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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Lil Uzi Vert delivers the long awaited 'Luv is Rage 2'

lil uzi web
Susan Zhu
Susan Zhu


If you’ve listened to rap music recently, chances are you’ve heard Symere Woods, better known by his stage name, Lil Uzi Vert.

Uzi spent much of the beginning of 2017 rapping alongside some of the industry’s hottest names.  In late 2016, Uzi appeared on Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” which rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 mostly thanks to the memes created from the song’s catchy lyrics. Uzi then appeared on the soundtrack of “The Fate of the Furious” and later, the single “RAF” from A$AP Mob’s recently released “Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy.”

The one thing that Uzi did not yet have in 2017 was his own album. He released the EP “Luv is Rage 1.5” in February, which featured Uzi's most popular song to date, “XO TOUR Llif3.” The EP sparked speculations regarding Uzi's debut studio LP and it wasn’t until the rapper tweeted “Tonight at 12...2 the album. Okay Bye” on the day the album was released that fans finally had confirmation of the release date.

“Luv is Rage 2” is a sequel to Uzi’s second mixtape, “Luv is Rage,” and marks his first commercial release with Atlantic Records.  The cover art for “Luv is Rage 2” is a clear reference to the album’s predecessor, featuring Uzi reaching out towards his on again off again girlfriend Brittany Byrd.

The album has 16 songs combining for a substantial 56 minutes and making it Uzi’s longest project to date. The album also features the talents of two big music industry names, The Weeknd and Pharrell Williams. These are easily the most mainstream and popular hip-hop artists that Uzi has ever appeared alongside.

On “Neon Guts” vocalist Pharrell Williams controls both the chorus and the first verse of the track, rapping about billionaire Elon Musk in the line “Higher than Elon Musk / So high stars eat our dust.” On “UnFazed” The Weeknd lends his voice to the repetitive chorus while Uzi adds one of his many signature ad-libs.

Apart from those two tracks, Uzi handles most of the rapping and singing on the album. The intro song, “TwoⓇ,” has a vibe that harkens back to Uzi's “Ps & Qs” with the Philadelphia-born rapper pondering his recent success stating, “And I ain’t gonna lie / I got money and the power”. On “Sauce It Up,” Uzi displays even more bravado while going on about his constant party lifestyle. Uzi even references the speculation regarding the release date of his album in the hook of “How to Talk,” boasting, “They predicted next fall yeah / Look at them like aw yeah.”

“Luv is Rage 2” is far from revolutionary for Uzi, but it fits in rather well with his discography. As a whole, the album is nothing to get too excited about. There are no songs that particularly stand out, besides “XO TOUR Llif3,” which had already been released. Most of the songs on the album blend together and are consistent with Uzi's style, which will most likely appeal to current fans but probably won’t gain him any new ones. Woods attempted to break into the mainstream music scene by bringing on Pharrell and The Weeknd, but it doesn’t seem like either song will crack into the Billboard Hot 100.

 

Artist: Lil Uzi VertAlbum: “Luv is Rage 2”Label: Atlantic RecordsFavorite Track: “Neon Guts”If you like: Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Lil YachtyShamrocks: 3 out of 5