Afterward, I listened to more of his music. I had personally only heard two of his songs until I went to my local movie theater and saw his Sprite ad. The nautical rapper may have gained initial attention from his music but his brand exploded through his appearances in multiple marketing campaigns for a wide range of companies, most notably Sprite and Nautica. However, the “Lil Yachty” character extends far beyond the music. When it comes to album sales and the popularity of the music itself, Yachty is certainly not a leader of the genre. In a certain sense, Joe Budden may be right. Lil Yachty’s largest hurdle, his mediocre music career, is also the foundation of his fame. It's Not All About the Music: A New Approach to Hip-Hop
But how can an artist who faces mediocre album sales and constant criticism be so successful? In a comment on an Instagram post that has since been deleted, Thomas dismissed Budden’s comment, claiming that Lil Yachty had made $13 million in 16 months, which clearly proved his superstardom.
This prompted a response from Pierre Thomas, the CEO of Yachty’s label Quality Control. In a discussion on Everyday Struggle, a web show on the music/culture site Complex, Lil Yachty received criticism for his album sales from rapper Joe Budden, who claimed that his numbers proved he wasn’t a megastar. He sold 46,000 units in the first week, a surprisingly low number for this perceived level of popularity. In May 2017, Yachty released his debut album, Teenage Emotions, to mixed reviews. However, his dramatic and seemingly overnight skyrocket to fame set an artificially high value for his brand that his solo music career has not been able to match. Yachty has exemplified personal entrepreneurship by taking every chance available to promote himself and his image. Since achieving success, Yachty has appeared in high profile marketing campaigns for brands ranging from Sprite to Nautica, a departure from products typically promoted by hip-hop artists which elevated his fame even further. How can an artist with mediocre album sales and constant criticism be so successful? After two hit songs on the album and a handful of famous features on other artists’ songs, Lil Yachty exploded onto the hip-hop scene. In March of 2016, Miles Parks McCollum, better known by his stage name Lil Yachty, released his debut eponymous mixtape, Lil Boat.
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