lil yachty utopia

Lil Yachty Reveals AI-Generated Album Cover for ‘Let’s Start Here,’ Depicting Demented Boardroom of Executives

By Yousef Srour

Yousef Srour

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Lil Yachty has revealed the artwork and release date for his forthcoming album, “Let’s Start Here,” set to debut Jan. 27 on Quality Control Music and Motown Records.

Ever the provocateur, the rapper’s new cover art previews an AI-generated image of what seems to be seven executives sitting next to each other in suits. With malformed faces akin to a psychedelic trip down the rabbit hole, the artwork seems unremarkable upon first glance. However, the longer you stare at their faces, they look inhuman, with contorted facial features and warped smiles.

The post is captioned : “Let’s Start Here. – 1/27  Chapter 2. Thank You for the patience,” hinting at a potential redux of an already teased album, collectively referred to as “Sonic Ranch.” On Dec. 25, Yachty’s latest album was leaked by Leaked.cx, much to the Michigan rapper’s disappointment. He took to Twitter later that day to post a half-hearted sad-face emoji to express anguish in the untimely launch of a potentially seminal work within his discography.

In an interview with Icebox last year , the “ Minnesota ” rapper has expressed that his “new album is a non-rap album,” hence the second chapter that he alludes to in his Instagram post. Yachty explains: “It’s alternative, it’s sick!” After recently collaborating with artists such as Tame Impala, he’s been in the process of creating a “psychedelic alternative project… [with] all live instrumentation.”

Slowly shedding major label support, Yachty now has his own label and creative consultant company, Concrete Records and Concrete Family, respectively. Working closely with Concrete Family, Yachty teamed up with the General Mills cereal brand in 2020 for a limited collaboration with Reese’s Puffs and has an undisclosed sneaker set to be released at a later date. Similar to his 2021 mixtape, “Michigan Boat Boy,” which featured almost solely Detroit artists including Rio Da Yung OG and Babyface Ray, Yachty plans to also release a mixtape with the Concrete Boys collective sometime this year.

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First Look: Lil Yachty x Air Force 1

The current rap game's biggest sneakerhead receives his own collab. Releasing in 2024.

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Update November 15th, 2023:  Lil Yachty’s upcoming Air Force 1 Low collaboration has surfaced in first-look imagery.

Lil Yachty may be well within his rights to be self-appointed as the rap industry’s biggest sneakerhead. Having shown off his vastly expansive sneaker closet(s) on a number of occasions, the two-time Grammy nominee is taking one step closer to cementing his top status with a reported Nike Air Force 1 collaboration in the works.

As Yachty walked through the aisles of Cool Kicks LA, he picked up Travis Scott’s recent AF1 Low “Utopia” and mentioned that he has his own version of the iconic circa 1982 silhouette on the way. While Darnell Boat quickly swerved any and all follow-ups knowing he had already shared too much, it was later revealed that Yachty has been pushing to collaborate on his own shoe for seven years.

The Atlanta-born artist previously signed with Reebok as a brand ambassador in 2017 but as of recently, Yachty has been sporting swoosh-exclusive footwear; from snacking on a box of Fruity Pebbles at the Nike World Basketball Festival in NYC to recently showing off a pair of the CPFM x Nike Flea 2 alongside the Nike ACG Air Pumori Snowboard Boots.

In the midst of November, Yachty revealed a first look at his upcoming collaboration via the Close Friends feature on his Instagram. Showing off the upcoming collaboration while at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, the low top trim bears a supple tumbled white leather upper with dark navy contrasts that adorn the tread and inner lining. Shout outs to his Concrete Boys label are found throughout the box and along the heel overlay’s stickman figure while Yachty’s signature adlib “It’s Us” adorns both the cobranded tongue tabs and photo blue insoles.

The Lil Yachty x Nike Air Force 1 Low “Concrete Boys” is currently expected to release in 2024. Could there be a potential initial drop at ComplexCon? Stay tuned for future details.

Initial Info: lilyachty / coolkicksla

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Why Is Teezo Touchdown Everywhere?

By Brian Hiatt

Brian Hiatt

When Teezo Touchdown popped up on two songs on Drake ‘s For All the Dogs — “Amen” and the wild falsetto outro of “7969 Santa” — they were just the latest in a series of high-profile, attention-grabbing guest spots for the Texas-born singer/rapper. That’s him crooning in a cartoonish British accent on “Modern Jam,” one of the best tracks on Travis Scott ‘s Utopia , and taking the first verse on Lil Yachty ‘s Tame Impala-like “The Ride” from Let’s Start Here . 

Janelle Monáe, who guests on Teezo’s single “You Thought,” was the first person to hear his finished album.

“One thing that really stuck to me,” says Teezo, “was she was like, ‘It’s not perfect, but I love that it’s not perfect.’ I feel like for a debut album, that’s what you want to hear. A lot of people want to put all their marbles on this whole Teezo Touchdown thing from album number one to decide whether I’ll be here or not, or whether this lasts.  But I think this is just my album number one. This is me extending my hand, saying hello.”

The vocal style on Teezo’s next single, “Impossible,” was inspired in part by… Bruce Springsteen.

Editor’s picks, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, though teezo’s album is a far more aggro brand of rock-rap fusion than yachty’s psychedelic let’s get started , the processes behind the two albums have a lot in common..

First of all, as Teezo points out, he and Yachty shared three producer/co-writers —  Fousheé (who also co-wrote Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit”), as well as the Raisen brothers (Jeremiah “Sadpony” Raisen and Justin Raisen). “For the Yachty session. It was just musicianship through and through, just a studio full of talented musicians. So I think that’s probably the common denominator.” 

Yachty had faith in Teezo from early on .

“Yachty was one of the first people to look me in the eyes and tell me how big I’m going to be,” Teezo says. 

Working with Travis Scott was inspiring.

