Teenage Emotions is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 26, 2017, by Capitol Records, Motown, and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Migos, YG, Kamaiyah, Stefflon Don, Diplo, Grace, and Sonyae Elise, among others.

Teenage Emotions
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 26, 2017 (2017-05-26)
Studio
  • Ameraycan
  • Paramount
  • Wedidit (Los Angeles)
  • Brand Media (Fairburn)
  • Free World (West Hollywood)
  • Mama's House (Georgia)
  • Migos Mansion
  • Quality Sound (Atlanta)
  • Mobile Studio Bus / Major Touring (United States)
  • Royal House (Royal Oak)
Genre
Length69:12
Label
Producer
Lil Yachty chronology
Summer Songs 2
(2016)
Teenage Emotions
(2017)
Lil Boat 2
(2018)
Singles from Teenage Emotions
  1. "Harley"
    Released: April 14, 2017
  2. "Peek a Boo"
    Released: April 14, 2017
  3. "Bring It Back"
    Released: May 4, 2017
  4. "X Men"
    Released: May 18, 2017

Teenage Emotions was supported by the singles, "Harley", "Peek a Boo", "Bring It Back", and "X Men". The album received lukewarm reviews from critics and debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200.

Promotion

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The album's first single, "Harley", was released on April 14, 2017.[2][3] The song was produced by K Swisha.[4]

The album's lead single, "Peek a Boo", was released for digital download on April 14, 2017.[5] It was later sent to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio on May 9, 2017.[6][7] The song features a guest appearance from American hip hop trio Migos, while the production was handled by Ricky Racks.[8] The song peaked at number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[9]

The album's third single, "Bring It Back", was released on May 4, 2017.[10][11] The song was produced by Free School.[4] The album's fourth single, "X Men", was released on May 18, 2017.[12][13] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Evander Griiim, while the production was handled by 30 Roc, with co-production by Tillie.[4]

Other songs

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A music video for the song, "Dirty Mouth", was released on June 23, 2017.[14] The music video for "Forever Young" featuring Diplo, was released on August 4, 2017.[15] The music video for the song, "Better" featuring Stefflon Don, was released on September 15, 2017,[16] while the music video for "Lady in Yellow", was released on September 28.[17]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.2/10[18]
Metacritic63/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [20]
The A.V. ClubC[21]
ConsequenceB−[22]
Exclaim!5/10[23]
The Guardian     [24]
The Irish Times     [25]
The Observer     [26]
Pitchfork6.8/10[1]
Rolling Stone     [27]
XXL3/5[28]

Teenage Emotions was met with lukewarm reviews.[29] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 63, based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[18]

Ryan Meaney of Consequence stated that "Lil Yachty the pop star shines on Teenage Emotions, and the wide range of styles with which he delivers his message of youthful exuberance shows a growing artist. ... Filler tracks such as "Dirty Mouth" and "Moments in Time" derail the parade of energy Teenage Emotions delivers, leaving the record with too many skip-worthy moments".[22] Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian saying "Like fellow pop-rappers Rae Sremmurd, Yachty will often use a single melody for the verse and chorus, thus creating a new, disturbing kind of catchiness, a hook that digs into your cortex with such purchase that at least one part of your subconscious is singing it at all times. His freewheeling scansion, meanwhile, stops it being monolithic or boring".[24] Sheldon Pearce, an author for Pitchfork, said, "Though far too long and sometimes aimless, Teenage Emotions is the mind of a child star blown-up and on exhibition at the epicenter of modern rap. It's there to be gawked at and appreciated, and then maybe enjoyed".[1] Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone said, "Yachty's organic, warts-and-all delivery—when being a perv, when pining for a girl, even singing a song for his mom—makes his music feel simply more naked and human, even with that layer of Auto-Tune".[27] Daniel Bromfield of Pretty Much Amazing said, "The moments when his music really comes alive with joy are the best on Teenage Emotions, and they're often the less rap-oriented moments".[30] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "The album's 70-minute length allows enough space for a bounty of mostly nondescript trap productions that support these simplistic boasts. In these tracks, Yachty sounds like he's going through a phase more than refining his individualism".[20]

Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! said, "At over an hour in length, Teenage Emotions is more quantity than quality".[23] Kitty Empire of The Observer said, "It's a graphic exemplar of the contemporary Atlanta sound: stark backing, nagging hook and staccato wordplay, as distinct from the lyricism that traditionalists hold dear".[26] Matthew Ramirez of Spin said, "It's a confusing but enjoyable record that sidesteps the rap hand-wringing and telegraphed weirdness of the drama surrounding Yachty".[31] In his review, Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club states, "He is at his most interesting on the few occasions where he slips into a sort of uncanny valley of pop music—a bizarro fantasia that he arrives at honestly, like a less satirical PC Music".[21] Scott Glaysher of XXL said, "For the majority of the 20 tracks, each has a different producer and no two songs sound alike. This both helps and hinders the listening experience. On one hand, the scattered sounds align perfectly with the overarching idea of wildly varying teenage emotions, but on the other, it's hard to attentively listen to all the way through—especially with a whopping 21 songs".[28] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Grant Rindner concluded, "Its best moments are closer to pop-punk and synth-pop than anything resembling traditional hip-hop".[32]

