Lil Boat 3

Lil Yachty was still in his late teens when he began his ascent to commercial rap stardom, growing up in public as he consistently churned out new music. Five years after his arrival, fourth studio album Lil Boat 3 is the third and final installment of his Lil Boat series, over the course of which both his lyrical personality and musicality have evolved. The misty trap production, autotune-saturated vocals and juvenile bragging of younger days is still part of Yachty's style to some degree on Lil Boat 3, but rather than hiding behind these elements, the rapper puts himself at the forefront of the project. Yachty goes it alone for all but six of the album's 19 tracks, shining on solo songs like "Split/Whole Time" and "Black Jesus" with bouncy flows and lyrics that are equally inspired and strange. The approach swings widely over the course of Lil Boat 3, ranging from the pop greatness of standout track "Oprah's Bank Account" (a fully-loaded melodic hookfest complete with a silky verse from Drake and a characteristically vigorous contribution from DaBaby) to doomy trap blasts like "Pardon Me." Tyler, The Creator, A$AP Rocky and Tierra Whack show up for the frenzied group track "T.D.," pushing each other to take their turn on the mike somewhere weirder or more intense. It's one of the more exhilarating moments on the album, one where you can hear the shared excitement between the artists. Overall, Lil Boat 3 is a step forward in Lil Yachty's artistic development, with some of his most infectious songs and a deeper dimension slowly starting to show around the corners of his monotone style. ~ Fred Thomas