Let's Start Here

Throughout his career, Lil Yachty has been referred to as a rapper. He originally described his music as "bubble-gum trap", but has since denounced the phrase. His fourth studio album Lil Boat 3 was released in May 2020 to mixed reviews from critics, with some calling it "sloppy and forgettable" and others saying the album saw Lil Yachty "tak[ing] steps backwards". During January 2022, Lil Yachty hinted at his next release being "a non-rap album" and consisting of "all live instrumentation". His 2022 single "Poland" received positive critical reviews and created a "mild international incident", according to Rolling Stone. Lil Yachty said he created the song as a joke. ''Let's Start Here'' producer SadPony felt the reception toward "Poland" proved that people would like the album's direction. The album was mainly produced by Patrick Wimberly, alongside Lil Yachty himself, Jacob Portrait, SadPony, Justin Raisen, Magdalena Bay, Jam City, and Teo Halm. The majority of the album was recorded at the CRC in Brooklyn, The album was the first one Lil Yachty recorded outside of Atlanta. == Composition ==

Overview ''Let's Start Here'' is a departure from Lil Yachty's signature "bubble-gum trap" sound, and funk music. alternative rock, jazz, suicidal ideation, racism, and heartbreak. whilst Thomas noted their vulnerable, introspective nature. ''Let's Start Here'' was heavily influenced by Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973). Lil Yachty first heard the album in 2017, In an interview with Variety, he called ''Let's Start Here his attempt to make "[his] Black Dark Side of the Moon''". The album also inspired Lil Yachty's decision to use three female vocalists on ''Let's Start Here: Fousheé, Justine Skye, and Diana Gordon. Jo Kendall of Prog said the track "seems to sum up the whole of The Dark Side of the Moon'' in one piece". "Drive Me Crazy!" also contains vocals from Gordon, and was compared to Marvin Gaye and Silk Sonic by reviewers. Gordon performs a falsetto-led funk on the disco-influenced track. The track also contains a heavily Auto-Tuned wobbling falsetto from Lil Yachty, which Hudson said "effectively connect[s] his origins in bubblegum trap with this more recent fascination with far-out psychedelia". The psychedelic garage rock "I've Officially Lost Vision!!!!" begins with echoed screams atop a scratched vinyl sample of a choir. Thundering guitars then build intensity in a psychedelic groove. The guitars pick up and fizzle out between the song's build up and drop. Tom Johnson of Beats Per Minute compared the song to numerous musicians; he likened its guitar riffs to that of John Lennon, and its breakdown—segueing into a "jive" akin to the Beatles' Revolver (1966) where Yachty emulates Henry Rollins, "but yapping about peyote rather than politics"—to Alicia Keys. The downtempo R&B track "Say Something" contains shimmering synths and 1980s-pop-inspired synth pads and "echoing" drums. The atmospheric "Paint the Sky" drew comparisons to both the Weeknd and his album Dawn FM (2022), as well as M83. The lyrics in the following "Should I B?" are plainspoken, a track in which was called "ungodly catchy" by Sputnikmusic, and "harder edged" by Thomas. The penultimate "The Alchemist" is a grunge track that contains a crescendo. The climactic finale "Reach the Sunshine" slowly builds up to vocal contributions from Daniel Caesar. ==Promotion and release==

In December 2022, an old and low quality version of ''Let's Start Here dubbed Sonic Ranch leaked on the Internet. Lil Yachty said experiencing the leak being shared online was the "saddest [he had] ever been". the cover is an AI-generated photograph of men and women wearing suits in a boardroom with "contorted facial features and warped smiles". The cover art was controversial The album was released through Motown and Quality Control Music on January 27, 2023. On the same day, a music video directed by Crowns & Owls for the track "Say Something" was released. Following its release, high-profile musicians such as Questlove, Mike Dean, Saul Williams, Flea, Rapsody, A-Trak, John Stamos, Nate Smith, and others praised Let's Start Here on Instagram. Lil Yachty performed songs from the album for the first time at Rolling Loud in California with his all-woman band during March 2023. He also performed "The Black Seminole" and "Drive Me Crazy!" on Saturday Night Live'' with Gordon and a live band on April 1, 2023. On May 9, 2023, he announced the Field Trip Tour across North America and Europe to support the album. The tour began on September 21, 2023, in Washington, D.C. and concluded in Vienna on December 17. ==Critical reception==

''Let's Start Here'' was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received a weighted average score of 73, based on nine reviews. Though Murray believed the results are "patchy", he wrote that the album contains "some of [Lil Yachty's] best work yet" in a review for Clash. It was also included in The Guardians list of "The five-star albums we missed in 2023". ==Commercial performance==

''Let's Start Here debuted at number nine on the US Billboard'' 200 chart, earning 36,000 album-equivalent units (including 4,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week. This became Lil Yachty's third U.S. top-10 debut on the chart. The album also accumulated a total of 41.34 million on-demand streams. The album also debuted at number one on Billboards Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Alternative Albums. All tracks from the album debuted within the top 50 of the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with "The Black Seminole" placing at number eight on the chart. ==Track listing==

Notes • signifies an additional producer ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from liner notes. Musicians • Lil Yachty – vocals (all tracks) • Diana Gordon – vocals (1, 8, 9) • Teezo Touchdown – vocals (2) • Justine Skye – vocals (3, 6) • Fousheé – vocals (4, 13) • Khaya "Baby K" Cohen – background vocals (6) • Ant Clemons – vocals (7) • Benjamin Goldwasser – keyboards (8) • Gillian Rivers – strings, strings direction (8, 10, 14) • Jake Portrait – programming (9) • Justin Raisen – background vocals (14) • Daniel Caesar – vocals (14) • Nick Hakim – vocals (14) Technical • Greg Calbi – mastering • Steve Fallone – mastering • Tom Elmhirst – mixing • Miles BA Robinson – engineering (1–3, 5–14), vocal programming (1–3, 8) • Justin Raisen – engineering (1, 3, 7, 11, 12, 14) • Jake Portrait – engineering (1, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13) • Anthony Lopez – engineering (1, 10, 14) • SadPony – engineering (2, 10) • Gent Memishi – engineering (3, 4, 10–13), vocal programming (4, 10) • Patrick Wimberly – engineering (5, 11, 14) • Ainjel Emme – engineering, vocal programming (10) • Adam Hong – mixing assistance Visuals and design • Jon Rafman – artwork • Aris Tatalovich – creative director, design • Cam Hicks – creative director • Tara Razavi – creative director Managerial • Kevin "Coach K" Lee – executive producer • Lil Yachty – executive producer • Patrick Wimberly – executive producer • Pierre "P" Thomas – executive producer • SadPony – executive producer • Nathan Ledesma – product manager • Jill Lamothe – production manager ==Charts==