A few weeks ago, myself and fellow Talon writer Boris Pekar released a ranking of Yeat’s complete discography. In that article, we mentioned that its purpose was in anticipation of the February release of his fourth studio album, AftërLyfe. The album was released on February 24, 2023, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard Top 200. In this new article, I will be giving my thoughts on the album as a whole, along with highlighting several of the project’s best tracks.

The Album

With this release, Yeat stays true to his signature style while still branching out and trying new things, giving his millions of fans an idea of what he is truly capable of. Notable YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano gave AftërLyfe a “light 7” out of 10, a surprisingly high rating from the historically harsh reviewer. With 22 songs and a 67 minute run time, arguably one of the largest detractions from this project is the lack of features. To compensate for this, Yeat “features” two of his alter egos, taking an MF DOOM approach to his music. “Kranky Kranky” is featured twice, on the tracks Rav3 p4rty and Mëan feen, and “Luh geeky” is featured once on Now. The only true feature comes from NBA Youngboy, on the second track of the album, Shmunk. This appearance gives a positive change of pace to album, but its appearance so early in the tracklist means that 20 songs of Yeat follow, which may become repetitive to more minor fans. 

Tracks

No morë talk

With the first track on his album, Yeat wastes no time setting the tone for his album. With a melodic synth as the backbone of the beat, as opposed to his more typical hard-hitting drums, Yeat raps about his seemingly endless supply of money, stating “I’m on this yacht full time, you got it one day.”

Shmunk (feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again)

With the only true feature, NBA Youngboy attacks this bass-heavy beat on the second track of the project. Yeat’s bouncy vocals contrast Youngboy’s quick and choppy flow, combining to create a unique track with excellent replayability. 

Bëttr 0ff

From the instant this song begins, listeners can tell they are in for a different experience compared to the first two tracks. Yeat utilizes a noticeably slower beat to enunciate his vocals, highlighting his lyrical ability. This song adopts a happier tone, saying “when you live like this, this **** so fun.” Yeat includes a form of self-awareness, recognizing that he is “pushing the limits” of the rap game. Additionally, one of the best bars in the entire album comes from Bëttr 0ff:

In highlighting how much he enjoys his life, Yeat references the video game High on Life, which notably features talking guns.

Rav3 p4rty (feat. Kranky Kranky)

Another divergence from his typical style, this slightly faster beat is light on the drums and heavy on the back-and-forth bouncing of the bass boosted synth. An angry tone and rapid lyrics on top of the basic beat create an aggressive track.

Nun id change

Track 5 on AftërLyfe features an intro of drums that sounds like it came straight out of the Black Panther soundtrack. Here, Yeat reflects on his success saying there is nothing he would change about his life. A slower tempo again diverges from Yeat’s signature flow-style.

Woa…!

One of my personal favorite tracks on AftërLyfe, Woa…! features several flow switches that display Yeat’s versatility. Yeat recognizes this, rapping that “I got too many flows, too many sounds.” This song’s slow but hard-hitting rhythm makes it a great song to workout to.

Now (feat. Luh geeky)

Yeat continues with his trend of slower tracks, including an unbelievably long “intro” where his vocals are nearly unintelligible. The volume of the lyrics increases after 3 minutes and 36 seconds, making this song feel sluggish. 

Slamm

A complete 180 from the last track, Slamm throws us in the midst of aggressive drums and sharp, scratchy instrumentals. In this song, Yeat highlights the dedication of his fans, rapping that “If I jump off this bridge, My … fans are jumpin’ off with me.”

7 nightz

Another of my personal favorites, this track picks up the tempo and gets us closer to Yeat’s signature sound. Rapping about his limitless supply of money, this song represents a generic Yeat track. 

Mëan feen (feat. Kranky Kranky)

The dark piano in combination with the sharp drums make you feel angry while listening to this track. The 3:11 run time highlights Yeats vocals and lyrics, as the beat is honestly not an attention-grabber.

How it go

My personal favorite, probably because this is the most “typical” Yeat song on the album. A memorable beat, along with melodic vocals and catchy chorus, this track makes your head bop. Yeat raps about how his position at the top of the rap game will not be taken by anyone else.

Sum 2 do

Yeat attacks this track within the first 2 seconds, jumping right in with fast and choppy lyrics. This song features instances of slower rapping that contrast well with the fast portions. This track is great to listen to before a big game and get in the zone.

Back up

Almost immediately after you play it, you can tell that this song will be great. The beat comes in with an aggressive but catchy bassline, accompanied shortly after by a mesmerizing rhythm of hi hats. Yeat raps for the duration of this song on a beat almost exclusively made with drums, but still manages to make it interesting. 

Split

Another popular track, this song was leaked before the album’s official release. The leaked version included a beautifully slowed intro that led up to a magnificent beat drop, but the official version did not. Despite the disdain from many fans, this track is still great. Yeat again displays his versatility, alternating between flows as seamlessly as an ocean wave. 

Bad bënd / DëMON

A robotic melody lays the foundation for this track. With the inclusion of hard hitting drums,
Yeat takes advantage of this expertly produced beat, rapping about his expertise as an artist, such as how he produces many of his own beats, and drops a massively successful album seemingly every month.

Hëavyweight

This track is littered with vocal ad libs on par with Roddy Ricch in The Box, with the repetition of “ah-woo.” More minor flow and pitch changes work well with the plethora of ad libs and vocal additions.

Watch

Yeat raps in a whisper for the first 34 seconds of this track, an interesting creative choice that, in my opinion, works well. He raps about the inspiration for the songs title, crediting it to the way every other rapper can do nothing but “sit back and watch” every time he drops an album that goes on to do major numbers.

Shhhh

This track exemplifies once again Yeat’s versatility as an artist. A simple but effective beat with a simply melody and wildly hard hitting bass, Yeat uses a wide vocal range for his vocals. Beginning in the lowest, most aggressive pitch, Yeat works his way up to a higher pitch that gives this track a perfect amount of variety.

Back homë

A beautiful melodic guitar paired with a typical trap drum line are a solid base for Yeat to vocalize and rap. A chorus where Yeat almost sings is another interesting creative choice that works out well.

Type monëy

At times, this song feels somewhat off. For the majority, Yeat’s lyrics about everything he can do with his money fit well on the unusually light, almost joyful beat. However, there are a few instances where Yeat raps at a lower pitch, which feels out of place with the style of beat this track features.

Dëmon tied

Dëmon tied does not suffer from the same issues as the previous track. A melodic, somewhat edgy beat is utilized well with hard hitting and varied flows and lyrics.

Mysëlf

The final track on AftërLyfe features a slow, instrumental beat. The high point of this song is the lyrics, through which Yeat reflects on his success and all its consequences, good and bad. Mysëlf perfectly rounds out Yeat’s most recent project, giving a meaningful finale to the boatload of iconic music that he bestowed upon his ever-growing fanbase.