Questlove Praises Lil Yachty's New Album: "Got Me Hyped About Music's Future"

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The UNICEF Gala
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 29: DJ Questlove performs at The UNICEF Gala at The Glasshouse on November 29, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for UNICEF USA)
Questlove says Yachty's new album has him feeling "hyped about music's future."

Lil Yachty’s stark departure from hip-hop earned praise from Questlove.

Following his appearance on Her Loss and the release of “Poland,” there’s been high expectations of Lil Yachty. Though many expected him to continue creating hip-hop music, few predicted that he would leap into another genre completely.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 11: *EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE* Lil Yachty attends Takeoff's Celebration of Life at State Farm Arena on November 11, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TVG)

Neither proved to be true and Yachty ultimately came out with a psychedelic rock album. On Friday, he blessed fans with Let’s Start Here, which was undoubtedly a left-turn for his fans. Some felt as though he turned his back on rap. However, a few accomplished musicians in the field had kind words for Yachty’s latest release.

Questlove hit Instagram where he expressed his utter appreciation for Yachty’s next project. In fact, he credited the album as instilling a sense of optimism surrounding the future of music. He stated that he didn’t want to jump out with any opinions too early. He said it would “​​the trolls ammo to hate it" or downplay the power of Quest's co-sign.

“After about 3 listens (and I thought I’d NEVER say this—-& not because “I didn’t expect this from Lil Yachty”——but just in general I didn’t expect this from MUSIC)... I really really really really love this @lilyachty record and I love when artists pull off a good departure record.” 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 24: Questlove of The Roots attends the 2022 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

From there, he looked back at some famous departure albums (i.e. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Radiohead’s Kid A). Then, he declared Let’s Start Here as “the most surprising transition of any music career I’ve witnessed in a min, especially under the umbrella of hip hop.”

He added, “​​Shit like this (envelope pushing) got me hyped about music’s future.”

Check Quest's full post below.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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