Yeat: The Art of Twizzy
How can someone make a new language about conspicuous consumption?
Yeah I just added up bands for some Rick
I just pulled up on with them with the twenty-two fit
Yeah, I just brought me some diamonds from eliantte
And I told him I need em to hit
Told em it’s time for me to find some love and takin these percs
I get high as a bitch
Yeat — Rackz Got Me
Perry, Christos. richtwiz. November 2021, Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVp2QNYrPgn/?utm_medium=share_sheet
There are a few rappers today that can encapsulate me with just simply the linguistics they use. Creating new vernacular phrases to create a picture of a lyfestyle luxuriously criminal that you must still protect yourself from the hostility that may ensue. Riding Big Tonka Trucks and an AMG, you might expect to feel secure. However, you must keep a blicky while riding with your Twizzy to feel safe. To maintain a sense of sanity, you resort to taking percs. These words as I’m writing them are being underlined as misspelled but to Yeat they’re spelled correctly. Backed up by a sonically warping beat with rage flows, that’ll have you geekin’ out your mind.
Yeat opens up a can of worms of the complexities of the human brain. To be able to create words that mean the same thing, however, based on who is hearing it can be different. I joke and say it’s called Yeatology, but truly it is linguistics. The creative mind of humans can utter the complexities of our capitalist system, reach hierarchy, and call their watches “bust down.” The creative mind of humans can utter the survival of the fittest and protecting yourself and call it “riding in that tonka and that bitch got machetes.” The creative mind of humans can create The Art of Twizzy.
Yeats Rise to Fame
Whether you believe it or not, just 23 years old, Yeat has already made a significant impact on the music scene, amassing over a billion streams across major digital platforms. Harnessing the power of the 21st-century digital revolution, he has gained over a million followers on Instagram. However, it is TikTok that propelled him to stardom. Songs like “Get Busy,” “Sorry Bout That,” and “Money So Big” each have over 100,000,000 streams on Spotify, demonstrating his widespread appeal. Since 2021, Yeat has released three studio albums and an EP, each showcasing a distinct sound: “Up 2 Me,” “2 Alive,” “Lyfe,” and “AfterLyfe.” It was “2 Alive” that provided the necessary momentum for Yeat’s career, and it was also my personal introduction to his music. In his rookie year alone, he has earned four gold and one platinum song certifications, surpassing many of his peers. As of this writing, I would argue that Yeat is the face of the Punk Rap genre as of right now, having achieved remarkable success in just a short period.
Yeat is a phenomenon among the younger generation, captivating them with his sound. They mimic him in TikTok dances, memes, and distinctive styles. His unique fashion sense, featuring a turban he mentions in his music, sets him apart from other artists. Cleverly, he keeps his sheisty hidden within the turban, adding to his mystique. By associating himself with the minions, Yeat broadened his appeal to mainstream audiences and secured his popularity with younger fans, as a pioneer of an underground sound that has now reached the masses.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/6bJkbr
Yeats’ Linguistic Innovations and Key Theme in His Musical Style
Intrinsic happiness serves as the ultimate human emotion, Yeat embodies the quintessential American pursuit of overcoming adversity and seeking gratification by any means necessary, even if it requires violence to maintain it. The true beauty of his artistry lies in the unique raging language he has created — a language I like to call “Yeatology.” commonly known as “Twizzy language.” Yeat’s music sets him apart from other rappers, as most artists in the genre often discuss their struggles growing up in poverty and their eventual rise to success. In contrast, Yeat’s perspective is unique because he presents himself as someone who has already achieved success and yet continues to maintain his position through hostile means.
Yeat — Talk
Huh, riding in that, B-U-L-L Tonka truck
Riding ‘round with thësë bust-down watchës on më, I got my blicky tuckëd
How ironic is it that even when you’re at the pinnacle of your career you still find a way to still try to protect yourself from the ramifications of what fame brings? Mixing his linguistics of Yeatology to explain it. Yeat continues to spew a lyfe of the rich and lavishness and mixing with the hostilities of a bravado demeanor. Like in his song :
Shmunk feat. NBA YoungBoy
Yeah, you hëard më right (Huh)
Uh, hë ain’t pickin’ no fight, hë ain’t pickin’ no fight
Yëah, got a blick on my sidë, got a
Blick on my sidë (oh,huh)
These lyrics as simple as they may seem open a wound in our system. The ways in which he describes the egoism of capitalism in his own words. He transports you to a lyfe of what we wish we had but still echoes the realities of what fame brings through the lyfestyle of a geeker.
Yeat — Nun Id Change
Red Bottlës up, know you gëttin slain
Red Bottlës up, hundrëd mill cash, nothing I’d changë
Now I got the famë
Whole lot of rangë
Diamonds on my, diamonds on facë
When listening to Yeat, you gain the bravado he pushes forward within these songs. You do not need to be from the hood to understand Yeats’ protectionism but, rather, understand the reasonings to defend yourself because of the amount of wealth you have acquired. Furthermore, just like his geekin out sound, Yeat does as well. Speaking about his drug usage in his songs would be an understatement. The album that encapsulates this sound in full swing is Alive. Off that album a perfect song that encapsulates this feeling is
Died B4
Evërybody act likë thëy on God, that përc’ a dëmon
I told ’ëm I diëd bëforë, thëy wouldn’t bëliëvë it
Or his bar in his post-chorus :
“On this X ëveryday for no rëason”
Or utilizing capitalism and status to have a copious amount of options, Yeat expresses the desire to be able to have women at his feet.
