Image by Maxwell Tomlinson

Playing his first ever Australian headline shows, Atlanta’s Lil Yachty spoke to Tommy Codling about the personalities he shares through his music, a love for Tyler the Creator and doing his own thing.

As one of rap’s biggest and most controversial names, the self-proclaimed ‘King of the Teens’ isn’t sure how exactly he ended up as the poster boy for youth and modern hip hop.

“I really don’t know, it kind of just happened, you know? Like I never had the idea of being a role model. It was never the intention, it just kind of happened.”

Disrupting the genre with his brand of ‘bubblegum trap’, fashion and aesthetics are both integral to his artistry. Lil Yachty makes clear that above all, he’s just expressing himself.

“I never tried to get any point across. I never tried to show anybody that I could do anything… I just kinda do me. I kind of have my own style. I never tried to be like better than anybody, I kind of just did my own thing.”

Discussing the different personalities he shares through his music, Yachty explains the shift between multiple characters on his debut album, ‘Teenage Emotions’.

“Darnell is the narrator, the uncle and moderator. Yachty and Boat are the two different personas that I kind of have. The one who’s very aggressive and trying to get his point across, and the other one which would be Yachty which is more calm and just like more melodies and more collected.”

He also found time to give Tyler The Creator a shout out too.

“He’s a smart person… he’s a good rapper too but he just takes his image so much more serious than most artists, you know when it comes to clothing, videos, everything he’s just super creative. He’s so good at setting himself apart, you know? Staying away from the hype. If everyone does one thing he’s going to go do the opposite.”

Hear Lil Yachty chat with Tommy Codling in full, and listen out for hints at new music on the way.