Lil Yachty, who's just 19 years old, has emerged as a lamentable presence in hip-hop for those who prefer their rappers to be classically trained lyricists. He's had a few squabbles with Ebro, and he even dedicated a song to the HOT 97 host on his latest mixtape, Summer Songs 2, in order to prove that he has more bars than the elder statesmen is willing to admit. Even so, Ebro dismissed "For Hot 97" as "high-school" rap. Yachty also earned the ire of hip-hop purists when an old tweet of his that read "Fuck J. Cole" was unearthed. He soon explained that he was trolling but also admitted that he doesn't listen to J. Cole. Now he's been quoted as saying something that'll likely be even more divisive.
In a new interview with Billboard, Yachty revealed that he "honestly couldn't name five songs" from the two rappers who are widely regarded as the best to ever do it: Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G.
Yachty doesn't see his lack of knowledge about the two late greats as an issue. After making the surprising admission, he went on to say, "But if I'm doing this my way and making all this money, why should I do it how everybody says it's supposed to be done?"
Just like his detractors, Yachty doesn't consider himself to be a lyricist in the traditional sense. He does, however, deem himself a rapper. Ebro andd like-minded folks likely think it blasphemous that he didn't learn his craft by listening to Ready to Die and All Eyez on Me. But why are they really mad: Is it that hip-hop is changing or is it that they think the barrier to entry (and to subsequent success) is weaker than it has been before?
