THE SOUND-BENDING RAPPER WHO BUILT HIS OWN SONIC WORLD
Yeat
b. 2000 · Musician
Early Life
Noah Olivier Smith was born on August 4, 2000, and raised in Irving, Texas, before later moving to Portland, Oregon, and eventually settling in Los Angeles to pursue music. He began experimenting with music production and rapping as a teenager, uploading tracks independently online.
Before achieving mainstream recognition, Smith built a cult following through years of self-released music, developing a distinctive vocal style and production aesthetic largely outside the traditional label system.
Rise to Fame
Performing as Yeat, he began gaining traction in 2019 and 2020 with tracks like “Gek” and “Sorry Bout That,” which spread through social media and streaming platforms, particularly among younger listeners drawn to his heavily processed vocals and bass-heavy, futuristic production.
His 2021 mixtape Up 2 Me and its expanded edition helped establish him as a rising force in the underground-to-mainstream rap pipeline, with his music increasingly charting despite minimal traditional promotion.
Career Highlights
Yeat’s 2022 album Lyfe debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200, followed by 2 Alivë later that year, both cementing his position as one of the most commercially successful new rap acts of the period. He founded his own label and creative collective, Field Trip Records, giving him significant control over his releases and aesthetic.
Subsequent projects, including Afterlyfe (2023) and 2093 (2023), continued his commercial momentum, with 2093 debuting in the top five and showcasing an expanded, more conceptual sonic direction. He has toured extensively, headlining arenas and major festival slots, and continued releasing music at a rapid pace into 2025 and 2026.
Personal Life
Yeat has maintained a relatively private personal life relative to his commercial profile, rarely discussing personal relationships in interviews and focusing public attention on his music and visual branding instead.
He is known for a distinctive personal aesthetic, including custom merchandise, an invented in-universe mythology tied to his album rollouts, and a close relationship with his fanbase, who refer to themselves using terminology drawn from his music.
Net Worth & Legacy
Yeat’s net worth is estimated in the millions of dollars, built through streaming revenue, touring, merchandise, and his ownership stake in his music through Field Trip Records.
From independently uploaded tracks to consecutive top-five Billboard albums, Yeat has built a career defined by a singular sonic identity and a fiercely loyal fanbase, establishing himself as one of the most influential and imitated young voices in contemporary rap.