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“I was excited and eager to initiate a conversation like that,” Teezo says. “I knew what I was sitting on.”

His heavily rock-influenced debut album hasn’t been an out-of-the-gate commercial smash, but Teezo says he’s in it for the long run.

“My team told me, like, ‘Yo, expect a long game here.’ So I’m just working the project person by person. I’m looking at, how many people do I get to talk to a day? ‘Cause I can control that.”

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How Lil Yachty Ended Up at His Excellent New Psychedelic Album Let's Start Here

By Brady Brickner-Wood

The evening before Lil Yachty released his fifth studio album,  Let’s Start Here,  he  gathered an IMAX theater’s worth of his fans and famous friends at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City and made something clear: He wanted to be taken seriously. Not just as a “Soundcloud rapper, not some mumble rapper, not some guy that just made one hit,” he told the crowd before pressing play on his album. “I wanted to be taken serious because music is everything to me.” 

There’s a spotty history of rappers making dramatic stylistic pivots, a history Yachty now joins with  Let’s Start Here,  a funk-flecked psychedelic rock album. But unlike other notable rap-to-rock faceplants—Kid Cudi’s  Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven  comes to mind, as does Lil Wayne’s  Rebirth —the record avoids hackneyed pastiche and gratuitous playacting and cash-grabbing crossover singles; instead, Yachty sounds unbridled and free, a rapper creatively liberated from the strictures of mainstream hip-hop. Long an oddball who’s delighted in defying traditional rap ethos and expectations,  Let’s Start Here  is a maximalist and multi-genre undertaking that rewrites the narrative of Yachty’s curious career trajectory. 

Admittedly, it’d be easy to write off the album as Tame Impala karaoke, a gimmicky record from a guy who heard Yves Tumor once and thought: Let’s do  that . But set aside your Yachty skepticism and probe the album’s surface a touch deeper. While the arrangements tend toward the obvious, the record remains an intricate, unraveling swell of sumptuous live instruments and reverb-drenched textures made more impressive by the fact that Yachty co-produced every song. Fielding support from an all-star cast of characters, including production work from former Chairlift member Patrick Wimberly, Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Jacob Portrait, Justin Raisen, Nick Hakim, and Magdalena Bay, and vocals from Daniel Caesar, Diana Gordon,  Foushée , Justine Skye, and Teezo Touchdown, Yachty surrounds himself with a group of disparately talented collaborators. You can hear the acute attention to detail and wide-scale ambition in the spaced-out denouement on “We Saw the Sun!” or on the blistering terror of “I’ve Officially Lost Vision!!!!” or during the cool romanticism of “Say Something.” Though occasionally overindulgent,  Let’s Start Here  is a spectacular statement from hip-hop’s prevailing weirdo. It’s not shocking that Yachty took another hard left—but how exactly did he end up  here ?

In 2016, as the forefather of “bubblegum trap” ascended into mainstream consciousness, an achievement like  Let’s Start Here  would’ve seemed inconceivable. The then 18-year-old Yachty gained national attention when a pair of his songs, “One Night” and “Minnesota,” went viral. Though clearly indebted to hip-hop trailblazers Lil B, Chief Keef, and Young Thug, his work instantly stood apart from the gritted-teeth toughness of his Atlanta trap contemporaries. Yachty flaunted a childlike awe and cartoonish demeanor that communicated a swaggering, unbothered cool. His singsong flows and campy melodies contained a winking humor to them, a subversive playfulness that endeared him to a generation of very online kids who saw themselves in Yachty’s goofy, eccentric persona. He starred in Sprite  commercials alongside LeBron James, performed live shows at the  Museum of Modern Art , and modeled in Kanye West’s  Life of Pablo  listening event at Madison Square Garden. Relishing in his cultural influence, he declared to the  New York Times  that he was not a rapper but an  artist. “And I’m more than an artist,” he added. “I’m a brand.”

 As Sheldon Pearce pointed out in his Pitchfork  review of Yachty’s 2016 mixtape,  Lil Boat , “There isn’t a single thing Lil Yachty’s doing that someone else isn’t doing better, and in richer details.” He wasn’t wrong. While Yachty’s songs were charming and catchy (and, sometimes, convincing), his music was often tangential to his brand. What was the point of rapping as sharply as the Migos or singing as intensely as Trippie Redd when you’d inked deals with Nautica and Target, possessed a sixth-sense for going viral, and had incoming collaborations with Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen? What mattered more was his presentation: the candy-red hair and beaded braids, the spectacular smile that showed rows of rainbow-bedazzled grills, the wobbly, weak falsetto that defaulted to a chintzy nursery rhyme cadence. He didn’t need technical ability or historical reverence to become a celebrity; he was a meme brought to life, the personification of hip-hop’s growing generational divide, a sudden star who, like so many other Soundcloud acts, seemed destined to crash and burn after a fleeting moment in the sun.

 One problem: the music wasn’t very good. Yachty’s debut album, 2017’s  Teenage Emotions, was a glitter-bomb of pop-rap explorations that floundered with shaky hooks and schmaltzy swings at crossover hits. Worse, his novelty began to fade, those sparkly, cheerful, and puerile bubblegum trap songs aging like day-old french fries. Even when he hued closer to hard-nosed rap on 2018’s  Lil Boat 2  and  Nuthin’ 2 Prove,  you could feel Yachty desperate to recapture the magic that once came so easily to him. But rap years are like dog years, and by 2020, Yachty no longer seemed so radically weird. He was an established rapper making mid mainstream rap. The only question now was whether we’d already seen the best of him.