“I told ’ëm I died bëforë, they wouldn’t bëliëvë (I dïed)
Your wifëy wan’ comë drink and ëat my sëmën (Let’s go)
Brand nëw big body Trackhawk got no këys in it”
Yeat — War 1
“Yëah, shë wanna suck our dicks just ‘causë shë likes what’s popular.”
Throughout Yeat’s music, there lies a distinct set of keywords that he masterfully employs to create his signature sound. These keywords include “Blicky,” “Urus,” “Big Body,” and “Twizzy,” but the most essential one is “Tonka.” By ingeniously mixing and matching these words in various combinations, Yeat showcases his creativity and prowess as an artist. In fact, he has utilized these words so effectively that if another rapper were to use them, it would instantly be attributed to Yeat’s unique style. This is the mark of a true virtuoso — the embodiment of the Art of Twizzy.
Yeat and the Art of Lyfing
Zealous, tumultuous, rage-inducing sound, backed up by Yeat’s lyrics, might seem like garage pot and a band’s cheap artistry to the layman. However, that’s a redundant superficial understanding of a genre that has amassed an otherworldly following. Yeat shows listeners who aspire to reach the top of the hierarchy that money does not alleviate stress or tension in lyfe. This is similar to what Robert Greene says in his book, The 48 Laws of Power, where the most powerful men are often the most insecure. For example, his first law, “Never Outshine the Master,” and Law 19, “Know Who You’re Dealing With: Do Not Offend the Wrong Person,” demonstrate that people with higher status secure themselves because of the potential insecurity they face. This is why Yeat speaks about carrying a blicky in his AMG — to protect himself because he has so much to lose.
It’s reminiscent of what the ancient philosopher Laozi says in Chapter 9 of the Tao Te Ching: “When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe. When wealth and honors lead to arrogance, this brings its evil on itself.” Yeat’s protectionist philosophy, having amassed a fortune at just 23 years old, shows us the jest of fame. Is it worth it if one’s ten toes are always worried about being lyfted? To alleviate this stress, Yeat turns to drugs. One might assume that with such a fortune, drugs and criminality would no longer be a part of the picture — but not for Yeat, he loves geekin.
When going back to the lyrics you see bravado having to be protected. The blicky is the defender of his ego of possession. That’s the beauty of Twizzy. It helps listeners understand that worldly possessions can make you world less. Cyphering through the distractions of rage, a lyfe of conspicuous consumption of leisure, we would have to disagree with Thorstein Veblen that wealth creates idleness. It all depends on what and who your life is. Therefore, if listeners assume the theory that Veblen wrote of “pecuniary emulation.” Is the pecuniary emulation worth it?
Yeat’s music serves as a conduit for expression, reflecting the complexities of life, fame, and the pursuit of success. He invites listeners into a world filled with contradictions, demonstrating that wealth and power do not always bring happiness or security.
But dang it, don’t we really want money?
Yeat — Rich Minion
I count money (nuh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh, no)
I count money (nuh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh, no)
I count money (nuh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh-nuh, no)
I swerve in a Humvee (nuh-nuh-nuh)
Yeat’s Mainstream Influence and New Sound Thus Far
Zealously, Yeat propels the Punk Rap genre, revolutionizing it to be accessible to the masses. Artists have always tried to put it at the forefront, like Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson, but Yeat stretches the subgenre of Punk Rap to the masses. He has demonstrated the ability to gain significant numbers on streaming platforms for an evolving niche contemporary sound — potentially opening the doors for others. With that being the case, this is only the beginning for him.
He knows that he has to switch his sound up based on his last previous projects, Lyfe and Afterlyfe. That is the complete difference from his previous albums. He is taking on a more methodical, hard-hitting bass sound, like in his songs “Talk” and “System.” Relaxing his voice more but deepening it at the same time, he creates a morbid, gothic, relaxed sound while still keeping his egoism of capitalism. In his new album Afterlyfe he continues this sound in songs like “Back up” or “Woa.”
Lyfe — Talk
Lyfe — System
Afterlyfe — Woa
Afterlyfe — Back Up
Haters, or in Twizzy Language, Geekers.
Yeat’s mastery over the new sound of punk rap is often misunderstood by many, particularly when considering the formal characteristics of rap. They tend to label him as a mumble rapper rather than an artist with control over the English language. However, as previously mentioned, this is a superficial view of his contributions to the art form. As explained in this paper, Yeat presents a sound that reflects the harsh realities of fame, shedding light on the darker side of glamour, like having a “crib sitting inside the burbs.” He communicates to the average listener the reasons behind the hostility expressed in lyrics like “lil boy talking that shit, now he can’t say no word.” The egoism of possession, the drive to maintain what he has gained, is not superficial; it is a stark reality.
Being part of a genre known for its emphasis on guns and criminality, Yeat finds himself at the center of it all, unwilling to lose his grip. This is not mumble rap; it’s Twizzy language. Yeat is a pioneer of this emerging subgenre of music called punk rap. He skillfully employs his talent to craft a sound that is distinctly his own — The Art of Twizzy.
