"2093" - Yeat Album Review

Few artists have experienced as monumental a blow-up as that of the experimental and quirky singer/songwriter/producer Yeat. Yeat, born Noah Smith, began to garner his first bits of online recognition via his affiliation with the now-defunct underground hip-hop group Slayworld, collaborating with underground artists such as KANKAN and Summrs.

Smith began to generate a bit of a buzz amidst experimental hip-hop fans via the platform Soundcloud following the release of his album 4L, with songs such as “Sorry Bout That” and “Off Tha Lot” eventually garnering popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

Following the release of 4L, a snippet of a song titled “Get Busy” went completely viral and got Yeat noticed and co-signed by many titans of the industry such as Drake and Playboi Carti.

From that point forward, Yeat only built on his momentum, exhibiting a mind-boggling work ethic as he proceeded to release record after record, as well as create more and more viral moments.

Yeat has just released his latest album “2093,” touted as a futurist hip-hop experience, designed to make a significant step away from the “rage beat” style of music Yeat started out on.

The album does so by incorporating many more traditional instruments than seen on prior records, as well as songs generally following a slower tempo, with production more focused on ethereality and trance-like vibrations rather than upbeat mosh-pit rocking ragers.

On tracks such as “Shade” and “1093,” this theme of production taking more of a backseat in lieu of Yeat’s leading voice and backing vocals (of which he has some of the best in the industry) is exhibited the most clearly. However, this general trend remains consistent throughout the whole listening experience.

Prior to the release of “2093,” Yeat’s own voice could often feel like just another element of the greater composition. That certainly is not a bad thing, but credit must still be given to the emergence of his voice and lyrical delivery on this album, as it highlights clear growth and demonstrates that you cannot put Yeat’s range into a box.

Through and throughout, the soundscapes presented by this album provide a truly immersive and captivating listening experience. It is clear that a lot of time and care went into the curating of the tracklist, as well as the chopping and diversification of the beats present.

While the album certainly has some growing pains, such as some tracks that overstay their welcome or become a bit too repetitive, such as “Riot” or “Psychocaine,” there are enough interesting things going on to justify the body of work as a whole.

Yeat is an artist whose trajectory continues to point solely upwards. An observation that is only supported by the star-studded, yet sparse tracklist, containing a hip-hop Mount Rushmore of sorts with artists such as Drake, Future, and Lil Wayne making appearances.

Yeat’s music certainly isn’t for everyone and can be a bit abrasive at times, but it is clear he has his conscious clearly on the pulse of a generation and will continue to deliver and grow as an artist and performer as time goes on.

Rating: 7.5/10

Reviewer's Favorite Tracks: “Power Trip,” “Shade,” “U Should Know,” “ILUV,” “1093”

Reviewer's Least Favorite Tracks: “Riot & Set it off,” “Psychocaine,” “Nothing Change”

Trip Tagle is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact them, please email tnt5403@psu.edu.