Lil Yachty hasn't just grown as a rapper this decade, as he's also stepped into the fashion world via various collabs, partnerships, and through his generally eclectic style and taste. But he still has a lot of hot takes about the streetwear world to offer, such as those he espoused at his recent ThriftConversations panel appearance at ThriftCon Atlanta last Saturday (February 28).
During Yachty's conversation with ThriftCon cofounder Mario Conte, he answered a question from Conte to CasshyVee about how not to "confuse taste with access." "If you have the right money, you can buy the right brands," Conte said.
"That's not true, though, 'cause a lot of rappers cannot dress and they got money," the Atlanta artist remarked at around the 19-minute mark of the YouTube video below. "I call it a 'cheat code.' When you see somebody dress mannequin, head to toe in one brand, it's a cheat code. You a mannequin. That's easy, what you mean? You take the mannequin in the store... That's what people do, and that's what stylists do, and that's what differentiates someone who can spend a couple of hours in a thrift store versus somebody who just gon' go right in Balenciaga right off the mannequin."
Vee disagreed with this being a cheat code because it isn't making these folks any better, but he understood Yachty's point overall. "Access and money really don't do nothing for you unless you're using it with good taste," he remarked, which Yachty disagreed with. He brought up a hypothetical example of a woman preferring a suitor in a Ferrari rather than one in a busted-up Nissan.
Lil Yachty's New York City Fashion Take
For those unaware, Lil Yachty's had hot fashion takes before. He previously questioned the acclaim and prevalence associated with New York City streetwear, which made many NYC MCs clap back indignantly.
We doubt the conversation around this take about rappers and their fashion sense will go over any more amicably. Still, Yachty's in a position right now to lead by example. He can eschew the "mannequin" approach in favor of more creative perspectives, inspiring others to follow his lead.
