Lil Boat 3 is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 29, 2020, by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music. The album serves as the third and final installment of the Lil Boat series and the sequel to Lil Boat 2. The album was recorded four times over and was described by Yachty as "upbeat" and "heavy-hitting". It features guest appearances from Tierra Whack, ASAP Rocky, Tyler, the Creator, Future, Draft Day, DaBaby, Drake, Lil Keed, Young Thug, and Lil Durk, with production by JetsonMade, Mike Will Made It, Pi'erre Bourne, Earl on the Beat, K Swisha, and Lil Yachty himself, among others.
| Lil Boat 3 | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 29, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2020 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 53:50 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Lil Yachty chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Lil Boat 3 | ||||
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Lil Boat 3 received mixed reviews from critics and debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200. The album was supported by three singles: "Oprah's Bank Account", "Split/Whole Time", and "Coffin". The deluxe version of the album, titled Lil Boat 3.5, was released on November 27.
Background
editOn August 10, 2019, Lil Yachty made his first official announcement of the project while on an Instagram live stream with frequent collaborator Trippie Redd. When questioned about the status of the album, he said that it would be released in October 2019.[1] Yachty later said that in terms of production, he was working with producers The Alchemist, Ronny J, Pi'erre Bourne, Earl on the Beat, and his brother. Lil Yachty said rappers Playboi Carti and Oliver Tree would be on the album.[2] Following the release of the lead single, "Oprah's Bank Account", Yachty tweeted "Lil Boat 3, coming soon".[3] The album's release date was announced on May 20, 2020.[4]
Recording and composition
editSpeaking to XXL in April 2020, Yachty's manager Coach K revealed that the album had been worked on for "the last year-and-a-half".[5] Lil Yachty recorded the album four times over before submitting the final effort to his label in early 2020, stating he went through "many different phases of creativity". The album features throwback 2016 melodies the rapper built his career on.[6] Yachty described the album as "upbeat"[5] and "heavy-hitting".[6] Earl on the Beat produced eight out of the album's 19 tracks, including its first two singles, "Oprah's Bank Account" and "Split/Whole Time".[6]
Cover art
editThe black-and-white album cover is a picture of a 2-year old Lil Yachty that his father captured.[6]
Promotion
editThe lead single for Lil Boat 3 was released on March 9, 2020, titled "Oprah's Bank Account".[7] Featuring melodic, autotuned vocals similar to those of his first project, the track also features fellow rappers Drake and DaBaby.[8] To accompany the track, Lil Yachty released a 9-minute mini movie in which he acts as famous talk show host Oprah Winfrey.[8] The track was produced by frequent collaborator Earl on the Beat.[8] On May 26, Lil Yachty released the second single for Lil Boat 3, titled "Split/Whole Time", alongside its music video.[9] As with "Oprah's Bank Account", this song was also produced by Earl on the Beat.[5] "Coffin" was released on October 23, 2020, as album's third single (first from the deluxe edition).[10]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 59/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Clash | 6/10[13] |
| HipHopDX | 2.3/5[14] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[15] |
Lil Boat 3 was met with mixed reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 59, based on four reviews.[11]
In a lukewarm review, AllMusic's Fred Thomas wrote, "Yachty's progress mostly shows up in his drive to push his music to new places, but he takes steps backwards by overpadding Lil Boat 3 with too many similar, unnecessary tracks".[12] In a mixed review, Clash's Robin Murray stated: "At times, Lil Boat 3 comes close to grappling with maturity, but Lil Yachty's version of adulthood feels distinctly shallow."[13] Mimi Kenny of HipHopDX said, "Even if Lil Boat 3 came out in a time without so much surface tension (is such a thing still possible?), it'd still feel sloppy and forgettable. The presence of personalities like Lil Yachty's should be welcomed, but the execution still needs to be there".[14]
Ryan Feyre of RapReviews praised the album, stating, "Lil Boat 3 finds Yachty syncopating and stretching beyond his naturally baritone voice. He sounds more self-aware than ever, channeling his beloved infectious energy as the main driver for the album, rather than his erratic lyrical ability".[15]
Commercial performance
editLil Boat 3 debuted on number 14 on the US Billboard 200, with 30,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Top Down" |
| Earl on the Beat | 2:40 |
| 2. | "Wock in Stock" |
|
| 2:23 |
| 3. | "Split/Whole Time" |
| Earl on the Beat | 3:59 |
| 4. | "T.D" (with Tierra Whack featuring ASAP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator) |
| 3:53 | |
| 5. | "Pardon Me" (featuring Future and Mike Will Made It) |
| 2:59 | |
| 6. | "Demon Time" (featuring Draft Day) |
| Childboy | 2:28 |
| 7. | "Black Jesus" |
|
| 3:00 |
| 8. | "From Down Bad" |
| Earl on the Beat | 2:57 |
| 9. | "Love Jones" |
|
| 1:50 |
