"Lil Boat 2" Is Proof That Lil Yachty Has Dug Himself A Hole He Can't Escape

Lil Yachty is notorious for treating his music like a business model. His alter ego Lil Boat has previously seen him take on a more mindlessly insecure persona, but he seems to have lost that unique connection now. Lil Boat 2 is proof that Lil Yachty has dug himself a hole he can't escape from, producing a horribly formulaic album with little quality and largely empty words.

The charm behind the first Lil Boat album was that it made something from its goofiness. Insecure thoughts of romance, intimacy, and life in general was hidden under its easygoing attitude. That layer seems to have been stripped from this record, as Lil Yachty tries to employ that same idea with poorly produced beats and a completely disregard for quality. Half the time, when he does rap or sing (Lil Boat 2 is genuinely about 90% features), he's not even on beat, which is painfully obvious right from the start with 'Self Made' and 'Talk To Me Nice' with Quavo.

There is not a definitively good moment on Lil Boat 2; anything that's not awful is inoffensive at best. The only track that sounds like it should belong on an album in the first place is 'NBA Youngboat' with NBA YoungBoy (of course), it's big beat and energy actually sounding good. Closing track '66' makes good of Trippie Redd, though the mixing is a bit off; a more glaring issue in 'FWM.' Even the features can't do much to save the album, Ugly God's awful ad libs ruining what could've been something redeemable in 'Oops!' and Jban$2Turnt just sounding repetitive in 'Pop Out.' 'Count Me In' doesn't even sound like a song It's like he sat in the studio, pressed some buttons to make a beat, and just started saying words. The charm of Lil Boat is completely abused in Lil Boat 2 and doesn't even attempt to keep its motives straight.

Lil Yachty's precedent of treating music like a business seems to not be working well in his favor anymore. Last year's Teenage Emotions was by and far a trainwreck similar to this, and while there's just a smidge more quality here, Yachty's formula just seems to have lost its charm. Lil Boat 2 is proof that Lil Yachty has dug himself a hole he can't escape from, unless he actually embraces the music and stops thinking of it as a model. Formulas don't drive music, passion does. And there's just none of it here.

Favorite Track: NBA Youngboat

Least Favorite Tracks: Count Me In, Boom!, Flex, Whole Lotta Guap

Rating: 30 / 100

Stream or buy Lil Boat 2 on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: