Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
His name may sound like something from Jimmy Kimmel’s Lie Witness News, but Lil Yachty really is a hot contender for the next big thing in hip-hop. The 19-year-old rapper, singer and songwriter from Atlanta first came to my attention in May when he collaborated with Kylie Jenner (it was basically clickbait… songbait? She wasn’t actually singing). He’s also connected to her brother-in-law Kanye West, as he modelled for the Yeezy fashion line in February. Since then he’s signed to Universal (in partnership with independent label Quality Control) and had a couple of breakthrough moments. He features on the US top 20 hit Broccoli by D.R.A.M, while the trippy video for his own single 1Night has over 25 million views. Both songs feature Lil Yachty (aka Miles Parks McCollum)’s distinctive sluggish, autotuned vocals, totally tuneless but somehow catchy – much like the mystery of Fetty Wap. He’s already collaborated with Post Malone and Chance the Rapper, and I suspect he may be among the most sought-after featured artists for the rest of 2016.