Better Off
| Better Off | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 12 June 2015 | |||
| Recorded | April–June 2015 | |||
| Studio | New Day Recordings (Porciúncula) | |||
| Genre | Emo rap · trap · pop punk | |||
| Length | 19:53 | |||
| Label | L.B.C. · Imperial Worldwide | |||
| Producer | Bandit | |||
| Lil Coast chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Better Off | ||||
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Better Off is the fourth extended-play by Sierran rapper Lil Coast, released on 12 June 2015 by L.B.C. and distributed by Imperial Worldwide. The EP is built on guitar-driven songs solely produced by multi-instrumentalist Andrew "Bandit" West, and experiments with a variety of subgenres such as emo rap, trap, acoustic rock,alternative hip hop, and pop punk. The lyrics and themes across the extended play are notably based around themes such as heartbreak, suicide, depression, drug abuse, and alienation. The song "Awful Things" would later be released as the lead single, peaking at number 19 on the KS Sunset Hot 100.
Background and recording
Shortly following the release of Lil Coast's second mixtape, teen romance (2015), Sierran record producer Ink Aspect would introduce the rapper to career manager Aidan Sharp, who would be hired as Lil Coast's manager and would remain until his death. Despite being homeless at the time, Sharp introduced Lil Coast to the label executive of Imperial Worldwide, Skyler Matthews, in April 2015. Initially, Matthews was hesitant to signing the young artist, who was only 18 at the time, but after listening to the song "beamer boy", would sign Lil Coast to a recording contract over other deals due to his request for full creative control. After signing, Lil Coast would use his advance towards studio time at New Day Recordings, working primarily with producer Bandit, whom had previously been signed to the label as an in-house producer.
From April to June, Lil Coast would record "dozens" of songs, frequently staying at other rapper's houses in the Porciúncula area or his girlfriend's while recording. One of the first songs recorded by Lil Coast during this time, "Alone (Freestyle)", would later be released on VidStream in May as a promotional single for the EP. After garnering more than a million views on in the first week following its premier, showing the executives of Imperial Worldwide that he was more than "just another trap rapper", a music video would later be released on 2 June. Seeing the potential in the rapper, Sharp knew that many of rap's most popular musicians had been responsible for pushing new sounds into the mainstream because he worked closely with Sierran rapper Okonma East as the chief operating officer of his record label Dream In Music from 2007 to 2011. The manager devised a strategy with L.B.C. in which Lil Coast would release an extended-play or mixtape prior to each studio release to maintain a steady stream of releases and attention.
Track listing
All tracks produced by Andrew "Bandit" West.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jealousy" | Keenan Goodwin · Andrew West | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Liar" | Goodwin · West | 2:52 |
| 3. | "Alone (Freestyle)" | Goodwin · West | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Bad For You" | Goodwin · West | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Awful Things" (featuring Young Filth) | Goodwin · Gerard Roads · West | 3:34 |
| 6. | "Hate Me" | Goodwin · West | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 19:53 | ||