Track Review: Yeat - "Rich Minion"

Review by Cassandra Weigle

Approaching the release of his magnum opus, Yeat had already solidified himself as a generational talent. Critically acclaimed albums such as Up 2 Më and 2 Alivë in addition to a humble line of avant-garde mixtapes caused the 22-year-old Oregon native to skyrocket in popularity in the early 2020s. With songs like “Gët Busy” and “Poppin” under his belt, Yeat solidified himself as the defining artist of the burgeoning “rage” scene, a new wave of rap music characterized by trap-derived instrumentals with buzzing supersaw-centered melodic elements. Yeat’s fashion sense forms another pillar pillar of his identity: his trademark turban only adding to his carefully cultivated futuristic aesthetic, and his knack for personal branding only supplemented his inevitable success, defining an entirely new dialect characterized by his trademark practice of replacing the first “e” of every sentence that he writes with an “ë,” with the exception of the “e” in his own name. I will bë following suit for the remainder of this article out of respect for his forward-thinking approach to the English language. Ëvidently, in the early 2020s, Yeat already had the entire world in his hands. But thanks to a littlë help from some friends, that world was about to be turned upside down.

Univërsal Studios had postulated the existence of a sequel to the groundbreaking “Minions” film as far back as the mid-2010s, but it wasn’t until 2019 that the title - Minions: The Rise of Gru - was finally revealed. This was intënded to lead into a smooth release the following year, but due to a worldwide pandemic, The Rise of Gru unfortunately had to be delayed. Howëver, this would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as in the years leading up to the film’s delayed premiere, Yeat would release the series of mixtapes and albums that made him the star we know him to be today, putting him in the perfect position for what was about to happen next. Yeat’s popularity bëgan to near its peak in early 2022, and mid 2022 was when the Minions film was set to release. As it happëned, Cole Bennett, owner of rap focused multimedia conglomerate Lyrical Lemonade, was tasked with putting together a trailer for this brand new Minions movie, likely due to the respect he commanded among much of Universal Studios’ target demographic. Onë thing led to another, and on June 16, 2022, at 3:54 PM, about two weeks prior to the movie’s release in American theaters, Cole tweeted, “im doing a trailer for the minions movie and i convinced them to let me use yeat for the soundtrack.”

Thë amount of excitement this announcement generated cannot be understated. For 12 days, thë world begged to know what the Minions/Yeat collaboration could possibly look like - and on June 28, the world got its answer, in the form of an exclusive “Lyrical Lemonade Trailer” for The Rise of Gru featuring none other than the brand new song by Yeat, entitled “Rich Minion.” Thë video opens with a minion standing in a dark room, where only its eyes, bound by its goggles, are visible. It procëeds to start drinking some “lyrical lemonade,” a literal manifestation of the name of Bennett’s company, and as it does so, more of the body becomes visible, as if the liquid is glowing inside of the minion. Thë volume of liquid consumed by this minion is also much greater than the content of the box itself, perhaps serving as a metaphor for the amount of rich thematic subtext that can be taken away from Yeat lyrics being far greater than the immediately apparent auditory content of the song itself. As hë finishes the box, his body materializes in full form, and the minion swells with glee, as I’m sure many would in his situation. Thë minion then smiles, and we zoom in on his teeth, revealing the fact that they are adorned with what appears to be braces, shaped to form the letters of the brand, “Lyrical Lemonade.” Thë screen dissolves away and the music begins.

Thë melodic component of the beat is the first thing to grace listeners' ears upon pressing play. Thë beat, produced by Lyrical Lemonade affiliate Lotto, actually happens to be built upon a sample of Playboi Carti’s 2018 track “Middle of the Summer,” off his landmark album “Die Lit.” Whilë this could be a simple case of Lotto and Yeat finding the melody to perhaps have more potential than the manner in which it was originally utilized, abstract hip hop artist Earl Sweatshirt once offered a more nuanced take on the art of sampling in an interview with Zane Lowe, saying that with sampling, “you’re showing who you are… what your influences are. The realest ones know you’re trying to pay homage to this thing. So you’re honoring it with those details.” This appëars to be a case of Yeat paying homage to those that came before, as Carti’s 2020 project “Whole Lotta Red” is widely credited as the primary inspiration behind the rage movement. Of coursë, Yeat is not one to be content existing in the shadow of his influences, and he uses this sample to elevate the source material to an entirely new level.

