It’s fucking cold in Minnesota. That’s a fact, everyone knows it. Personally I’ve never been, but there’s enough information out there for me to conclude that the North Star State isn’t an ideal resort location. Long story short: you probably won’t catch me ice fishing or taking the polar bear plunge this winter. Midwest’s infamously bitter cold, however, doesn’t seem to faze emerging Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty at all, and it even inspires his latest song.
In “Minnesota,” Yatchy’s deceptively simple new song since last year’s equally fresh “Lil Boat,” his cheerful hook (“You need to stay out of the streets if you can’t take the heat/ Cause it get cold like Minnesota”) props up in between free-form verses. The song is part ode to the thirty-second U.S. state, part nonchalant flex on the haters. There are piano notes that hang like some chillingly sharp breeze, low-frequency bass rumbles practically ready to avalanche, and ice-cold lines from the rapper that convey the trademark toughness of contemporary Atlanta street rap.
There’s approximately twelve hundred miles separating the North Shore of Lake Superior and Atlanta’s Busy Bee Cafe, but Lil Yachty — a fresh-faced rapper with flamin’ hot Cheetos hair, no less — finds common ground between the two polar opposites, virtually bridging the gap on vibe potential. I’m sure the forefathers of hip hop never thought that one day they’d live to hear a rap song that uses Minnesota, of all places, to outline harsh street life in the inner city. But Yachty’s “Minnesota” definitely exists and it’s definitely awesome. Besides, I don’t think freezing half to death ever sounded this cool. What will these crazy kids think of next?
More about: Lil Yachty
