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Up-and-coming rapper Lil Yachty released his first major label album as he looks to build from the momentum he created with his polarizing mixtape he released last year titled “Lil Boat.”

His new album titled “Teenage Emotions” is 21 tracks long and is over 1 hour in length. Lil Yachty is still very young as he is only 19 years, so the album title does a good job of creating a theme for his album.

Track 1: “Like a Star”

The first song begins with an intro by Darnell Boat, Lil Yachty’s alter ego who happens to be Lil Yachty’s “uncle.” Darnell Boat begins by thanking everyone for supporting his “nephew” and welcoming everyone to “Teenage Emotions,” before introducing Lil Yachty. The song is about how Lil Yachty always wanted to be a big rap star and now that he’s finally made it, he is gonna live like a star.

Track 2: “DN Freestyle”

Lil Yachty doesn’t waste any time calling out his haters as with “DN Freestyle” he brags about everything he has and how he has surpassed everyone hating on him. He describes how he went on to make more money than the president, and how all women love him.

Track 3: Peek a Boo (feat. Migos)

This song will probably end up being the most played song off this album. It features Migos who have had a huge 2017 with their hit single “Bad and Boujee” and on this song they don’t disappoint. Migos really shine on this song as Lil Yachty had perhaps the worst verse on the song. Expect this song to be played at parties and at the club.

Track 4: “Dirty Mouth”

Lil Yachty continues to address his haters about how he doesn’t need or care about their respect and how he is making so much money and that is the one thing he does care about. This song has a very similar energy to “DN Freestyle.”

Track 5: “Harley”

Here is where we finally hear an auto tuned Lil Yachty, a style that he used frequently on his popular mixtape “Lil Boat.” This song has a really carefree vibe to it as he describes how he bought his girl a barbie while riding a harley. The lyrics are really basic, but it’s something that Lil Yachty has shown with this album (and with his older projects) that he doesn’t care about.

Track 6: “All Around Me” (feat. YG & Kamaiyah )   

Lil Yachty continues with the auto tune but on this song you can’t help but think you’re listening to Travis Scott (another rapper who uses auto tune) as they sound very similar. In fact, I actually had to check to see and make sure I wasn’t listening to Travis. YG ends the song with a very strong verse saying how he “has Lil Yachty’s back”  and proving that Lil Yachty made some wise decisions with who he wanted to have featured on his album.  

Track 7: “Say My Name”

Here is where Lil Yachty slows it down a bit, compared to the other songs on the album, as he dedicates this song to an unknown person who he wants to say his name and to say it loud. This song gets really repetitive as Lil Yachty says the words “Say My Name’ so many times it is really hard to keep count.

Track 8 : “All You Had to Say”

The slow pace continues with this next track and it is no coincidence that “All You Had to Say” came after “Say my Name” as Lil Yachty pleads with the same unknown individual that if you were not going to be there for him (“Say his Name”) that was “All you had to say.”   

Track 9 “Better” ( feat. Stefflon Don)

Things take an unexpected but pleasant turn as Lil Yachty sings about how things could have been better while singing but now instead of singing over a trap beat, he sings over what can be described as a caribbean/tropical instrumental. It is a nice change of pace and because of that makes this track a standout.

Track 10 “Forever Young (feat. Diplo )

That same laidback vibe is applied to this track but unlike “Better”, that happy-go-lucky attitude isn’t’ really felt on this track. Diplo is featured on this track and here is where it seems that a song with a feature has failed. Diplo has no voice feature on the song but he produced the beat and to be honest the beat isn’t even as good as all the other tracks.

Track 11 “Lady In Yellow”

This song feels like a ballad with crazy synths and guitars in the background. It is a very chill song where Lil Yachty sings about he wants to “chill” with the lady in yellow. He pleads “I just wanna chill with you tonight, can we chill if the feeling’s right?”

Track 12 “Moments in Time”

It seems as perhaps Lil Yachty was able to chill with his lady in yellow as he asks the lady if she feels good and if he makes her feel good. That same ballad vibe is applied here.

Track 13 “Otha S**t (Interlude)

A one minute track that seems foreshadow how the last half of this album is going to go as he stops from the love/ballad songs.

Track 14 “X Men” (feat. Evander Griiim)

Back to how the first half of this album was as both Lil Yachty and Evander Griiim continue with the hater talk and how they could steal any taken women. Confidently saying that “Shawty told me she not into you, next.”

Track 15 “Bring it Back”

This track sounds like those 80’s love songs with the corny lyrics and that nice little beat that you can dance to. In fact the drums on this song reminds me of “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, but unlike that song “Bring It Back” is actually enjoyable to listen to. Lil Yachty does a good job making sure the lyrics aren’t too corny that it makes you cringe. Another standout song.

Track 16 “Running with the Ghost” (feat. Grace)

Lil Yachty pleads for forgiveness on this track and sings about how he misses his girl and how all of Yachty’s mistakes can be attributed to “Running with the Ghost.”   

Track 17 “FYI”  (Know Now)

Lil Yachty takes another moment to remind his haters that he is doing great and how he is doing things other people wish they were doing. If they didn’t know by now, they know now.

Track 18 “Priorities”

About as honest as he can be, Lil Yachty lets it be known that his priorities are messed up and how he is indeed gonna cheat on this loyal girl with lots of girls and that everyone should know this. “I’ma cheat on my girlfriend who so loyal for some sluts” is repeated throughout the song.

Track 19 “No More”

After coming to a quick realization, Lil Yachty has decided he has to stop messing with girls because they “don’t want nothin’ more than my money”. Such a quick turnaround from the last track “Priorities” in which he made it known that he was gonna cheat on his girl with other girls.

Track 20 “Made of Glass”

Lil Yachty continues with that quick realization as he pleads with his girl that he misses her and that she ignores him like he’s made of glass. She is all he can think about as professes his love to her in this track. But as Lil Yachty puts it “I’m in love with the girl who loves someone else and she doesn’t pay attention to anybody else.”

Track 21 “Momma (Feat. Sonyae Elise)

Takes a while, but Lil Yachty finally realizes that the only women that has been there for him and will continue to be there for him will be his mother. This is a nice heart-warming track and a nice way to end his first album as you can tell it was a good method to let everyone know that he wouldn’t be where he is without his mother. As Lil Yachty nicely puts it “My best friend, first lady of my life my momma.”

It is fitting that Lil Yachty’s first album was called “Teenage Emotions” as you can tell going through the tracks you sense the emotional high’s and low’s that teenagers like Lil Yachty go through. Often times Lil Yachty would sing about how he loves his girl and then come back rapping about how he’s gonna cheat on her. Then to finally realize that he indeed loved his girl but it was too late and that girl would not take her back. This helped Lil Yachty realize that no one can take the place of his mother.

This album will be enjoyable to Lil Yachty fans but if you were on the fence about him or you already dislike Lil Yachty, this album will do nothing to change your mind.

Standout Tracks : “Peek a Boo” (Feat. Migos) , “Better” (Feat. Stefflon Don), “Bring it Back”

Rating : 2/5

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