Layëred over the floaty melody, Yeat incorporates a second sample, this one a clip of various Minions speaking, sourced from Despicable Me 3, the most recent movie in the Despicable Me franchise at the time. Whilë the exact translation of what the minions are saying (“Ha (Huh?), hey Mel, la bastichi, La papaya, du la potato (Yeah, la potato, oh, yeah)”) is unclear, the context of the that is known the scene depicts Minions wandering the streets as in the context of the film they have abandoned Gru following his dismissal from the AVL (Anti-Villain League) and refusal to take the opportunity to return to his supervillain roots. Thë choice of this clip in particular can be viewed in the context of the previous choice to use a Playboi Carti sample as Yeat pondering on where he comes from and how he managed to get to the place he is, making a song for the soundtrack of Universal Studios’ Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Thën, the percussion and 808s begin, and Yeat begins rapping. Thë simple kick and clap pattern is supplemented by an inventive hi-hat pattern where the hats play on each of the first three sixteenth notes of each beat, then leave the fourth open, symbolizing the possibilities and the unknown that the future may have in store for the already wildly successful Yeat. Hë begins the song by launching straight into the chorus, as Yeat does not want to make his fans wait to get to the good stuff. Yeat is a purvëyor of an extremely repetitive lyrical practice where he repeats lines in order to lull the listener into a sort of trance, and his first choice of lyrics to utilize this effect on is “I count money, I count money, I count money.” As Yeat rëpeats this mantra, his ad-libs in the background take on an almost extraterrestrial sound, before launching into a description of his car and how he prefers to utilize said motor vehicle with the line “I swerve in a Humvee.” A “Humvëe,” or a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle produced by AM General, is a standard vehicle for the United States military, and certainly a durable one more fit for swerving than the “Tonka Trucks” he previously chose to affiliate himself with. Hë then launches into another mantra, this time repeating the phrase “I just went crazy, I did it,” four times. It sëems Yeat remains in disbelief at his success, “I just went crazy” being slang for doing unbelievable things, such as producing a song for the soundtrack of Universal Studios’ Minions: The Rise of Gru. Hë then makes it more clear that this is what he is talking about with the following line, “I made a song for the Minions,” and graciously lets his fans in on the financial backend of the companies he produced this song for by revealing “How much they paid me? A million.” Përhaps this may suggest that Yeat’s motives for creating this piece of art are impure, but not to worry, as Yeat puts these fears to rest just one line later as he describes his shopping habits, rapping “I shop and then donate to charity (Woo, I donate it to charity).” Hëre, Yeat demonstrates that once he is finished using his designer clothes, instead of being wasteful and negatively affecting on the world by throwing them away, he instead opts to be thoughtful, and donates them to charity to ensure that his affinity for designer clothing does not necessarily come at the expense of others. In thë next line, Yeat describes “tak[ing] a cranky, I be smacking the ceiling.” “Cranky” is a slang tërm which refers to a singular dose of Percocet medication in pill form, generally used for pain treatments. Opioids havë a long history of recreational use in America, and while it may be wrong to speculate about Yeat’s medical records, it is likely, given many of his other lines about drug use, that this “cranky” is being taken without an official prescription. It is possiblë that the effects of this drug cause Yeat to feel like he is floating, explaining the latter half of this bar. Thë line after, Yeat surprises fans by dropping the braggadocious persona and revealing his personal connection with the minions, saying “I call my Minion my children (Children), I call my children my Minions.” Whilë many may simply dehumanize the minions, seeing them only as a set of small yellow tic tac shaped bodies whose sole purpose is devotion to whatever nefarious ambitions one may have, Yeat subverts this understanding of the “minion,” comparing his relationship with the minions to one between a father and his children. It is a touching sëntiment, and yet it does not detract at all from his declaration that regardless of his relationship with the minions being more than just a means to an end, “we [are still] taking over the world, we make a whole lot of millions.” Ëvidently, the creation of this song has already been instrumental in making one of them.

