Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring Quavo, Skippa Da Flippa and Young Thug) from his debut EP Summer Songs. He released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016. In June 2016, Yachty announced that he had signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music. Yachty has released five studio albums, beginning with Teenage Emotions in 2017. His second and third studio albums, Lil Boat 2 and Nuthin' 2 Prove, were released in 2018, followed by Lil Boat 3, in 2020. Yachty's fifth studio album, entitled Let's Start Here, was released in 2023, and was inspired by psychedelic rock. Four of his albums have charted within the top 20 of the Billboard 200, with Lil Boat 2 peaking at number 2. Yachty has also released several mixtapes and EPs throughout his career, with his most recent Michigan Boy Boat being released in 2021. Lil Yachty is also notable for his features on the 2016 multi-platinum songs "Broccoli" by DRAM and "ISpy" by Kyle, his eccentric hairstyle, and his optimistic image. Yachty was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on "Broccoli". Early life Miles McCollum was born in Mableton, Georgia. He attended Alabama State University in fall 2015 but soon dropped out to pursue his musical career. He adopted the name "Yachty" and moved from his hometown of Atlanta to New York City to launch his career. In New York, he lived with a friend and networked with online street fashion personalities, while he built up his own Instagram following. He worked at McDonald's to supplement his income early in his career. Career 2015–2017: "One Night", Lil Boat, and Teenage Emotions Yachty first came to prominence in December 2015 when the SoundCloud version of his song "One Night" was used in a viral comedy video. In February 2016, Yachty debuted as a model in Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 fashion line at Madison Square Garden. Yachty's debut mixtape Lil Boat was released in March 2016. In April 2016, Yachty collaborated with DRAM on the hit song "Broccoli", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He featured on Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book mixtape, released in May 2016. On