If his next moves were any indication—writing the  theme song to the  Saved by the Bell  sitcom revival and announcing his involvement in an upcoming  movie based on the card game Uno—then the answer was yes. But in April 2021, Yachty dropped  Michigan Boat Boy,  a mixtape that saw him swapping conventional trap for Detroit and Flint’s fast-paced beats and plain-spoken flows. Never fully of a piece with his Atlanta colleagues, Yachty found a cohort of kindred spirits in Michigan, a troop of rappers whose humor, imagination, and debauchery matched his own. From the  looks of it, leaders in the scene like Babyface Ray, Rio Da Yung OG, and YN Jay embraced Yachty with open arms, and  Michigan Boat Boy  thrives off that communion. 

 Then “ Poland ” happened. When Yachty uploaded the minute-and-a-half long track to Soundcloud a few months back, he received an unlikely and much needed jolt. Building off the rage rap production he played with on the  Birthday Mix 6  EP, “Poland” finds Yachty’s warbling about carrying pharmaceutical-grade cough syrup across international borders, a conceit that captured the imagination of TikTok and beyond. Recorded as a joke and released only after a leaked version went viral, the song has since amassed over a hundred-millions streams across all platforms. With his co-production flourishes (and adlibs) splattered across Drake and 21 Savage’s  Her Loss,  fans had reason to believe that Yachty’s creative potential had finally clicked into focus.

 But  Let’s Start Here  sounds nothing like “Poland”—in fact, the song doesn’t even appear on the project. Instead, amid a tapestry of scabrous guitars, searing bass, and vibrant drums, Yachty sounds right at home on this psych-rock spectacle of an album. He rarely raps, but his singing often relies on the virtues of his rapping: those greased-vowel deliveries and unrushed cadences, the autotune-sheathed vibrato. “Pretty,” for instance, is decidedly  not  a rap song—but what is it, then? It’s indebted to trap as much as it is ’90s R&B and MGMT, its drugged-out drums and warm keys able to house an indeterminate amount of ideas.

Yachty didn’t need to abandon hip-hop to find himself as an artist, but his experimental impulses helped him craft his first great album. Perhaps this is his lone dalliance in psych rock—maybe a return to trap is imminent. Or, maybe, he’ll make another 180, or venture deeper into the dystopia of corporate sponsorships. Who’s to say? For now, it’s invigorating to see Yachty shake loose the baggage of his teenage virality and emerge more fully into his adult artistic identity. His guise as a boundary-pushing rockstar isn’t a new archetype, but it’s an archetype he’s infused with his glittery idiosyncrasies. And look what he’s done: he’s once again morphed into a star the world didn’t see coming.

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Music Features

Lil yachty's delightfully absurd path to 'let's start here'.

Matthew Ramirez

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Lil Yachty performs on the Stage during day 2 of Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2017 at Exposition Park on October 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Rich Fury/Getty Images hide caption

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Lil Yachty performs on the Stage during day 2 of Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2017 at Exposition Park on October 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Lil Yachty often worked better as an idea than a rapper. The late-decade morass of grifters like Lil Pump, amidst the self-serious reign of Future and Drake (eventual Yachty collaborators, for what it's worth), created a demand for something lighter, someone charismatic, a throwback to a time in the culture when characters like Biz Markie could score a hit or Kool Keith could sustain a career in one hyper-specific lane of rap fandom. Yachty fulfilled the role: His introduction to many was through a comedy skit soundtracked by his viral breakout "1 Night," which tapped into the song's deadpan delivery and was the perfect complement for its sleepy charm. The casual fan knows him best for a pair of collaborations in 2016: as one-half of the zeitgeist-defining single "Broccoli" with oddity D.R.A.M., or "iSpy," a top-five pop hit with backpack rapper Kyle. Yachty embodied the rapper as larger-than-life character — from his candy-colored braids to his winning smile — and while the songs themselves were interesting, you could be forgiven for wondering if there was anything substantial behind the fun, the grounds for the start of a long career.

As if to supplement his résumé, Yachty seemed to emerge as a multimedia star. Perhaps you remember him in a Target commercial; heard him during the credits for the Saved by the Bell reboot; spotted him on a cereal box; saw him co-starring in the ill-fated 2019 sequel to How High . TikTok microcelebrity followed. Then the sentences got more and more absurd: Chef Boyardee jingle with Donny Osmond; nine-minute video cosplaying as Oprah; lead actor in an UNO card game movie. Somewhere in a cross-section of pop-culture detritus and genuine hit-making talent is where Yachty resides. That he didn't fade away immediately is a testament to his charm as a cultural figure; Yachty satisfied a need, and in his refreshingly low-stakes appeal, you could imagine him as an MTV star in an alternate universe. Move the yardstick of cultural cachet from album sales to likes and he emerges as a generation-defining persona, if not musician.

Early success and exposure can threaten anyone's career, none so much as those connected to the precarious phenomenon of SoundCloud rap. Yachty's initial peak perhaps seeded his desire years later to sincerely pursue artistry with Let's Start Here , an album fit for his peculiar trajectory, because throughout the checks from Sprite and scolding Ebro interviews he never stopped releasing music, seemingly to satisfy no one other than himself and the generation of misfits that he seemed to be speaking for.

But to oversell him as a personality belittles his substantial catalog. Early mixtapes like Lil Boat and Summer Songs 2 , which prophetically brought rap tropes and pop sounds into harmony, were sustained by the teenage artist's commitment to selling the vibe of a track as he warbled its memorable hook. It was perhaps his insistence to demonstrate that he could rap, too, that most consistently pockmarked his output during this period. These misses were the necessary growing pains of a kid still finding his footing, and through time and persistence, a perceived weakness became a strength. Where his peers Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti found new ways to express themselves in music, Yachty dug in his heels and became Quality Control's oddball representative, acquitting himself on guest appearances and graduating from punchline rapper to respectable vet culminating in the dense and rewarding Lil Boat 3 from 2020, Yachty's last official album.