Commercial performance

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Teenage Emotions debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, with 46,000 album-equivalent units, of which 24,000 were streaming units and 20,000 were pure album sales.[33]

Track listing

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Teenage Emotions track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Like a Star"D33J3:43
2."DN Freestyle"Digital Nas2:10
3."Peek a Boo" (featuring Migos)Ricky Racks4:06
4."Dirty Mouth"
2:47
5."Harley"
  • McCollum
  • Karl Hamnqvist
K Swisha2:48
6."All Around Me" (featuring YG and Kamaiyah)Lex Luger3:31
7."Say My Name"
  • McCollum
  • Tariq Sharrieff
  • Eric Shamsid-Deen
  • BLSSD
  • Reefer Alston
3:06
8."All You Had to Say"
  • McCollum
  • Isaac Bynum
Earl3:39
9."Better" (featuring Stefflon Don)The Stereotypes4:02
10."Forever Young" (featuring Diplo)
2:57
11."Lady in Yellow"WondaGurl3:38
12."Moments in Time"
  • McCollum
  • Christian Boggs
Mitus2:57
13."Otha Shit (Interlude)"
Pi'erre Bourne0:50
14."X Men" (featuring Evander Griiim)
  • McCollum
  • Gloade
  • Mann
  • Porter
  • Evander Chantz
  • 30 Roc
  • Tillie[a]
2:44
15."Bring It Back"
  • McCollum
  • Ryan Buendia
  • Darnell Donohue
  • Jean-Baptiste Kouame
  • Michael McHenry
  • Alain Whyte
Free School4:52
16."Running With a Ghost" (featuring Grace)TheGoodPerry3:51
17."FYI (Know Now)"
  • McCollum
  • Peter Jennings
ILoveUPeter2:45
18."Priorities"
  • McCollum
  • Hamnqvist
K Swisha3:30
19."No More"
  • McCollum
  • Boggs
Mitus3:12
20."Made of Glass"
  • McCollum
  • Kouame
  • Buendia
  • McHenry
  • Donahue
  • Mario Jefferson
  • Jonathan Buice
  • Free School
  • R!O
3:58
21."Momma (Outro)" (featuring Sonyae Elise)
TrapMoneyBenny4:06
Total length:69:12
Target edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
22."My Business"
  • McCollum
  • Bynum
Earl3:24
23."Surrender" (featuring CL and Shaiana)
D33J5:04
Total length:77:40

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[4]

Performance

  • Lil Yachty – primary artist
  • Stefflon Don – featured artist (track 9)
  • Takeoff – featured artist (track 3)
  • Offset – featured artist (track 3)
  • CL – featured artist (track 23)
  • Evander Griiim – featured artist (track 14)
  • Sonyae Elise – featured artist (track 21)
  • YG – featured artist (track 6)
  • Kamaiyah – featured artist (track 6)
  • Quavo – featured artist (track 3)
  • Diplo – featured artist (track 10)
  • Grace – featured artist (track 16)
  • Shaiana – featured artist (track 23)
  • Tillie – additional vocals (tracks 9, 11)
  • Alain Whyte – guitars (track 15)
  • Esther Anaya – violins (track 20)

Production

  • Kevin "Coach K" Lee – executive producer
  • Pierre "Pee" Thomas – executive producer
  • Mitus – producer (tracks 12, 19)
  • Ryan "DJ Replay" Buendia – producer (tracks 15, 20)
  • Earl – producer (tracks 8, 22)
  • Darnell "Got It" Donohue – producer (tracks 15, 20)
  • 30 Roc – producer (tracks 4, 14)
  • K Swisha – producer (tracks 5, 18)
  • Ricky Racks – producer (track 3)
  • R!O – producer (track 20)
  • Pi'erre Bourne – producer (track 13)
  • ILoveUPeter – producer (track 17)
  • Jean-Baptiste – producer (tracks 15, 20)
  • Lex Luger – producer (track 6)
  • Ray McCullough – producer (track 9)
  • Michael McHenry – producer (tracks 15, 20)
  • TheGoodPerry – producer (track 16)
  • WondaGurl – producer (track 11)
  • Digital Nas – producer (track 2)
  • Diplo – producer (track 10)
  • Jeremy Reeves – producer (track 9)
  • Ray Romulus – producer (track 9)
  • D33J – producer (tracks 1, 23)
  • Reefer Alston – producer (track 7)
  • BLSSD – producer (track 7)
  • TrapMoneyBenny – producer (track 21)
  • Jonathan Yip – producer (track 9)
  • Tillie – co-producer (tracks 4, 14)
  • Dawn Golden – producer (track 10)

