With the exception of a few singles and guest appearances, Lil Yachty has been relatively quiet since the release of his 2018 album, Nuthin’ 2 Prove. But he’s planning to change that this year.
“I’m not necessarily trying to prove anything to anybody, but I’m definitely trying to pop my shit,” he tells Complex.
To kick off his return, Yachty dropped a new single featuring Drake and DaBaby called “Oprah’s Bank Account.” The collaboration is accompanied by a music video, in which Yachty plays Oprah and sits down for interviews with each of the song’s guest artists. Yachty, who has partnered with LG as a part of their culture awareness campaign, uses the new LG V60 ThinQ with Dual Screen throughout the video.
The collaboration with Drake and DaBaby came about organically, but Yachty reveals he didn’t initially have the two rappers in mind when he created the record. “It’s so crazy because I originally wanted to put Lizzo on it,” he says. “I sent it to her, and I don't want to say she didn't like it, because she never got back to me on it, which was cool. I understand people are busy.” Instead, Drake ended up hopping on the song after seeing Yachty post a snippet of it on his finsta account.
The music video, which includes several shots of the LG V60 with Dual Screen, is a recreation of an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Yachty says “Oprah’s Bank Account” will set the tone for his forthcoming album, Lil Boat 3, which is coming soon. “I think this whole album, Lil Boat 3, is just fun,” he says before providing an update on the project’s whereabouts. “My album’s done. My album is coming very soon. I haven’t spoken on it yet, but it’s coming. It’s ending the trilogy to my Lil Boat series.”
Yachty hopped on the phone with Complex to speak about the new single, LG’s latest campaign and mobile device, his forthcoming album, and being misunderstood in the music industry. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.
Why did you want to get involved with LG’s culture campaign?
As an artist, I realized the most important thing to me is to be different. Every phone is touchscreen, but I like to always start with something different, with anything I do. I like to be different. Ever since I came in, people have been turning their back on me, and I always felt like the underdog. I just felt different. Ain’t no other phone got two screens. That’s different. I like that, and want to be associated with it, as opposed to everybody else going this way or going that way.
You mentioned the dual screens. Can you elaborate on why this is so unique?
It’s not a feature that’s common. It’s clearly different. I don’t think everybody can relate to this, but my computer has two screens, too. Some people have two screens on their computers, but being able to do two things at one time, it’s a lot easier. I’m able to get more than one thing done, you know, juggle two things at once. I can play a game or stream online, look at the analytics. You could have YouTube running and your Instagram on at the same time, or be sending a text and have Instagram going at the same time. It’s pretty cool. It sheds a lot of time.
“Drake follows my finsta, which is crazy. And he was like, ‘Yo, this is dope,’ which blew my mind.”
How did your collaboration with Drake and DaBaby on “Oprah’s Bank Account” come about?
I did the song by myself. DaBaby, he had a meet and greet in Atlanta, and I went. I didn’t necessarily know he was going to like this song or want to get on it. I didn’t play it for him and he hadn’t heard it. But I hung out with him for three or four hours there, and I was like, “You want to go to the studio?" He came and I played it, and he loved it. He thought it was a hit, so he hopped on it, which was really cool. That was maybe three or four days after I made it.
It’s so crazy because I originally wanted to put Lizzo on it. I sent it to her, and I don’t want to say she didn’t like it, because she never got back to me on it, which was cool. I understand people are busy. And then I posted a snippet on my finsta. Drake follows my finsta, which is crazy. And he was like, “Yo, this is dope,” which blew my mind. Of course that’s the homie, but him showing love like that, [was cool]. Then he [told me to] send it through. I didn’t know he was serious, but he got on it.
How would you describe the music video?
It’s basically a re-creation of an old Oprah TV show episode. It’s fun. I hope people enjoy it, and I hope it’s an uptempo vibe. That’s what it’s about. I don’t have a purpose for the song, just to be fun and be a vibe.
“My album’s done. My album is coming very soon. It’s ending the trilogy to my Lil Boat series.”
This is a huge collaboration. How do you think this song and video will set the tone for the next chapter of your career?
Well, I think this whole album Lil Boat 3 is just fun. I think the song’s so good and catchy, my fans will appreciate it. That’s the most important thing. There’s people who love me and who’ve been with me throughout these years. They enjoy it, and it’s something for them. The album is just as fun.
You mentioned an album. Is there an update on when that’s coming?
Oh, yeah. My album’s done. My album is coming very soon. I haven’t spoken on it yet, but it’s coming. It’s ending the trilogy to my Lil Boat series.
Are there any misconceptions about you as an artist at this stage in your career?
It’s been a misunderstanding since I came into music or since 2016. I’m not necessarily trying to prove anything to anybody, but I’m definitely trying to pop my shit. I don’t want to get too deep into it, but I’m definitely determined.
What’s the most important thing you want people to know about you right now?
I don’t think I have too much to share about myself. I’ve been kind of quiet for the past year, and I think I’ll open up more as it gets closer to the album and start doing my run. I’ll start speaking up more, but I let people think what they want to think. It’s a lot of misconceptions and misleading stories out there that a lot people believe in when I read a lot of comments. There’s a lot of negativity, but I won’t let it break me or upset me, because it is what it is. I’ll talk more on everything sooner or later.