Which is why the buzzy, viral "Poland" from the end of 2022 hit different — Yachty tapped back into the same lively tenor of his early breakthroughs. The vibrato was on ten, the beat menaced and hummed like a broken heater, he rapped about taking cough syrup in Poland, it was over in under two minutes and endlessly replayable. Yachty has already lived a full career arc in seven years — from the 2016 king of the teens, to budding superstar, to pitchman, to regional ambassador. But following "Poland" with self-aware attempts at similar virality would be a mistake, and you can't pivot your way to radio stardom after a hit like that, unless you're a marketing genius like Lil Nas X. How does he follow up his improbable second chance to grab the zeitgeist?

#NowPlaying

Lil yachty, 'poland'.

Let's Start Here is Lil Yachty's reinvention, a born-again Artist's Statement with no rapping. It's billed as psychedelic rock but has a decidedly accessible sound — the sun-kissed warmth of an agreeable Tame Impala song, with bounce-house rhythms and woozy guitars in the mode of Magdalena Bay and Mac DeMarco (both of whom guest on the album) — something that's not quite challenging but satisfying nonetheless. Contrast with 2021's Michigan Boy Boat , where Yachty performed as tour guide through Michigan rap: His presence was auxiliary by function on that tape, as he ceded the floor to Babyface Ray, Sada Baby and Rio Da Yung OG; it was tantalizing curation, if not a work of his own personal artistry. It's tempting to cast Let's Start Here as another act of roleplay, but what holds this album together is Yachty's magnetic pull. Whether or not you're someone who voluntarily listens to the Urban Outfitters-approved slate of artists he's drawing upon, his star presence is what keeps you engaged here.

Yachty has been in the studio recording this album since 2021, and the effort is tangible. He didn't chase "Poland" with more goofy novelties, but he also didn't spit this record out in a month. Opener (and highlight) "The Black Seminole" alternates between Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix-lite references. It's definitely a gauntlet thrown even if halfway through you start to wonder where Yachty is. The album's production team mostly consists of Patrick Wemberly (formerly of Chairlift), Jacob Portrait (of Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Jeremiah Raisen (who's produced for Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira and Drake) and Yachty himself, who's established himself as a talented producer since his early days. (MGMT's Ben Goldwasser also contributed.) The group does a formidable job composing music that is dense and layered enough to register as formally unconventional, if not exactly boundary-pushing. Yachty frequently reaches for his "Poland"-inspired uber-vibrato, which adds a bewitching texture to the songs, placing him in the center of the track. Other moments that work: the spoken-word interlude "Failure," thanks to contemplative strumming from Alex G, and "The Ride," a warm slow-burn that coasts on a Jam City beat, giving the album a lustrous Night Slugs moment. "I've Officially Lost Vision" thrashes like Yves Tumor.

Yet the best songs on Let's Start Here push Yachty's knack for hooks and snaking melodies to the fore and rely less on studio fireworks — the laid-back groove of "Running Out of Time," the mournful post-punk of "Should I B?" and the slow burn of "Pretty," which features a bombastic turn from vocalist Foushee. That Yachty's vaunted indie collaborators were able to work in simpatico with him proves his left-of-center bonafides. It's a reminder that he's often lined his projects with successful non-rap songs, curios like "Love Me Forever" from Lil Boat 2 and "Worth It" from Nuthin' 2 Prove . That renders Let's Start Here a less startling turn than it may appear at first glance, and also underlines his recurring talent for making off-kilter pop music, a gift no matter the perceived genre.

At a listening event for the record, Yachty stated: "I created [this] because I really wanted to be taken seriously as an artist. Not just some SoundCloud rapper, not some mumble rapper. Not some guy that just made one hit," seemingly aware of the culture war within his own genre and his place along the spectrum of low- to highbrow. To be sure, whether conscious of it or not, this kind of mentality is dismissive of rap music as an artform, and also undermines the good music Yachty has made in the past. Holing up in the studio to make digestibly "weird" indie-rock with a cast of talented white people isn't intrinsically more artistic or valid than viral hits or a one-off like "Poland." But this statement scans less as self-loathing and more as a renewed confidence, a tribute to the album's collective vision. And people like Joe Budden have been saying "I don't think Yachty is hip-hop " since he started. So what if he wants to break rank now?

Lil Yachty entered the cultural stage at 18, and has grown up in public. It adds up that, now 25, he would internalize all the scrutiny he's received and wish to cement his artistry after a few thankless years rewriting the rules for young, emerging rappers. Let's Start Here may not be the transcendent psychedelic rock album that he seeks, but it is reflective of an era of genreless "vibes" music. Many young listeners likely embraced Yachty and Tame Impala simultaneously; it tracks he would want to bring these sounds together in a genuine attempt to reach a wider audience. Nothing about this album is cynical, but it is opportunistic, a creation in line with both a shameless mixed-media existence and his everchanging pop alchemy. The "genre" tag in streaming metadata means less than it ever has. Credit to Yachty for putting that knowledge to use.

Who Is Opening Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia: Circus Maximus Tour?’

Travis Scott will officially embark on his delayed Utopia: The Circus Maximus Tour this week, kicking off the 28-city swing for his new album Utopia in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Spectrum Center this Wednesday, October 11. He’ll be accompanied by fellow Texas genre-bending rapper Teezo Touchdown, who is also fresh off the release of an album, How Do You Sleep At Night? You can learn more about him below.

Who Is Opening Travis Scott’s Utopia: Circus Maximus Tour ?

30-year-old Teezo Touchdown hails from Beaumont, Texas, and is probably best known for his unique look, which involves an elaborate fusion of high-fashion and punk aesthetics and his signature habit of draping himself in nails, usually in his hair. He first began to gain attention thanks to his detailed videos for tracks like “Strong Friend,” “Careful,” “Sucka!” and “Rooting For You,” and music that crosses over from emo to pop-punk to hip-hop, often mashing them up.

His eye-catching style and holistic approach to branding himself have won him such co-signers as Drake and Tyler The Creator — the latter of whom he toured with last year .

