Lil yachty steps out of his comfort zone with new album

by Xavier Thomas Web Editor

Lil Yachty may have released the most diverse, beautiful and surprising album of 2023 so far. Yachty’s album, “Let’s Start Here,” caught fans by surprise. Many expected either another rap album or a pop rap album. But no. Yachty stepped out of his comfort zone with psychedelic rock and funk vibes and his collabs with music artists spanning all different genres.

The album is less than a story and more of an experience where you have to listen from start to finish. It starts off with the song “the BLACK seminole,” which gives off the most psychedelic rock vibes from any song on the album. It feels like you’re in a different world while listening to this song, especially when Diana Gordon comes in and shows off her vocal skills without even singing one lyric.

The second song off the album, one of my favorite songs, is “the ride” with Teezo Touchdown. It combines Yachty’s old style with his new style throughout. It makes you feel like you’re ascending into space or running in slow motion with nowhere to go. It’s a song where you can just sit down and zone out with no worries.

“Drive ME crazy” is the perfect song to get in your car and drive while the sun is setting in the summer. This song is also with Diana Gordan, where she is featured more, and sings back and forth with Yachty. From start to finish the song is filled with good comforting vibes. It tells the story of a relationship between two people who are overly obsessed with each other with lyrics like, “Well aware you are always mine And still you seem so surprised.” “Always gon’ be mine” provides a perspective of what the relationship is like and how they feel about each other.

The last song off the album, “REACH THE SUNSHINE,” is the perfect conclusion. The song features Daniel Caesar, and he provides great vocals for his verses throughout the song.

The album definitely takes inspiration from the band Pink Floyd, specifically their album, “The Dark Side of the Moon,” but it still doesn’t take away how unique this album is. The production for the album was amazing and nothing like we’ve ever seen from Yachty before. I hope he sticks to this style of music for a while as it’s the best work he has ever put out.

Rating: 5/5

by Ariyanna Wilkes Staff Writer

The anxiety of what to do after high school has been a ticking time bomb on our brains ever since we entered. We chose our schedules, extracurricular activities and hobbies based on how we want our futures to turn out.

Once senior year hit, we had to double down and work ten times harder than we’ve had our entire high school career. If your old ACT or SAT scores were too low for your dream college, you had to study and retake them. If your financial aid won’t cover college expenses, you have to search for loans, apply for scholarships and write essays until your fingers burn. It feels like a never-ending roller coaster and, on top of it all, you still have to pass the 12th grade to graduate.

Then the hardest part comes: picking a college to attend. This is one of the most stressful experiences in high school—and possibly in life, given how much it can impact your future. There are plenty of factors to take into account: cost, location, student body, etc, which is why the decision is usually put off for so long. And even after considering every aspect and selecting a college, you might still be unsure if you made the right call.

“I selected San Francisco over a school in Mildred and that was really difficult, because I feel like I could’ve got a really good experience out of the country so sometimes think ‘what if I chose Mildred instead?’”

Xeta O’Hara, senior, said. “But I think I made the right choice.”

O’Hara isn’t alone. Knowing that there are so many things you can look at to find the perfect college can make the decision strenuous, but here are some tips to make the process easier.

First, find out if the college you’re considering has an excellent program for your major and if it comes with many hands-on opportunities.

Second, schedule a campus tour to determine if it’s a good fit; sometimes only looking at a college’s website won’t do it any justice. Third, avoid comparing your decision to others; not everyone’s dream college will be the same.

And last, picture your future there and how the transition will be. Remember that it isn’t final. You can always transfer if you end up unhappy. But most importantly, trust yourself to make the right decision. Don’t doubt yourself. You know what will make you happy.

What would you tell your future self?

Senior Crossword

“Stay

“Appreciate

Track team uses dedication to fuel success

by Kai Gover Staff Writer

With the start of spring sports our track and field athletes have been working to improve their personal records (PR) and even their overall endurance to give their best day in and day out. The field event players have recently been showing their best talents from high jump to shot put to discus.

“I wanted to be in shape for football, and it gave me something else to do to keep me busy and active,” Tyler Lemen, junior, said. “I’m also pretty good at throwing.”

Lemen recently achieved one of the greatest defense seasons with 132 tackles, so he continues to work and strengthen his body to have another outstanding performance.

“When I’m about to throw I feel excited and ready to go and do my best, and my goal is to make it to state,” Lemen said.

But the sport isn’t always about stats and accomplishments.

Girls Soccer

“Coach Byrd was my reason as to why I give so much potential,” Laila Dixon, junior, said. “I just need to apply myself. Track became my interest because it’s something to clear my mind.”

Dixon runs 100 and 300 meter hurdles and received a PR of 50.7 seconds for the 100 meter hurdles April 28 at Clayton.

Fellow thrower Eli Blackwell, senior, is a multi-sport athlete, as he plays football and already plans on attending college to play football.

LaTandy Simon, sophomore, is a also sprinter and has become a very passionate track runner. Even though it has only been two years, she has emerged as a very dependent sprinter. She even received a PR of 13.38 seconds for the 100 meter dash April 28.

“I wanted to test my physical limits and improve myself and learn to run,’’ Simon said. “My goals are to stay dedicated and get better and better as the competition improves.”

Spring sports wrap up

and has the second most points on the team with 32.

Track

Laila Dixon, junior, with a PR at 50.7 for 100-meter hurdles, was 1st place at the Friday Night Lights meet at Clayton April 28. Also at that meet, Elijah Mayweather, senior, had a discus PR of 36.98 meters. Bryan Cooley, junior, ran a 100 meter run finishing at 11.45 seconds and also ran a 200 meter run in 23.69 seconds. Jaidyn Conners, freshman, came in 4th place, once for a 100 meter run and a 300 meter run. For the 300 meter run, she finished in 53.27 seconds.

Baseball

In their first season in 17 years, U. City combined with Webster Groves and finished with a 6-6 record. The team beat John Burroughs in the first round of the State Championships 11-6. They also had a win at the last minute against rival Clayton ending 10-9. They finished the season 4th in the state in “goals against average” with 8.5 per game. Big contributions came from goalie Jayden Creighton, sophomore, David Ruland, sophomore, and Morgan Wibben, freshman.

Boys Tennis

Heading into districts boys tennis had a very solid record of 15-5. In their first team match of districts, they defeated McKinley Classical Leadership with Collegiate School of Med-Bio Science with a score of 5-0.