| 10. | "Can't Go" |
|
| 1:53 |
| 11. | "Oprah's Bank Account" (with DaBaby featuring Drake) |
| Earl on the Beat | 3:26 |
| 12. | "Range Rover Sports Truck" (with Lil Keed) |
| Pi'erre Bourne | 2:53 |
| 13. | "Lemon Head" |
| K Swisha | 2:42 |
| 14. | "Don't Forget" |
|
| 2:08 |
| 15. | "Up There Music" |
| Earl on the Beat | 2:12 |
| 16. | "Westside" |
| Buddah Bless | 2:31 |
| 17. | "Till the Morning" (featuring Young Thug and Lil Durk) |
| DY Krazy | 3:46 |
| 18. | "Whew' Chile" |
| Earl on the Beat | 3:18 |
| 19. | "Concrete Boys" |
| 30 Roc | 2:52 |
| Total length: | 53:50 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20. | "Lil Diamond Boy" |
| Jay Versace | 2:17 |
| 21. | "Flex Up" (with Future and Playboi Carti) |
|
| 2:51 |
| 22. | "Coffin" |
|
| 1:30 |
| 23. | "Certified" |
| Earl on the Beat | 1:26 |
| 24. | "Charmin'" (with Cochise) |
| Andic | 2:31 |
| 25. | "Just How I'm Feelin'" (with Lil Baby) |
| 30 Roc | 3:39 |
| 26. | "In My Stussy's" (with Vince Staples) |
| LeKenn | 2:40 |
| 27. | "Asshole" (with Oliver Tree) |
| 2:27 | |
| Total length: | 73:11 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 28. | "Coffin" (music video) | 1:46 |
| 29. | "Wock in Stock" (music video) | 2:22 |
| 30. | "Split/Whole Time" (music video) | 3:49 |
| 31. | "Pardon Me" (music video) | 3:04 |
| 32. | "Demon Time" (music video) | 2:36 |
| 33. | "Oprah's Bank Account" (music video) | 9:04 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
Sample credits
- "T.D" contains elements from "Tokyo Drift", written by Pharrell Williams, Seiji Kameyama, Verbal, Ryo-Z and Keisuke Ogihara, performed by Teriyaki Boyz.
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[17][18]
- Colin Leonard – mastering engineer
- Thomas "Tillie" Mann – mixer (1–4, 6–27)
- Steve "The Sauce" Hybicki – mixer (4)
- Gentuar Memishi – recording engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] | 21 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[20] | 165 |
| US Billboard 200[21] | 14 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] | 11 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label(s) | Format(s) | Edition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | May 29, 2020 | Standard | [23] | ||
| July 10, 2020 | CD | [24] | |||
| September 25, 2020 | Vinyl | [25] | |||
| November 27, 2020 |
|
Deluxe | [26] |
References
edit- ^ Centeno, Tony M. (August 12, 2019). "Lil Yachty Announces New Album Coming in October". XXL. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Cline, Georgette (August 15, 2019). "Lil Yachty Enlists Playboi Carti, The Alchemist for Lil Boat 3 Album". XXL. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Zidel, Alex (March 10, 2020). "Lil Yachty Announces Lil Boat 3". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Zoe (May 20, 2020). "Lil Yachty to Drop Lil Boat 3 Album Next Week". XXL. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Zoe (May 26, 2020). "Lil Yachty Drops New Song "Split / Whole Time"". XXL. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Cline, Georgette (April 13, 2020). "Lil Yachty Is Out to Claim What He Rightfully Deserves Ahead of Lil Boat 3 Album". XXL. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Holmes, Charles (March 9, 2020). "Lil Yachty's New Song With Drake and DaBaby Seems Too Big to Fail". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Schube, Will (March 10, 2020). "Earl on the Beat Details How Drake & DaBaby Ended Up on Lil Yachty's 'Oprah's Bank Account'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Aaron (May 26, 2020). "Lil Yachty Throws A Sky Zone Party To Celebrate 'Lil Boat 3' In His 'Split/Whole Time' Video". Uproxx. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ "Coffin – Single by Lil Yachty". Apple Music. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Lil Boat 3 by Lil Yachty Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Lil Boat 3 – Lil Yachty". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Murray, Robin (May 29, 2020). "Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 3". Clash. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Kenny, Mimi (June 13, 2020). "Review: Lil Yachty Sounds Washed On 'Lil Boat 3'". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Feyre, Ryan (June 23, 2020). "Lil Yachty :: Lil Boat 3". RapReviews. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 4, 2020). "Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' on Course for No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Lil Boat 3 (CD liner notes). Lil Yachty. Capitol Records and Quality Control Music. 2020. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Credits / Lil Boat 3.5 / Lil Yachty". Tidal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Lil Yachty Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 3". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ "Lil Yachty Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Lil Yachty Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Rettig, James (May 29, 2020). "Stream Lil Yachty's New Album Lil Boat 3". Stereogum. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 3". Record Store Day. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 3 – LPx2". Rough Trade. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Lavin, Will (November 27, 2020). "Lil Yachty releases deluxe version of latest album 'Lil Boat 3'". NME. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.