Since then, Teezo has collaborated with Don Toliver , Lil Yachty, Rico Nasty , Travis Scott, and more, appearing on Utopia and most recently landing a feature on Drake’s new album For All The Dogs .

While there’s still plenty of skepticism about him, he’s got the sort of momentum that ensures he’ll be a features fixture for the foreseeable future and with a performance style marked by exuberant crowd interactions, it’ll certainly be worth getting to Travis’ shows early to catch him do his thing.

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The Best Dressed Rappers Of 2023, Ranked

Is Lil Uzi Vert flyer than ASAP Rocky? Here, we rank the best dressed rappers of 2023 and determine who was the most stylish one this year.

What a year it has been for hip-hop style. As hip-hop turned 50 this year, our favorite rappers only proved that this genre is still pushing the needle and defining what contemporary fashion is today. Whether it’s through music videos, Instagram fit pics, or paparazzi shots, these rappers are not only shaping the look of this era of hip-hop, but influencing how plenty of people get dressed every day.

There was a lot of music to be excited about this year. Travis Scott finally released Utopia, and Lil Yachty shifted gears with his genre-bending album Let’s Start Here . While we certainly appreciate these great hip-hop albums, that’s for another list. What we’re here to speak about is who was truly the best-dressed rapper this year. 

The rappers on this list have all found ways to separate themselves from the pack. They’re not just blindly following trends or showing up in whatever the hottest brands of the moment are. To be clear, there are many stylish rappers who aren’t highlighted here. That doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t think they’re stylish. These individuals just did it a bit better.

Here’s our ranking of the best-dressed rappers of 2023.

10. Travis Scott

Travis Scott perfectly blends high fashion with casual streetwear styling. And with the release of his long-anticipated album Utopia this year, he maintained his own unique style while leaning into gothic designers for subdued-yet-classy fits. This year, La Flame seemingly only wore Rick Owens cargo pants alongside pieces by Balenciaga, Greg Ross, or Courtney MC. Scott hasn’t leaned into these dystopic labels to the point of becoming a designer vampire like Playboi Carti—note, just because Carti isn’t on this list doesn’t mean we don’t love King Vamp. Instead, Scott has stuck to a wardrobe that’s still casual enough that the masses can continue following his stylistic choices while also sourcing clothes that fit Utopia ’s brooding atmosphere. What that makes is two Scotts. One’s still dressing calm enough to continue being America’s most approachable hip-hop pitchman—pedaling everything from Nike Mac Attacks to Audemars Piguet–embellished streetwear. The other Scott is found onstage, wearing custom Inuit shades in Mad Max -esque fits that look like they were pulled off raiders in Fallout video games. If Travis leaned more into these distinctive tour looks, perhaps he would be bumped higher on this list. Yet his style is still setting trends, and he hasn’t lost his Midas touch with selling nearly anything he cosigns. That alone continues to make him one of the best-dressed rappers today. — Lei Takanashi

Dressing like Michael Jackson without looking like you’re wearing a costume is no easy feat, but Offset pulls it off. Throughout 2023, he’s taken inspiration from the King of Pop, wearing close copies of his uniform: gloves, slim trousers or jeans, structured military jackets, socks , and loafers. Somehow, Offset makes the looks feel current and new. That’s probably because he’s established his own sense of style that aligns with the MJ outfits. Offset understands silhouettes well. He can pull off more slim-fitting outfits, like a black moto jacket , jeans, and moto boots. He has no problem wearing baggier looks, like a T-shirt with Chrome Hearts jeans . He’s also good with color, like mixing different shades of green , or rocking this full hot pink look . And we have to mention his Denim Tears collaboration (Offset Tears), which became a strong uniform during the press run for his solo album Set It Off . Offset also got more adventurous with his hair in 2023 by playing with different clips, barrettes, and accessories . He understands what looks good on him and puts together outfits that feel cool and fresh, but are still classic.— Aria Hughes 

Smino has fun with his looks. He understands color, shape, and pairing pieces together in an unconventional way without looking clownish, which is a skill. That came through during his Paris tour stop , when he wore a colorblocked satin jacket, polka dot scarf tied around his head, and baggy cargo jeans. Or how about when he donned a multicolored striped sweater with a pair of jeans covered in colorful patches? But even when he’s not playing with color and going for something more subdued, the looks still hit. Like when he wore a striped T-shirt, leather jacket, and baggy jeans with a studded belt and green scrunchie as a bracelet, or when he put on a basic black shirt and olive green shorts but amped it up with a furry newsboy cap .There is something very Midwestern about his sensibilities (he hails from St. Louis) that feels reminiscent of St. Lunatics' style from the 2000s . But Smino makes every look his own, not relying on luxury designers to make a statement. We’d be remiss to not mention his best accessory—his hair. He styles it in a variety of ways (twistouts, Afro, braids) and usually accentuates it with barettes and accessories. Some even say he influenced Drake and Rocky, who have both leaned into hair accessories more in 2023. Smino’s name might not be as widely recognized as others on this list, but he deserves a spot for his dedication to interesting looks that feel distinctly him. — Aria Hughes

Aminé isn’t just one of the most underrated rappers in the game. He’s also a bit slept on when it comes to his personal style. What makes the Portland native’s style so great is how true it feels to him. Some artists, as good as the results may be, feel like they’re just wearing what their stylist put on a rack for them. Aminé is wearing what he genuinely likes. Sometimes that’s a clean Arc’teryx jacket to fend off the rainy conditions (anyone from the Pacific Northwest knows you need to keep a rain jacket in the rotation). Sometimes he’s repping under the radar brands like Clints . The biggest flex of all—sometimes it’s his own brand, Club Banana. Aminé isn’t just dressing well. He’s designing pieces so that all of his fans can too. And don’t forget about the two amazing New Balance projects that he got to release in 2023. With the backing of a big brand like that (and designers like Jacquemus making sure he’s front row for every show), Aminé’s profile in the style world will only continue to rise. And he deserves the praise. — Mike DeStefano

