After years of anticipation, Lil Yachty has dropped his newest album, Let’s Start Here, a promising start in a new direction for the rapper.

Lil Yachty’s career has been one that was mostly found within the rap genre over his 7-year run in the industry. With some of his more recent songs beginning to branch out of the rap genre entirely, fans were expecting something different for his new album, and something different he delivered.

Despite success in the rap game, Yachty wanted to do something different and innovate his music more. Thus, we have his newest album, taking heavy influence from rock and psychedelic music from earlier ages of music.

The album has its strong points, with Yachty’s vocals and instrumentals being highlights of the album on many of the songs, as he shows his versatility in his music. The album is also one that packs a lot of content, clocking in at a 57-minute length over the course of 14 songs.

The album flows well, as songs will often end with a musical transition to the next instrumental, making the listening experience even more smooth and enjoyable. Instrumentals in this album will often play out by themselves on many of the tracks, allowing the listener to fully enjoy the production and relax while listening.

Despite the positive aspects, there are some noticeable negatives that hold the album back from being a truly amazing album.

The songs can drag on at times, with there being minutes on end of just instrumentals, or instrumentals with minimal vocals, leading to parts of the album that really make you feel the 57-minute runtime. Additionally, Yachty’s vocals and lyrics leave something to be desired on some of the tracks like “Running Out of Time” and “I’ve Officially Lost Vision,” which often feel like a first take of a song, rather than a perfected product made over the course of years.

Despite the positive reviews surrounding the project, the unique take and the experimental nature of Let’s Start Here have left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans of Lil Yachty, and of rap music in general, leading to the album having rather mixed reception across the internet.

Regardless of the negative feedback or flaws on the album, it’s refreshing to see an artist flourish more into other genres and other styles of music in an industry where a lot of the music tends to have the same vibe to it all. Whether or not Yachty continues down this road, it’s safe to say that innovation in the music industry is still alive and well.