“I started making music eight months ago. It was bad at first, but I found autotune and went with that shit,” says the clean cut 18-year-old Portland native known to SoundCloud aficionados as YEAT or Lil Yeat. For those rightfully wondering about the origin of his moniker, it’s a combination of the words ‘Yeet’ and ‘Heat.’

His melodic auto-tuned approach has quickly turned heads throughout the hip-hop community, including a number of important figureheads in Atlanta that’ve recently been helping develop the young superstar. “Working with StreamCut and Danny Wolf has been huge for me,” he explains. “I grew up listening to OutKast, T-Pain and Peewee Longway, so having the respect and support of influential Atlanta taste makers has always been a goal.”

Yeat’s racial background is a three-toned mix of caucasian, Mexican and Romanian; which explains his diverse sound and incomparable swagger. His style runs deep, and it’s apparent across “Deep Blue $trips,“ Yeat’s newly released three-track EP. The project acts as his debut body of work, and shines a spotlight on his songwriting skills and knack for infectious melodies.

Stream the new effort below, and prepare to witness the rise of Lil Yeat.