6. Kendrick Lamar

Ever since Kendrick Lamar crowned himself “best dressed” on “The Hillbillies,” he’s been doing his best to live up to the title. A lot of the time, that means he’s draped in the latest wares from Martine Rose and Wales Bonner. Kendrick was basically an unofficial model for the former designer throughout 2023. Who could forget the custom look from Rose’s Fall 2023 collection that he wore to the Grammys? The partnership’s most recent wrinkle was an official merch collab that debuted at Camp Flog Gnaw. And when he isn’t rocking Martine Rose from head to toe, he’s even making fake Air Jordan 12s look good or hitting the streets of Paris in elegant Chanel looks. While we don’t necessarily agree with K-Dot’s “best dressed” proclamation, there’s no denying that he’s leveled up his style and deserves his flowers. But when he’s channeling a style icon like Taz Arnold , I guess we shouldn’t have expected anything less. – Mike DeStefano

5. Pharrell

Pharrell’s style has probably influenced everyone on this list, and while he could easily rest on his laurels—at 50 years old his title as a style icon is more than solidified—but he continues to express himself through fashion and wear clothes really well. The year started with his surprising appointment as the creative director at Louis Vuitton Men’s. From there, he wore touches of Louis Vuitton like an LV logo newsboy hat designed by Nigo, a monogram motorcycle jacket, and slightly flared jeans that perfectly hugged his bulky LV Trainer Snow Boots. Pharrell understands what works for him, but still tries out new things. For his Something In The Water music festival in Virginia Beach, he gave more hints at his Louis Vuitton era like a bold multicolored moto jacket covered in crystallized logos. And the bandage he was rocking on his chin for a few weeks best represented Pharrell’s way with garments and accessories. On someone else, you would have guessed they had a scar that needed covering up. But on Pharrell, it looked like a fashion statement, even if it wasn’t. After debuting his first collection for Louis Vuitton in June, he spent the remainder of men’s Fashion Week in Paris attending other shows and acting as a walking billboard for his designs, whether he was toting the collapsible yellow Speedy bag or sipping from an LV coffee cup. We appreciate that Pharrell still maintains a touch of novelty with his looks. And we can always sense his true love for clothes. Right now, he’s really into a pair of black aviators with an orange lens. Some might argue he should be number one on this list based on his impact and years in the game, but his predecessors like Rocky, Yachty, and Tyler have more influence on the younger generation right now. — Aria Hughes

4. Lil Uzi Vert

There’s a fearlessness to Lil Uzi Vert’s style that is unmatched in comparison to their contemporaries. Uzi still upholds the tenets of hip-hop flyness by wearing designer clothes from head to toe with a ridiculous amount of jewelry —of course they hit Eliantte to ice out their flash drive . But their personal style truly flourishes when they lean into their outlandish personality. That Balenciaga look they wore in the Gibson Hazard–directed trailer for the release of Pink Tape this year could have slid into any rapper’s wardrobe. But how Uzi wears it with a mullet while sparring with ancient samurais gives the look a sense of identity that’s more aligned with anime or Japanese RPGs than hip-hop music videos. It’s these quirky choices that makes Uzi a style icon. That Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards red carpet fit? A master class in tastefully riffing off the nerd and punk archetypes one would find in those same Nicktoons. And on the red carpet of the MTV VMAs this year, Uzi showed they might be the only rapper who could cheekily make Balenciaga look like an elevated pajama set they rolled off a tour bus with. 

Uzi’s natural ability to make any look pop is likely why Pharrell sent him a full fit from Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection— 22 hours after it hit the runway —so that Uzi could wear it to the BET Awards. At times, it does feel like Uzi really just puts on the most expensive luxury garments money could buy without really thinking about the overall look. But it’s clear that when Uzi taps into his weirdness, his style is untouchable. — Lei Takanashi

3. Tyler The Creator

A pastel-colored knit sweater or cardigan. A perfectly pressed pair of chinos that sits just above the ankle. A crispy white pair of socks. Some tasseled loafers. A New Era fitted. This is Tyler, the Creator’s uniform. And the 32-year-old has perfected it, so much so that he’s designing it himself now. Remember those amazing looks we saw in the videos for “Wharf Talk” and “Heaven to Me” ? His wardrobe is rooted in classic preppy style, but he makes it his own through his expert use of color. It’s something he’s been good at since the early days of his career when he was exclusively wearing vibrant striped T-shirts and ripped jean shorts. Now he’s just recontextualized it for a new aesthetic. As traditional as his wardrobe is, Tyler still makes sure to flex a statement piece every now and then. He was the first person we saw toting the red Speedy bag from Pharrell’s debut collection with Louis Vuitton. And his work with Alex Moss, like a pearl belt buckle and bell hop chain , is some of the best custom jewelry we’ve seen since Pharrell and Jacob the Jeweler’s linkups in the 2000s. 

Tyler, the Creator has made it known that he’s meticulous when it comes to his creative process. He’s waxed poetic about being nerdy about the things you truly love. With a mindset like that, his excellent personal style and the attention to detail he exhibits really shouldn’t be so surprising. — Mike DeStefano

2. ASAP Rocky

ASAP Rocky’s style has always felt intentional, yet effortless. He’s a rapper who’s fly enough to continue being an ambassador for a luxury house like Gucci or release an F1-inspired collaboration with Puma. Yet he’s still able to build outfits that aren’t crutched by luxury logos. While Rocky is committed to certain looks or brands like his contemporaries, it never feels like he’s trying too hard to wear anything he puts on (no wonder his kids are so fly). Whether it’s Boro pieces from the emerging Japanese label Proleta Re Art or his many Bottega Veneta fits this year, Rocky just naturally knows how to put an outfit together without prescribing to a uniform. Although it was recently revealed that Rocky was wearing a lot of Bottega this year so that paparazzi could capture him in the label’s Pre-Spring 2024 collection for an official campaign , it never looked like Rocky was forced to wear the label’s clothes for an ad. Instead, he turned the luxury label’s apparel into statement pieces, effortlessly stepping out with Bottega’s boxy suits and leather Intrecciato bags with a swagger that only he has. This is likely the reason Bottega opted to use paparazzi shots of Rocky instead of a traditional stylized campaign. 