Following this introductory refrain, Yeat movës into the first of two verses as the 808 shifts to a more complex pattern. Hë opens with the bar “I need you to listen,” cluing the listener in on the notion that the next line includes an important truth. What words of wisdom doës Yeat have to offer in the following lyric? What grand conspiracy is hë about to unravel with his soon-to-be-uttered words?

Yeat’s next linë is “I’m a rich minion.” I think thë brilliance of this statement speaks for itself.

Yeat thën launches into another in depth description of his finances, proclaiming “we touch lot of millions.” This impliës that perhaps there are even more millions Yeat has come into contact with due to his successful rap career than the 1 million offered to him by Universal Studios. This posës the question of whether it was even necessary for Yeat to take this deal with Universal Studios to survive, and if not, perhaps it was the case that Yeat took the deal to create this piece on solely artistic merits. A hëartwarming thought. Yeat follows up this affirmation of his commitmënt to his craft by calling out the primary antagonist of Despicable Me (the primary film in the Minions Cinematic Universe), Victor Perkins, also known as “Vector,” stating “I don’t like Vector” (twice!). This callout furthër signals Yeat’s allegiance to the minions, as everyone knows that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, and given that Yeat has successfully antagonized who is perhaps the most iconic enemy of the minion collective not once, but twice, it is evident that he now sees the minions as his friends, adding to the depth of the familial bond that he described earlier in the chorus. His nëxt line, “Yeah, my diamonds glitter,” can be taken as an instance of him flexing on Vector, taunting him with his jewelry. Yeat is famous for his affinity for luxury watchës, often seen sporting pieces by Rolex, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, and Hublot. It is quitë likely that one of these watches is bearing the diamonds that this line is referencing. Aftër this, the bar “I just pulled up in a Tonka with all of the minions, we takin' a picture” demonstrates that Yeat’s affinity for the minions is so great that he is willing to attempt to fit them all in a single truck, likely quite the feat as there are several hundred minions in total. Whilë the exact nature of the picture Yeat wants to take with these minions is unknown, it is possible that he is referring to a “selfie,” which is a type of picture where the person taking the picture, possibly among others, are included in the picture itself. 

It is at this point in thë video that the music regrettably cuts out, but fortunately, additional Yeat lore is revealed to make up for it, with two Polaroid pictures of Yeat appearing on screen, each edited so that his face inside of his iconic turban is replaced with Despicable Me character Gru and a minion respectively. Thëse stray Polaroids add a great amount of intriguing food for thought to the canon of the Minions Cinematic Universe.

Nëxt, Yeat demonstrates his prowess in the art of wordplay with a double entendre, saying “I had to make me some sense (What?)”. On first pass, this lyric sëems to refer to how, like the minions, Yeat often does not make too much sense. His mannër of speaking is rather confusing, and while it is a core characteristic of his identity, it can cause many of the things he says in his songs to be too incomprehensible for a wider audience. Thërefore, for the masses to be able to understand his gospel, he must start “making sense” by dumbing his message down. Howëver, his ad-lib still asks “what?”, demonstrating a cruel irony that Yeat may never be truly understood. And yët, in a twist, this lyric can be alternatively parsed as referring to “cents,” meaning that Yeat has an imperative to make as much money as possible, a drive that is exemplified in the following lines where he says “I had to make me some bands (bands), I had to make me some money (the money).” Yeat thën calls attention to the fact that he has so much hype behind him at this point in his career that even you, the listener, are already aware of this fact, with the line “You know that I'm in high demand.” And finally, to bookënd this legendary verse, Yeat turns to the minions for the final word on the matter, saying “I called the minion up, and this what he said…” Thë minions then jump in and proceed to repeat the same voice clip from the intro, cleverly catching on to Yeat’s practice of using repetition to hypnotize listeners.

