Born Noah Olivier Smith, Yeat began his career as part of the high-energy “rage” rap explosion from the underground scene in 2021. My earliest memories of Yeat come from his viral tracks from projects ‘Up 2 Më’ & ‘4L’, his song ‘U could tëll’ being in the background of a ‘Euphoria’ episode and of course his early co-sign from Drake.
Although Playboi Carti’s 2020 ‘Whole Lotta Red’ is the major catalyst moment that defined the rage rap sound, it was quick for Yeat to be moved away from simply being a “Carti Clone”. He was clearly an innovator of this new sound, effortlessly finding unusual flows, inventing his own words and outrageous new ways of bringing this music to life.
Followed up straight away with his breakthrough album ‘2 Alivë’, it was no time before Yeat was becoming the main player bringing this new sound consistently to a higher level. Working with Lil Uzi Vert, one of his main inspirations Young Thug and even having his own song on the Minions soundtrack! (Shoutout Cole Bennett)
Although his face was hidden, Yeat already had a clear visual identity, all black designer outfits and an iconic balaclava which could easily be identified and memed by fans. Not even to mention his use of the umlaut, multiple alter-ego personas and almost already having his own language with his distinctive lingo. When you listen to Yeat, it’s like you’re in an alternate world.
Yeat wasn’t scared to take risks and switch it up as time went on. He never wanted to recycle the same sound that made him famous.
“If I just made ‘Monëy so big’ 50 times in a row, I would be going nowhere”.
Over time his music grew more experimental and even melodic, more layered than the original feel of a run-and-gun approach, infusing new styles and genres into his futuristic branch of hip hop.
By 2025, Yeat had arrived at a turning point. After half a decade of relentless music making, a consistent output and still an accumulated massive vault of unreleased songs, he was ready for a new approach. For the first time in his career going back thinking and taking extra time to fine-tune songs, rather than making them in one take and dropping right away.
This creative progression was paired with an even more dramatic physical and mental transformation. In the past year, Yeat had started working out, cut back on drugs and got in the best shape of his life. All factors that have unlocked a new level of energy and clarity that wasn’t previously present.
Becoming one of the world’s most streamed rappers without ever needing to run the typical tactics of a celebrity, this change in Lyfëstyle (pun intended) clearly made Yeat have a new level of confidence. No longer relying on masks and outfits that obscured his appearance, King Tonka was ready to move different.
This new evolution of Yeat, felt like a reset, he’s really out there in the world, touring with Drake, linking with A-list peers, walking in fashion shows, even having collaborations with Nike, and plotting for a future that extends far beyond music.
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