Yeat Continues to be “Trëndi”

It’s been quite a 2021 for Portland-via-California rapper Yeat. Since dropping his Alivë project earlier this year, he’s seen his popularity increase exponentially, capturing the hearts and filling the playlists of underground hip-hop fans across the world through his one-of-a-kind vocal inflection and addictive synth-based production choices. His second project of the year, 4L, came out only a few months after Alivë, and spawned his biggest hit to date, “Sorry Bout That”. After putting out two full-lengths in only half a year, most rappers would take the rest of the year off, and nobody would blame them. It doesn’t seem like Yeat is like most rappers, though (something that might have been obvious, given he certainly doesn’t sound like any of his peers); this past Friday, he gave fans yet another offering in the form of the Trëndi EP.

Despite only being four tracks and ten minutes in length, Trëndi is another strong installment into Yeat’s discography and only builds on the momentum his previous two works set into motion. There’s a sense of familiarity and continuity, especially on the EP’s opening track “Mad Bout That”, a spiritual successor to the aforementioned “Sorry Bout That”. But Trëndi also finds Yeat in an experimental space, working with more aggressive cadences (“Fukit”) and heavy, industrial beats (“Insidë Out”, with SeptembersRich). It’s a quick-hitting recap of what makes Yeat one of the exceptional, breakout artists of the year, while also hinting at the future.