Lil Yachty is capping off a career-making 2016 by gracing the cover of The New York Times’ Men’s Style Section. The 19-year-old models an impressive collection of designer threads in the spread, while the accompanying piece covers his meteoric rise to fame and his truly unshakable confidence.

“I’m not a rapper, I’m an artist,” he says in the article. “And I’m more than an artist, I’m a brand.”

The self-proclaimed “king of the teens” also muses about why fans love him so much, which may have something to do with his authenticity. “I don’t rap about drinking or smoking, ever, because I don’t do it. I don’t rap about anything I don’t do,” he said, later adding, “I’m the face of the youth, the new sound. ... They relate to me because I’m so like them, but on a global scale.”

Sure, those may seem like rather bold claims to make, but Yachty can back them up with his resume of accomplishments this year: modeling Kanye West’s Yeezy 3 collection at Madison Square Garden, starring in a Sprite commercial with LeBron James, and, most recently, collaborating with Nautica on a collection for Urban Outfitters.

And it’s only going to get bigger for Lil Boat — on the heels of his new song with A$AP Ferg, Yachty’s debut album is slated for release in early 2017. In other words, “the face of the youth” is only getting started.

Read Lil Yachty’s entire New York Times feature here.