Noah Olivier Smith (born February 26, 2000), known professionally as Yeat (occasionally stylized as YEAT ), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer known for his experimental sound, unconventional fashion featuring a mix of designer brands and turbans, and his own unique lingo, consisting of made-up words like "twizzy" and "bonka".
Yeat rose to prominence in mid-2021 after the release of his mixtape 4L and debut studio album Up 2 Me, with tracks from the latter, including "Monëy so big" and "Get Busy", gaining considerable popularity on TikTok. In 2022, he released his second studio album 2 Alive, and the EP Lyfe; both projects debuted in the top ten on the US Billboard 200. In 2023, he released his third studio album, Afterlyfe, which debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200.
Early life
Noah Olivier Smith was born on February 26, 2000, in Irvine, California to a Romanian mother and a Mexican/British-American father. His paternal grandmother is Mexican and from the city of Tijuana while his grandfather is an American of British descent. Yeat has two brothers, Luca and Ethan. Yeat spent his early childhood in Fullerton, California before he and his family moved to Portland, Oregon, he attended Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon. After finishing high school, Yeat briefly moved to New York City before eventually returning to the Los Angeles area to further pursue his music career.
Career
2015–2021: Career beginnings
Yeat began his career in 2015, originally making music under the name Lil Yeat, but these releases have since been deleted from the Internet. On June 30, 2018, Yeat made his first public appearance under his current moniker, premiering a track called "Brink" on Elevator, a YouTube channel. Yeat has stated that he created the name Yeat while high and trying to come up with one word that sounds familiar to people. His stage name has also been described as a combination of "yeet" and "heat". Yeat has mentioned how his use of LSD was able to help him pursue his music career. He released his first mixtape, Deep Blue Strips on September 20, 2018. On February 21, 2019, he premiered the music video for his track "Stay Up" on Elevator.
2021–2022: Viral success, Up 2 Me, and 2 Alive
Yeat achieved viral success online through platforms such as TikTok in 2021. Writing for Pitchfork, Mano Sundaresan commented "Cutting his teeth in the influential online rap collective Slayworld over the last few years, Yeat was always a little stranger than his peers, and consequently cast as a minor figure. But in 2021, his surrealist bent became his superpower." Yeat's music began to gain traction online following his 4L mixtape, which was released June 11, 2021. The 4L project notably included "Sorry Bout That" and "Money Twerk".
In August, he released the EP Trendi which had increased success with "Mad Bout That" and "Fukit". Also in August, a snippet of his song "Get Busy" went viral online, attracting considerable media and fan attention upon its release. The song was particularly cited by media outlets for its line "this song already was turnt but here's a bell", which was immediately followed by the ringing of church bells (which are often incorporated into his songs). Fellow rappers Drake and Lil Yachty also referenced the line.
On September 10, Yeat released his debut studio album Up 2 Me through an initial one-album deal with Interscope Records and Foundation Media. The album received generally positive reception from critics. After the limited Interscope and Foundation deal had ended, Yeat fulfilled a promise he made to Zack Bia by signing with the latter's Field Trip Recordings, in addition to Conor Ambrose's Listen to the Kids, in a joint venture with Geffen Records and Interscope Records.
On January 22, 2022, Up 2 Me made its debut on the Billboard 200, initially reaching number 183 and ultimately peaking at number 58. Later that same month, Yeat teased a mid-February release date for his next album, 2 Alivë. His song "U Could Tell" was featured in the Euphoria episode "You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can", which premiered on January 30.
On February 11, the single "Still Countin" was released alongside a Cole Bennett-directed music video. On February 18, Yeat released his second studio album, 2 Alive, through Geffen Records, Field Trip Recordings, Listen to the Kids, and Twizzy Rich. It debuted and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, selling around 36,000 units and becoming his highest charting project. On April 1, the deluxe version of 2 Alive, titled 2 Alive (Geek Pack), was released. On April 29, he released "No Handoutz", a collaborative single with Internet Money Records.