Truthfully, a lot of garments look good on Pretty Flacko because he lives up to his nickname. But what’s distinguishable about Rocky’s style is that it still feels true to his own tastes, even when his outfits are referential. For example, his looks in the “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n)” music video paid homage to the kilt-clad WWE wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. But Rocky didn’t cosplay him. Instead, he used Piper’s style as the foundation, wearing a plaid kilt with archival Issey Miyake bomber jackets and grenade-shaped chains by Alex Moss. What’s also admirable about Rocky’s style is that he has a clear reverence for hip-hop fashion of the past, but brings it back in a tasteful way. In “Riot” he channels Juelz Santana’s American flag “Dipset Anthem” outfit through an air-brushed leather piece by the British designer Gerrit Jacob—and don’t forget that beautiful Pelle Pelle he pulled out earlier this year. Granted that a Puma collaboration isn’t as hot as Nike, there’s a reason why Rocky was picked to bridge F1 with fashion. It’s because he’s a rapper whose personal style is formulated to make you pay attention. — Lei Takanashi

1. Lil Yachty

Has any rapper had as great of a 2023 as Lil Yachty has? Not only did he step out of his comfort zone to drop the experimental album Let’s Start Here and rack up production credits with Drake on For All the Dogs , he also cemented himself as the best-dressed rapper in the game right now. Just look at the “Tesla” video if you need further proof. What makes Yachty’s style so great isn’t just his versatility, it’s that it’s not hard to replicate. If one of his outfits inspired you enough to recreate it, you certainly can. Some people on TikTok have already tried.  

In 2023, Yachty’s go-to was vintage sports gear (if you follow him, you know he always asks his followers the best vintage spots to check out whenever he pulls up to a new city) from retro hockey jerseys to rare Starter jackets. He also mixed in his fair share of designer pieces like Bode crochet shirts or Balenciaga coats covered in paint splatters . More notable than all of the designer pieces are all of the items from up-and-coming brands that we see him pull out. He’s clearly staying on the pulse of what’s new and exciting in fashion, and isn’t afraid to give it a platform. Aris Tatalovich and The Filthy Project are just a few of the many young brands he’s championed in the last calendar year. As easy as most of Yachty’s outfits are to riff on, he makes sure to add that extra detail to set them apart, like $1 million diamond teeth or a pair of Cactus Plant Flea Market’s Nike Air Flea 2s before they’ve even been released to the public. But most importantly, no matter what he puts on, he wears it well. That’s not something everyone can say. Considering the various aesthetics that Yachty’s outfits pull from, his ability to pull off whatever he throws on is that much more impressive. – Mike DeStefano

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Why were so many metro stations in Moscow renamed?

Okhotny Ryad station in Soviet times and today.

The Moscow metro system has 275 stations, and 28 of them have been renamed at some point or other—and several times in some cases. Most of these are the oldest stations, which opened in 1935.

The politics of place names

The first station to change its name was Ulitsa Kominterna (Comintern Street). The Comintern was an international communist organization that ceased to exist in 1943, and after the war Moscow authorities decided to call the street named after it something else. In 1946, the station was renamed Kalininskaya. Then for several days in 1990, the station was called Vozdvizhenka, before eventually settling on Aleksandrovsky Sad, which is what it is called today.

The banner on the entraince reads: "Kalininskaya station." Now it's Alexandrovsky Sad.

Until 1957, Kropotkinskaya station was called Dvorets Sovetov ( Palace of Soviets ). There were plans to build a monumental Stalinist high-rise on the site of the nearby Cathedral of Christ the Saviour , which had been demolished. However, the project never got off the ground, and after Stalin's death the station was named after Kropotkinskaya Street, which passes above it.

Dvorets Sovetov station, 1935. Letters on the entrance: "Metro after Kaganovich."

Of course, politics was the main reason for changing station names. Initially, the Moscow Metro itself was named after Lazar Kaganovich, Joseph Stalin’s right-hand man. Kaganovich supervised the construction of the first metro line and was in charge of drawing up a master plan for reconstructing Moscow as the "capital of the proletariat."

In 1955, under Nikita Khrushchev's rule and during the denunciation of Stalin's personality cult, the Moscow Metro was named in honor of Vladimir Lenin.

Kropotkinskaya station, our days. Letters on the entrance: "Metropolitan after Lenin."

New Metro stations that have been opened since the collapse of the Soviet Union simply say "Moscow Metro," although the metro's affiliation with Vladimir Lenin has never officially been dropped.

Zyablikovo station. On the entrance, there are no more signs that the metro is named after Lenin.

Stations that bore the names of Stalin's associates were also renamed under Khrushchev. Additionally, some stations were named after a neighborhood or street and if these underwent name changes, the stations themselves had to be renamed as well.

Until 1961 the Moscow Metro had a Stalinskaya station that was adorned by a five-meter statue of the supreme leader. It is now called Semyonovskaya station.

Left: Stalinskaya station. Right: Now it's Semyonovskaya.

The biggest wholesale renaming of stations took place in 1990, when Moscow’s government decided to get rid of Soviet names. Overnight, 11 metro stations named after revolutionaries were given new names. Shcherbakovskaya became Alekseyevskaya, Gorkovskaya became Tverskaya, Ploshchad Nogina became Kitay-Gorod and Kirovskaya turned into Chistye Prudy. This seriously confused passengers, to put it mildly, and some older Muscovites still call Lubyanka station Dzerzhinskaya for old times' sake.

