Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

Fun Facts About Lil Yachty

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bates chapter.

Lil Yachty is coming to Bates next Saturday for the Fall Concert! As I’m sure you’re all listening to his songs to prepare for his performance, here are some fun facts to know about our special guest:

His real name is Miles Park McCollum.

He got his stage name, Lil Yachty, when he was the youngest member of a group in high school called the Yacht Club. He also goes by the name of his other alter-ego, “Lil Boat.”

He actually doesn’t like boats.

Contrary to his stage name, he doesn’t like boats or yachts because he doesn’t like open water.

He is 20 years old.

He was born on August 23, 1997 in the Westside Atlanta suburb of Mapleton.

He attended Alabama State University.

Lil Yachty dropped out in the Fall of 2015 to pursue his music career. After two months of attendance, he discovered that he hated college. He didn’t fit in and he felt like the education system was ten years in the past.

He used to work at McDonald’s.

He used to work at a local McDonald’s in high school, but got fired when he started showing up late.

He dyed his hair red when he was 15

When Lil Yachty started working at McDonald’s, his mom made him cut his long, black braids with beads, which was a hairstyle that no one had at the time. After he got upset for losing his uniqueness and saw everyone at his McDonald’s job with braids and colored hair, his mother suggested that he dye his hair red – he did just that and it never went away.

He was bullied at school for his hair.

Although people in high school and college used to make fun of his hair, Lil Yachty stayed true to himself and refused to cut it. He embraces his cherry-colored braids with beads, as he always strives to be unique.

He’s a huge Coldplay fan.

His first favorite song was “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay. He admits that he didn’t know the difference between hip-hop and rock. While he used to listen to music by All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, Miley Cyrus, and Linkin Park, he also enjoyed listening to Lil B, Soulja Boy, Kid Cudi, and Andre 3000.

He doesn’t drink.

He has never been drunk. He once tried taking a shot years ago, but he did not appreciate the burning sensation in his throat. If you offer him a beer, he won’t accept it because he thinks it smells disgusting.

He doesn’t smoke either.

He used to smoke a little bit back in high school, but he didn’t like the way it made his brain feel.

He loves pizza.

His daily diet consists of pizza, yet no fruits or veggies. He claims to have eaten pizza every day of his life since the second grade. He especially loves pepperoni pizza.

His crew is called the Sailing Team.

This crew of friends, producers, and MCs consists of Kodie Shane, Jbans, Earl the Pearll, BigBruthaChubba, TheGoodPerry, Erron Vercetti, and Byou.

He modeled.

He made an appearance in Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at Madison Square Garden in February 2016. He also became the Creative Director for Nautica. Additionally, he and his Sailing Team became top models for the Spring 2017 Nautica and Urban Outfitters collection.

His favorite chain he owns is his Bart Simpson chain.

Inspired by Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty calls this Bart Simpson chain with his infamous hairstyle “Yachty Simpson.” He spent $90,000 on this chain.

He created his own music genre.

Lil Yachty describes his sound as Bubblegum Trap” music that consists of auto-tuned warbling and whimsical piano melodies.

He raps about positivity.

The self-proclaimed “King of Teens” doesn’t drink or smoke, so he decides not to rap about those things; instead, he spreads positivity fueled by timeless adolescent ambitions such as chasing girls, looking cool, and hanging out with friends.

If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, you better buy one now. This is THE event of the semester that you don’t want to miss out on – EVERYONE will be talking about it!

Emma Futamura is a junior at Bates College, double-majoring in Biochemistry and Women & Gender studies and minoring in Japanese. She's from Westchester, New York, so she can appreciate a good New York bagel. If she's not in the gym, you can find her in the library or her bed. 
Elizah Laurenceau is a senior at Bates College. Her hobbies consist of rewatching Call Me By Your Name, using Huji to take pictures, and playing with her dog. She spends her days either glued on her computer or late nights finishing up work.