When you come from living in a dorm room with no clothes, no girls, no cars, and then you go to having three cars, girls, and money, you can't help but be genuinely happy that things are moving in a positive direction.
— Lil Yachty
I don't feed into negativity. I thankfully don't. That's just me.
I feel like people just try and throw a shot at me just so I can respond.
When I made 'Lil Boat,' my first mixtape, I didn't have a drop date, a due date. I didn't have critics rating on it; I was just making it. And then when I finished it, I dropped it at my own smoothness, at my own pace.
You have to understand that your music isn't for everybody; your job isn't to please everybody.
I am happy every day, because life is moving in a very positive way.
I never freestyle. I always give a written verse cause I just don't wanna go out like that.
If you got the talent and the drive, there are ways to get noticed.
I'm genuinely, near and dear, truly rich.
Ain't nobody ever seen a picture of me with no gun. I have my guns for safety.
I feel like Soulja Boy was one of the smartest when it came to connecting with your fans and taking that to another level.
I used to have visions of flashing lights and red carpets.
I felt love on 'Lil Boat 2.' People say my first project, 'Lil Boat,' was my best project, but I didn't feel it because I was so new, and it took a minute to grow.
My mother always taught me a lot of important life lessons, and she would always tell me how important it was to tip. We didn't have much money, so we would tip what we could. Now, it's at the point I'm financially stable. When I'm out eating, I hope I have the cash, but if I write it on the receipt, I'll leave a big tip.
I'm half-and-half on school. I had fun in grade school, but when I went to college, it was the worst place I've ever been in my entire life.
If you're a fan of me, then you know my friends, because I push them just as hard.
I always knew I was going to be something. I didn't know what.
I hate being alone. That's why I like being with my friends: we've got energy; we're social as hell.
I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't do nothing, bro.
I always hear I have the voice-over voice.
I'm out here trying to promote positivity on a global scale.
I was in a group called the Yacht Club, and they were all older than me. I was kind of the baby.
When I first started recording music, we would record in the closet with socks on the mic.
I'm like HBK. I'm like Shawn Michaels.
I'm the outcast of the hip-hop game.
I'm not the best rapper; I'm not trying to be the best rapper.
I rightfully respect Killer Mike a hundred percent. He knows my father; he's known my father for years.
My only goal is to impress my fans.
I'm like the youth's big brother now. I have to be that voice for them.
Lil Boat 2' people liked, but it was all rap. Some thought it was too much.
My dad did not play Biggie or Tupac, so I had never heard it.
I enjoyed being a teenager.
I ask myself all the time, 'How do I always go viral?'
Just do what you want to do, and who cares what people think. That's always been my thing.
I love Beyonce and Jay Z.
It was a shock to everyone when I became a rapper. Huge shock to everyone. But I knew it all along. I just didn't want to tell anybody cause then it's like, What if it doesn't work?
I want to do movies.
When you're in the studio, you can't be like, 'I want to make music that everybody will like!' You have really understand your fan base, what they like, and that's what you do it for.
One thing Kid Cudi did that I always wanted to do was the crop top, but I need to get in shape if I want to do that.
I feel like Soulja Boy was one of the smartest when it came to connecting with your fans and taking that to another level. That's how you get the real love. Someone will love you, but if they feel like they know you or they can relate to you, it's a real genuine, solid love, even when you're down.
The old way of coming up in the game is over.
I am honored to be chosen for this collaboration; I grew up watching Disney and using Beats headphones. Now I get to represent them both - it's unreal.
There's no way I'm not gonna have a gun, 'cause you just never know what'll go down in Atlanta. But I'd rather be able to protect myself and have the right, and not have to think about the consequences if I'm just trying to protect myself.
I was always curious about, like, how does hot sauce work? Growing up I used to wonder, 'If I touched it, was it hot?'
I'm pretty normal. That's why I feel like I hope most teenagers can relate.
I'm an emotional person. I'm not going to deny that. If I feel a certain way, I'll express it on the track.
I always felt like I had something to prove. It's always been, 'I gotta show them that I can still rap. I gotta show them I can still make a hit or sell out a show.'
My mom and dad got divorced when I was, like, 8, and when I went to my dad's house on the weekend, he'd play a lot of music: Miles Davis, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Elton John.
You look more like a legend when you accomplish a lot at a young age.
I'm not a rapper; I'm an artist. And I'm more than an artist. I'm a brand.
