James Blake Teases Lil Yachty’s Vulnerable Side On New Collab Album

James Blake and Lil Yachty are about as different as two artists can be on the surface. One broke through making glitchy, sad boy electronica, while the other burst onto the scene making happy and colorful pop-rap. The notion that they would collaborate on a single song, much less an entire album, would have been baffling a decade ago. Yet, that’s exactly what Blake and Yachty are gearing up for. These eclectic artists are going to be dropping the album Bad Cameo, and have been hyping it up in interviews.

Blake talked about the sound and overall aesthetic of the album during a recent Complex feature. The artist is going for a vulnerable feel, which tracks for anyone who’s heard a second of a James Blake song, but he noted how shockingly different it will be for Lil Yachty. “We got a really vulnerable side of Yachty in some of those sessions,” he explained. Blake told the outlet that he’d been a fan of Lil Boat for years, but he didn’t feel as though their styles were complimentary until the rapper dropped his latest album, Let’s Start Here. In Blake’s estimation, that was a pivotal turning point.

James Blake claimed he was completely blindsided by the album. “When I heard his last record, I was like, this is really a turn,” he recalled. “Not many artists are brave enough to do something that’s kind of opposite of the last thing they did.” The rest of the Complex piece took the form of a conversation with Blake and Yachty. Once more, however, the electronic artist pointed out Yachty’s propensity for happy music. Lil Yachty cited Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Let ‘Em In” as one of the first songs he remembers singing as a child, and Blake was quick to draw parallels to Yachty’s own music.

“This, to be honest, explains a lot just from your musical sensibilities,” Blake told the rapper. “[It’s] happy music. I noticed that that runs through your music.” He then explained the ways in which his and Yachty’s styles blended on Bad Cameo. “I mean, on this record you were talking about so many different things. There’s pain, there’s happiness, there’s everything in between. But that vibe is so sunny and it’s kind of what your disposition is in your music.” Sounds like a fascinating blend.