the pop world, where artists typically have a bit more of a sheen. These days, artists like Miley Cyrus , Billie Eillish , and Demi Lovato are willing to let their fans see a bit more of the grit — thanks, no doubt, to the doors Winehouse opened.

Winehouse also opened the door to the beauty salon and the tattoo studio, pushing boundaries with not just her 14 different vintage-inspired tattoos — which have become almost de rigeur these days in entertainment — but also with her signature beehive-like bouffant, which hadn’t really been seen on a popular artist since the ‘60s.It’s a frequent look for contemporary pop divas, popping up on artists like Ariana Grande , Lana Del Rey , and Dua Lipa .

The Dap-Kings Got The Flowers They Deserved

Six of Back To Black ’s 11 songs , including "Rehab," got their "retro" sound via backing from t he Dap-Kings , a Brooklyn-based soul act Ronson recruited for the project. 

While Winehouse’s lyrics were mostly laid down in London, the Dap-Kings did their parts in New York. Ronson told GRAMMY.com in 2023 that the Dap-Kings "brought ['Rehab'] to life," saying, "I felt like I was floating because I couldn’t believe anybody could still make that drum sound in 2006." Winehouse and the Dap-Kings met months later after the record was released, and recorded "Valerie." The band later backed Winehouse on her U.S. tour. 

Though the Dap-Kings were known in hip musical circles for their work with late-to-success soul sensation Sharon Jones , Back To Black ’s immense success buoyed the listening public’s interest in soul music and the Dap-Kings' own profile (not to mention that of their label, Daptone Records).

"Soul music never went away and soul lovers never went away, but they’re just kind of closeted because they didn’t think it was commercially viable," Dap-Kings guitarist Binky Griptite said in the book It Ain't Retro: Daptone Records & The 21st Century Soul Revolution . "Then, when Amy’s record hit, all the undercover soul fans are like, I’m free. And then that’s when everybody’s like, Oh, there’s money in it now."

The success of Back To Black also seems to have firmly cemented the Dap-Kings in Ronson’s Rolodex, with the group’s drummer Homer Steinweiss, multi-instrumentalist Leon Michaels, trumpeter Dave Guy , and guitarist/producer Tom Brenneck appearing on many of his projects; the Dap-Kings' horns got prominent placement in "Uptown Funk."

Amy Exposed The Darker Side Of Overwhelming Success

Four years after Winehouse died, a documentary about her life was released. Asif Kapadia’s Amy became an instant rock-doc classic, detailing not only Winehouse’s upbringing, but also her struggles with fame and addiction. It won 30 awards after release, including Best Documentary Feature at the 88th Academy Awards and Best Music Film at the 58th GRAMMY Awards.

It also made a lot of people angry — not for how it portrayed Winehouse, but for how she was made to feel, whether by the British press or by people she considered close. The film documented Winehouse’s struggles with bulimia, self-harm, and depression, and left fans and artists alike feeling heartbroken all over again about the singer’s passing. 

The documentary also let fans in on what life was really like for Winehouse, and potentially for other artists in the public eye. British rapper Stormzy summed it up well in 2016 when he told i-D , "I saw the [documentary, Amy] – it got me flipping angry... [Amy’s story] struck a chord with me in the sense that, as a creative, it looks like on the outside, that it’s very ‘go studio, make a hit, go and perform it around the world, champagne in the club, loads of girls’. But the graft and the emotional strain of being a musician is very hard. No one ever sees that part." 

These days, perhaps because of Winehouse’s plight or documentaries like Amy , the music-loving population seems far more inclined to give their favorite singers a little grace, whether it’s advocating for the end of Britney Spears ’ conservatorship or sympathizing with Demi Lovato’s personal struggles. Even the biggest pop stars are still people, and Amy really drove that point home.

We Only Said Goodbye With Words: Remembering Amy Winehouse 10 Years Later

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Lil Yachty And Veeze Are Unapologetic About Their Lifestyles In The ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ Video

Lil Yacthy has taken a hiatus from social media, but not from the booth. Today (August 16), two of the “ Hate Me ” rapper’s latest collaborations hit streaming platforms.

As an added bonus, Lil Yachty’s joint track with Veeze , “Sorry Not Sorry,” arrived with an official video presented by Lyrical Lemonade .

The moody visual — co-directed by AMD and Little Miles — has one purpose: to show both recording artists in their elements. As Veeze enjoys a double-cup drink, he lists off what he’s being able to accomplish with his fame.

“I done popped out, feelin’ like Odd Future, Tyler, the Creator my Luis / Them boys ain’t smoked like five opps, that’s a whole pack of loose-leaf / This eighth came straight from auntie / We pink slip boys, no car lease / My cup all pink like a Barbie / I’m sorry, not sorry like Beyoncé,” raps Veeze.

In his verse, Lil Yachty puts up what Veeze laid down in the record’s opening. “I got seven homes filled with clothes, Sauce on the way in this b*tch / I ain’t talkin’ ’bout no TV shows, but I still got Bear in this bitch / I had to figure it out the hard way, no, I don’t care, lil’ b*tch / I never talk sh*t online, but check it in real life, I’ll never struggle again / I done helped out my mans / I put my mom in a brand new Benz,” raps Yachty.

He makes it clear that he hears on the online chatter, but frankly he just doesn’t care.

Watch Lil Yachty and Veeze’s official video for “Sorry Not Sorry” above.