It's no secret that "Creep" is a terrible song. Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, openly and brazenly admits this. The strange sluggish guitar was guitarist Johnny Greenwood's attempt to completely sabotage the song. The record itself does not fare much better in the band's eyes.
The overtly melancholic and almost wistful expression that Yorke dons here is almost beautiful, in a way. He is in so much pain upon just the vision of the record. His eyes cannot even function correctly due to the mere sight of that which he considers to be a monstrosity unto his art form.
But beyond that, it's hard to deny Radiohead's cultural influence. The electronic styling and gripping emotions of the UK art rock band have been touching the hearts and minds of listeners and musicians alike since about 1995, the year The Bends was released. Soon following would be two of the most legendary and revered albums of all time, OK Computer and Kid A. They would continue to release album after album of experimental beauty that would pave the way and inspire thousands of musicians to come. So the question is, what happened on Pablo Honey?
Teenage Emotions by Lil Yachty falls pretty flat. "Peek-a-Boo" was a mess of a song, and so were a lot of the tracks featured on this album. It suffered from a widespread of critical reviews, ranging from "Hey, that's pretty good," to "You really couldn't do much worse." But, that's not to say the album didn't have its high point's either. Atlanta-rapper (well, kinda) Lil Yachty's style of bubblegum trap, along with his fun-loving attitude and penchant for cutesy, auto-tuned hooks had a great deal to do with his instant success. He's catchy, his tunes are a great play for cars or parties and producers love to work with him. So what's the deal here, what happened to Teen Emotions, especially after the extremely fun and well-received Summer Songs and Lil Boat mixtapes?
The truth of the matter is, is that these two cases aren't really all that different.
It's no secret that Lil Yachty has had to take some pretty brutal hate from the hip hop community. The constant barrage of talk like, "You aren't a REAL rapper," to "Lil Yachty is ruining hip-hop," can take a pretty decent toll on a musician. It's not about fame or love, it's about validation, it's about your art meaning something to others and yourself. Lil Yachty tackled these ideas in Instagram post where he says that he "didn't make this 21 project for the old reviews and bloggers." He goes on to say that he "know(s) what you guys (my fans) liked about the project and didn't like.."
Yachty seems to be running from these critics wherever he goes, but in all reality just wants to make music that his fans like, the music that he likes to make. That's where "Peek-a-boo", "Dirty Mouth", and "Priorities" come in. These songs come off as his attempt to appease those who want more traditional hip-hop, a place that he does not want to be at. Tracks off of the album that shine, like "Bring it Back" and "All Around Me" do so because they demonstrate his style. They're fun, they're upbeat, and they almost have a cute element to them.
Now, this isn't to say artists should never deviate from their tried and true style, bands like Gorillaz, Ulver and Radiohead demonstrate that it can be done seamlessly and exceptionally. But this doesn't feel like an experiment from Lil Yachty, it feels like an artist who wants to make music that all hip hop fans could love, instead of music he loved. It's noble in a way, but it doesn't create great music.
This is the same principle that comes into play with Radiohead and Pablo Honey. Yorke, the Greenwoods, Selway and O'Brien have shown to be geniuses time and time again, but they also have very alternative ways of expressing themselves. Pablo Honey was, well, not quite that. Radiohead embodies a free and troubled spirit that cannot be sated by singing about getting rejected by a girl at Exeter University. Their hearts, pains, and thoughts go far deeper than, especially with songs like "Life in a Glasshouse" or "Nude." It took existential musings, pain, and a sense of wonder that allowed Radiohead to become the marvel they grew into.
The failings of Pablo Honey and Teenage Emotions are the same. The artists could not be brought, for whatever reason, to genuinely express themselves. Pressure from critics more than likely drove Lil Yachty away from his core, and Radiohead may have not been developed enough, or were too scared to experiment. These led to the shortcomings of both works of art.
The message is clear. When an artist truly enjoys the work that they make, they can create something beautiful.
Have a good day. (ft. Skippa da Flippa)
