MICHIGAN BOAT BOY: ALBUM REVIEW
Appropriation and hip-hop often go hand-in-hand. Ever since the days of Vanilla Ice, there has always been debate over what counts as appropriation. This has often crossed the lines of race, region, and affiliation. On Lil Yachty’s newest project, he flips the standard that we have for artists and perfectly demonstrates the difference between appropriation and homage. On Michigan Boat Boy, Yachty acknowledges that he’s borrowing Detroit’s sound and makes an album in homage to the city with one of the most exciting rap scenes in the world.
Lil Yachty has always been an early adopter of trends. His first hit, “One Night” perfectly capitalized on the Soundcloud rap craze, and over the course of the next few years, he always managed to keep his finger on the pulse. In 2016, he released “Broccoli,” making him a household name. In 2017 “From the D to the A,” had his voice blasting out of every car in the city, and last year with “T.D.” he re-established himself as a rap music veteran. Yachty is always a year ahead of the curve, which makes up for what he sometimes lacks in technical ability. Yachty just never sits still.
If you’ve listened to any Detroit rap in the past year, you’ve definitely heard Lil Yachty’s voice. He’s appeared alongside almost every hot artist in Detroit, adding his unique flows and goofy personality to their tracks. His integration into the scene feels authentic because he clearly loves Detroit’s music. Nothing about this project feels like a career move. Instead, it feels like Yachty simply trying to recreate something he loves. Each song features some Detroit artists talking their shit, happy to help Yachty spread love to their city.
The project starts off speeding. In the song “Final Form,” Yachty establishes that this album is something different. He talks a lot about death as he raps about how he knows that one day he will be forgotten. His flow is relaxed and his one-liners hit hard, especially when he says, “who finna take care of my mom and my sister when they cry to my bitch and they the only ones that really miss me.” The entire project exudes this paranoid energy, and it never seems like he quite trusts those around him.
Lil Yachty leaves space on the album for each guest to shine and they tall take full advantage. Sada Baby spits an animated verse on “SB5,” Rio Da Young Og proves why he’s one of the most exciting rappers in Detroit on “Stunt Double.” One of my favorite rappers, Baby Tron, rips apart the track “Hybrid” spitting classic lines like, “Didn’t wanna fight in middle school, you wanna scrap now?” Each guest adds new texture to the record, giving Michigan Boat Boy a fun, collaborative energy.
There are plenty of eye raising lines on Michigan Boat Boy, but they all fit right in with the raunchy nature that has been established. Some bars are just straight up puzzling, like on “plastic” where Yachty says, “I don’t let my bitch drink at all… In case I need a kidney.” I think he might want her liver instead of the kidney, but I’m sure he knows what he needs. The entire project is full of wild one-liners that make you sit up in your seat.
Michigan Boat Boy is a fun exploration for Lil Yachty. He proves once again that he is always willing to keep evolving, and cementing his place in hip-hop.