Lil Boat began as the nickname and debut mixtape title of American rapper Lil Yachty, who broke through in 2015 and 2016 with a bright, melodic style. Fans adopted the name as a chant and tag, and short shouts of it later circulated on soundboards and in fan edits. Because the phrase is short and instantly tied to Yachty's early era, it survived as a reusable hype sound even outside full songs, used to mark entrances, jokes and celebratory moments in short-form video.