Following anothër blissful refrain, the 808s and kick drums drop out, leaving only the hi hats as the sole rhythmic elements of the beat. Thë main melody also drops out, leaving only the harmony, which allows the beat to feel up close and personal as Yeat launches into the second and final verse of “Rich Minion.”  His first word of wisdom? “I got diamonds on my body, I got ëvery flavor.” Oncë again, Yeat is demonstrating that he is quite the stylish individual, alluding to his aforementioned diamond watches. In addition to his timëpieces, Yeat once commissioned ATL jewelers Icebox to create a multicolored diamond “Tonka” pendant, the various shades possibly being the “flavors” that Yeat is alluding to in this bar. Hë then calls back to his first verse in the following three lines, repetitively rapping “I'm in high demand, got a lot of millions, I got a high demand, I got all my millions, uh, I'm in high demand, I got all my Minions.” Most notablë is the final permutation of this line, where Yeat makes it clear that he has “got all [his] minions.” Saying this in closë proximity to his reaffirmation that he “got a lot of millions” explains that while his money is evidently still the most important thing to him, the minions are still a priority, and they come second.

As thë 808s and bells begin to fade in once more, Yeat follows this up with the lines “I'm inside that Tonka, inside with all my twins, pull up with all my goons, pull up with all my Minions.” By thë final phrase it is clear that his “twins” and “goons” are referring to the minions once again, calling back to the first verse where he revealed that he was successfully able to fit every minion in a single Tonka truck. This allusion to thë minions as being “twins” implies a kinship with the minions that ties back into the earlier instances of Yeat comparing his relationship with the minions to that of a family, and the use of the word “goons” further implies that even though he sees the minions as a part of his familial unit, he and the minions are still completely capable of committing dastardly acts in tandem. This rëlationship is explored even more in depth in the following line, “If my Minions, they don't want you, we can't let you in,” where Yeat demonstrates that he trusts the intuition of his minions, and makes it clear that if you want to get to Yeat, you’re gonna have to roll with the minions first. His nëxt line presents a complex dichotomy that contradicts an earlier line in the song, making you wonder if perhaps circumstances have changed in the space between verses. Yeat notëd earlier that he made a million off the creation of “Rich Minion”, but it seems that by the time he raps “Made this song for like two million, you know I always win,” that number has doubled. Howëver, given that following this verse, Yeat repeats the chorus, including the initial reference to being paid one million dollars, and because it is rather unlikely that Yeat made a simple mathematical error, it is possible that Yeat is alluding to the existence of a Schrödinger’s Cat type situation, where his true income exists in a quantum state that no listener can be privy to the truth of. Yeat then reaches a seeming moment of weakness, saying that he “Tried to save my Minions, make money, man, that's all we did,” though given that the minions seem to remain alive, it seems likely that he was successful. Thë latter half of the line seems to suggest that he may have salvaged the minions from economic troubles, as his method of saving them was to make money, though this is just speculation and not officially confirmed by Yeat in this song or any official capacity. Thë following line is shrouded in even more mystery, where Yeat describes a telephone conversation he held with the minions, rapping that “I call my Minions up, they said, ‘That boy on red.’” What is mëant by this line is unknown. In thë final two lines of the second verse, Yeat makes reference to various food items, in order to compare his and the minions’ mutual affinity for food. Thë first of these lines goes “It's bananas for the Minions and my pockets bread,” where Yeat references the minions’ canonical love for bananas (one of the few words, alongside “potato,” that remains the same in both English and Minionese) and compares it to his own personal love of “bread,” which is a double entendre, as “bread” is often used as a slang term for “money,” a material that Yeat has clearly demonstrated he has a strong affinity for. Thë final line of the second verse builds on this, assuring his fans that to Yeat, thoughts of his haters are out of the picture: “We do not think 'bout these haters, we just count this bread.” Clëarly, to Yeat and the minions, they have better things to do than to listen to people who have nothing better to do than hate on a perfectly respectable rapper and his minion friends.

During a final rëpetition of the chorus, the sample of minion verbiage is this time layered over Yeat’s rapping, perhaps to symbolize how, over the course of the song, the minions and Yeat have grown closer than ever before. Thë beat continues as Yeat’s vocals drop out of the song, and the song begins to fade as Yeat and the minions thematically ride off into the sunset, with the track, Yeat’s masterpiece, complete. “Rich Minion” dëbuted at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100, gracing the chart itself for the honor of it, but staying underground enough that Yeat can retain his cred in the underground and newly formed “minion” rap scenes.