Based on one of the craziest episodes of Donald Glover’s Atlanta series and his recent decision to bring viral rapper Ian to the stage, Lil Yachty may have just brought “art imitating reality” to life fallacy becomes reality.
There were plenty of memorable moments at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Bash in Chicago over the weekend. Aside from Chief Keef’s return to the Windy City, one of the biggest takeaways from the festival was the apparent collaboration between Lil Yachty and newcomer Ian.
Ian took the stage to perform his hit single “Figure It Out,” paying tribute to the Concrete Boys leader by recreating Lil Yachty’s viral walkout at the 2021 festival. Apparently Lil Yachty was feeling this too, as he even stopped Ian mid-song to let him run the record back again. Not to mention, the clip went viral on social media, with one video shared on Twitter (X) alone racking up over 3 million views.
While this may seem like a defining moment for the passing of the torch, fan theories circulating on the platform liken the incident to the infamous “Young White Avatar” episode of Glover’s thrilling comedy Atlanta.
The Twitter (X) user wrote in the post: “Yachty did get a young white guy avatar of himself a few years ago that Donald Glover called “lmao” on ‘Atlanta’ .
As explained in the fourth season of the series, “YWA” is essentially a young white artist, and successful black artists are expected to play a significant role in the second half of their careers.
The main idea driving the tragic satirical literary device at the heart of this episode’s plot is that while black artists are indeed students of the game, the cycles of pop culture will dictate their need to adopt YWA—or young white avatars—as they age , reaching a wider mainstream audience.
It’s either that or it’s becoming obsolete, as Paper Boy’s sober and humorous scene from Atlanta attempts to explain as he attends a YWA information session hosted by an older black male music industry executive.
“Everyone in this room can rap, but if rap means you make money, then Cassidy is going to be a millionaire,” the coach barked at the newspaper boy and the other rappers in the scene.
Yachty really got himself a young white guy avatar😭
Donald Glover called this on “Atlanta” a few years ago lmao https://t.co/vPvhcUn22z pic.twitter.com/aZ3mJGMRX6
— Shereef Sakr (@ShereefKeef) June 17, 2024
While it might be too esoteric, this theory does shed some interesting light on Lil Yachty’s iconic Get Out video and its overall impact. Lil Yachty’s original video has amassed millions of views since it began circulating online more than three years ago. One major upload alone has garnered over 4 million views on YouTube. The video has also gone viral on TikTok and Instagram, and recently, through multiple edits and memes, it has reached the pinnacle of professional sports, increasing its popularity.
The latest trend is artificial intelligence-generated edited remakes, which include portraits of several major public figures, including Deion Sanders. There is no doubt, however, that Ian’s remake, however incongruous and/or inexperienced, undoubtedly breathed new life into the clip’s lore.
See the clip above.