At the same time, certain stations have held onto their Soviet names. Marksistskaya and Kropotkinskaya, for instance, although there were plans to rename them too at one point.

"I still sometimes mix up Teatralnaya and Tverskaya stations,” one Moscow resident recalls .

 “Both have been renamed and both start with a ‘T.’ Vykhino still grates on the ear and, when in 1991 on the last day of my final year at school, we went to Kitay-Gorod to go on the river cruise boats, my classmates couldn’t believe that a station with that name existed."

The city government submitted a station name change for public discussion for the first time in 2015. The station in question was Voykovskaya, whose name derives from the revolutionary figure Pyotr Voykov. In the end, city residents voted against the name change, evidently not out of any affection for Voykov personally, but mainly because that was the name they were used to.

What stations changed their name most frequently?

Some stations have changed names three times. Apart from the above-mentioned Aleksandrovsky Sad (Ulitsa Kominterna->Kalininskaya->Vozdvizhenka->Aleksandrovsky Sad), a similar fate befell Partizanskaya station in the east of Moscow. Opened in 1944, it initially bore the ridiculously long name Izmaylovsky PKiO im. Stalina (Izmaylovsky Park of Culture and Rest Named After Stalin). In 1947, the station was renamed and simplified for convenience to Izmaylovskaya. Then in 1963 it was renamed yet again—this time to Izmaylovsky Park, having "donated" its previous name to the next station on the line. And in 2005 it was rechristened Partizanskaya to mark the 60th anniversary of victory in World War II. 

Partizanskaya metro station, nowadays.

Another interesting story involves Alekseyevskaya metro station. This name was originally proposed for the station, which opened in 1958, since a village with this name had been located here. It was then decided to call the station Shcherbakovskaya in honor of Aleksandr Shcherbakov, a politician who had been an associate of Stalin. Nikita Khrushchev had strained relations with Shcherbakov, however, and when he got word of it literally a few days before the station opening the builders had to hastily change all the signs. It ended up with the concise and politically correct name of Mir (Peace).

The name Shcherbakovskaya was restored in 1966 after Khrushchev's fall from power. It then became Alekseyevskaya in 1990.

Alekseyevskaya metro station.

But the station that holds the record for the most name changes is Okhotny Ryad, which opened in 1935 on the site of a cluster of market shops. When the metro system was renamed in honor of Lenin in 1955, this station was renamed after Kaganovich by way of compensation. The name lasted just two years though because in 1957 Kaganovich fell out of favor with Khrushchev, and the previous name was returned. But in 1961 it was rechristened yet again, this time in honor of Prospekt Marksa, which had just been built nearby.

Okhotny Ryad station in 1954 and Prospekt Marksa in 1986.

In 1990, two historical street names—Teatralny Proyezd and Mokhovaya Street—were revived to replace Prospekt Marksa, and the station once again became Okhotny Ryad.

Okhotny Ryad in 2020.

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Radiators fail once more: Moscow suburbs residents appeal to Putin

R esidents across the Moscow suburbs are besieged by a heating problem, for which they plead direct intervention from President Vladimir Putin. These individuals have yet to experience any semblance of home heating since winter started due to a dwindling supply of heating oil. The issue, one largely avoided by local authority communication, has left residents desperate to the point of directly appealing to the president.

While plots have been uncovered to disrupt Ukraine's infrastructure for a second consecutive winter, thus depriving civilians of heating, it seems Russians are now mired in their crisis. Irony drips from the fact that those under Putin's leadership are looking to cause turmoil in Ukraine, yet at home, they face a similar predicament.

Many dwellings within the Moscow agglomeration are presently without heat. The capital's residents are desperate, directly appealing to President Putin due to a perceived lack of alternate avenues for assistance. The absence of suitable heating functionality since winter commenced pushes them towards desperation with no relief in sight.

This seems improbable, but in Russia, it appears that anything can happen.

It remains uncertain if Vladimir Putin is actively addressing the heating crisis. Some experts suggest that Russia's heating oil reserves are depleting, which negatively affects residents' quality of life. Plagued by cold radiators and plummeting winter temperatures, these citizens have directly addressed their pleas to their head of state.

This heating crisis is happening in Elektrostal, a town approximately 71 miles from Moscow.

Ironically, Russia has constantly aimed to destroy the Ukrainian infrastructure since war broke out, deliberately trying to leave Ukrainians without heating during the harsh winters, aiming to break their strong will. It's an irony they now struggle with a domestic heating crisis, particularly near Moscow, their largest and most pivotal city.

Desperate individuals are reaching out to Vladimir Putin. They question his knowledge of the heating infrastructure conditions in the Moscow suburbs and the dire situations residents face there. Sundown brings no relief from the harsh Russian winter and without heating, their houses turn cold. With elections nearing, more and more residents find themselves reaching out directly to their president.

"Since winter's start, we've been without heating. This has been a yearly occurrence for the past three years. Despite paying for heating, we don't have enough. We implore you, help us!" - these are the desperate pleas from the heavily dressed populace dealing with the Russian winter conditions.

Experts attribute the heating oil shortage to international sanctions and surging demands for diesel fuel, pivotal to military operations. Russia now grapples with a dearth of raw materials essential for boiler and heating plant operation. As supplies dwindle, houses grow cold with little hope of any immediate corrective intervention.

It would be adequate if the war ceased, residents were prioritized, and attention accorded to their welfare.

Russians report Ukrainian drone shot down near Moscow

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Moscow Metro Font

Moscow Metro is a multi-line display typeface inspired by the Moscow underground map. It comes in Regular and Color versions.

Moscow Metro is ideal for posters and headlines, neon signage and other artworks.

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