Lil Yachty

McCollum was born in Mableton, Georgia, and attended Alabama State University in 2015. He left the university after a short period to pursue music professionally and moved to New York City, where he lived with a friend, developed an online following, and connected with street-fashion personalities.

Early in his career, he worked at McDonald's while building his music career. He adopted the name Lil Yachty, along with aliases including Lil Boat, FaZe Boat, Darnell Boat, and C.V. Thomas.

Lil Yachty first drew major attention when the SoundCloud version of "One Night" was used in a viral comedy video in 2015. His early breakout material also included "Minnesota," from his debut EP Summer Songs. He released the mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, followed by Summer Songs 2 in July of that year.

In 2016, he appeared in Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at Madison Square Garden and joined the XXL Freshman Class. His collaboration with DRAM, "Broccoli," reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination. He also appeared on Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book and was featured on Kyle's "iSpy."

Lil Yachty signed a joint venture record deal with Quality Control Music, Capitol Records, and Motown Records in June 2016. His debut studio album, Teenage Emotions, was released in 2017 and reached number five on the Billboard 200.

Lil Yachty released Lil Boat 2 in March 2018. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and included appearances by 2 Chainz, Quavo, Offset, and Ugly God. His third studio album, Nuthin' 2 Prove, followed in October 2018 and reached number 12.

During this period, he appeared on Bhad Bhabie's "Gucci Flip Flops" and Social House's "Magic in the Hamptons." He also worked with Donny Osmond on the Chef Boyardee theme song "Start the Par-dee." In 2018, FaZe Clan announced him as a member, using the name FaZe Boat.

In 2020, he worked with Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, and producer Zaytoven on the collaborative mixtape A-Team. His fourth studio album, Lil Boat 3, was released in May 2020 and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200, followed by the deluxe project Lil Boat 3.5. He released Michigan Boy Boat in 2021, a project influenced by Detroit's rap scene, and his song "Poland" became a viral hit in 2022.

Released in January 2023, Let's Start Here marked a shift away from Lil Yachty's established trap sound toward psychedelic rock. The album received positive critical attention and appeared on year-end lists from Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Complex.

Lil Yachty's collective and label Concrete Boys released the single "Mo Jams" in December 2023. His collaborative album with English producer James Blake, Bad Cameo, arrived in June 2024. He was also announced as an opening act for Tyler, the Creator's Chromakopia: The World Tour.

Lil Yachty has described his music as "bubblegum trap." His work combines Southern hip-hop, trap, pop rap, and elements of psychedelic rock, with a lighthearted delivery and an emphasis on catchy hooks.

His songs have incorporated sounds associated with Mario Bros., Charlie Brown, Rugrats, the Nintendo GameCube startup, and Japanese pop music. Recurring imagery includes clouds, cotton candy, Super Nintendo, and Pixar films. The producer TheGoodPerry has been heavily involved in the production of his songs.

Lil Yachty has been a longtime professional-wrestling fan and previously appeared at WWE events as a member of the crowd. In 2026, he began appearing on WWE programming as the manager of Trick Williams.

His appearances included ringside involvement during Williams' match at WrestleMania 42. He later announced that he was staying with WWE, and was scheduled to make his in-ring debut against United States Champion Baron Corbin in a singles match with a five-minute time limit.

Lil Yachty expressed support for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 presidential election. He has also participated in competitive Fortnite tournaments and has maintained a public association with FaZe Clan since joining the organization in 2018.

He welcomed a daughter named Varsity in October 2021 with designer Selangie Henriquez. He has chosen to keep his daughter out of the public eye.

In March 2023, Lil Yachty was among eight celebrities charged by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission over the promotion of cryptocurrency without disclosure that he had been paid as a sponsor.

The case involved cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun's Tronix and BitTorrent companies. Lil Yachty settled the charges for more than $400,000 without admitting or denying the claims.