Technical

  • 30 Roc – engineer
  • Jason Andrews – engineer
  • Cee Copeland – assistant engineer
  • Michael "MikFly" Dottin – engineer
  • Stephen "DotCom" Farrow – engineer, mixing assistant
  • Todd Hurtt – assistant engineer
  • Christian Kuya – engineer
  • Colin Leonard – mastering
  • Tillie – engineer, mixing
  • Daryl "DJ Durel" McPherson – engineer
  • Michael Piroli – mixing assistant
  • Alex "MixedByLex" Romero – assistant engineer
  • D33J – engineer
  • Ethan Stevens – engineer
  • Brandon Suwinski – mixing assistant
  • Princston "Perfect Harmany" Terry – mixing assistant
  • Jordan "J Rich" Walker – engineer

Miscellaneous

  • Mihailo Andic – art direction
  • Kenneth Cappello – photography

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Pearce, Sheldon (May 26, 2017). "Lil Yachty: Teenage Emotions". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "Harley – Single by Lil Yachty". Apple Music. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Goddard, Kevin (April 14, 2017). "Lil Yachty – Harley". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Teenage Emotions (CD liner notes). Lil Yachty. Capitol Records. 2017. 64647-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Peek a Boo (feat. Migos) – Single by Lil Yachty". Apple Music. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Goddard, Kevin (April 14, 2017). "Lil Yachty – Peek A Boo Feat. Migos (Prod. By Ricky Racks)". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  9. ^ "Lil Yachty Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  10. ^ Findlay, Mitch (May 4, 2017). "Lil Yachty – Bring It Back". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  11. ^ Weinstein, Max (May 4, 2017). "Lil Yachty Drops His New Song "Bring It Back"". XXL. Archived from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  12. ^ Carey, Jonathan (May 18, 2017). "Lil Yachty – X Men Feat. Evander Griiim". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  13. ^ Berry, Peter A. (May 18, 2017). "Lil Yachty Flexes on New Song "X Men"". XXL. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  14. ^ Platon, Adelle (June 23, 2017). "Lil Yachty Talks That Talk in 'Dirty Mouth' Video". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Penrose, Nerisha (August 4, 2017). "Lil Yachty Takes a Trip to the Amusement Park in 'Forever Young' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Roth, Madeline (September 15, 2017). "Lil Yachty Makes Out With A Sand Sculpture In His 'Better' Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  17. ^ Cantrell, Liz (September 28, 2017). "Video: Lil Yachty– "Lady In Yellow"". Spin. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Teenage Emotions by Lil Yachty reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for Teenage Emotions by Lil Yachty". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  20. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Teenage Emotions – Lil Yachty". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Purdom, Clayton (June 2, 2017). "It's okay to not care about Lil Yachty". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  22. ^ a b Meaney, Ryan (May 25, 2017). "Lil Yachty – Teenage Emotions". Consequence. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  23. ^ a b Slingerland, Calum (May 30, 2017). "Lil Yachty: Teenage Emotions". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  24. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (May 25, 2017). "Lil Yachty: Teenage Emotions review – idiotic, startling and brilliant outsider rap". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  25. ^ Carroll, Jim (June 7, 2017). "Lil Yachty: Great tunes, shame about the puerile lyrics". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (May 30, 2017). "Lil Yachty: Teenage Emotions review – trap's new disruptive force". The Observer. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  27. ^ a b Weingarten, Christopher R. (May 26, 2017). "Review: Lil Yachty's 'Teenage Emotions'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  28. ^ a b Glaysher, Scott (June 1, 2017). "Lil Yachty Plays by His Own Rules on 'Teenage Emotions' Album". XXL. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  29. ^ Holmes, Charles (January 9, 2018). "Lil Yachty Was 'Devastated And Confused' By The Reception of His Debut Album". MTV. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  30. ^ Bromfield, Daniel (May 31, 2017). "Review: Lil Yachty, Teenage Emotions". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  31. ^ a b Ramirez, Matthew (May 30, 2017). "Review: Lil Yachty Just Wants to Be Liked on Teenage Emotions". Spin. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  32. ^ Rindner, Grant (May 30, 2017). "Teenage Emotions by Lil Yachty". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  33. ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 4, 2017). "Bryson Tiller Notches His First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'True to Self'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  34. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #423". auspOp. June 3, 2017. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
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  38. ^ "Charts.nz – Lil Yachty – Teenage Emotions". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
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  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
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  42. ^ "Lil Yachty Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  43. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2020.