Sophia Michaels
Lil Yachty appears ready to release his first new album in three years later this month.
On social media Tuesday, Jan. 17, the rapper shared what was ostensibly the weird-as-hell cover art for his next LP — a surreal image of a group of besuited adults sporting some deranged smiles — along with the title and release date: Let’s Start Here out Jan. 27.
Lil Yachty then cryptically added, “Chapter 2,” before thanking fans “for the patience.”
Let’s Start Here marks Lil Yachty’s first solo album since 2020’s Lil Boat 3. It also follows his 2021 mixtape, Michigan Boy Boat, which featured collaborations with various artists throughout Michigan’s vast rap scene. Beyond that, Yachty has largely stayed busy with features over the past few years, releasing just one solo single in 2022 — the instantly-viral, and incredibly short, “Poland.”
In an interview with Rolling Stonein 2021, Yachty talked a bit about where his head was at musically and the sounds he was interested in exploring on future projects. One unexpected influence: contemporary psychedelic rock.
“I met Andrew from MGMT, and I’ve been talking to a bunch of people. I met Kevin Parker [of Tame Impala], I’ve been talking to him. It’s just inspiring,” he said. “I got a bunch of side projects I’m going to drop before my next album. But what I’m trying to do on my next album, I’m trying to really take it there sonically.”
