Today I review the newest project released by Philly rapper Lil Uzi Vert a sequel to his Luv is Rage album from 2015. Luv is Rage was the first project I listened to by Uzi and since then I’ve been a fan, with his songs being used in commercials and his popularity skyrocketing he has positioned himself to be the frontrunner of this new generation of rappers.
With the release of the first single XO Tour Life it made fans that much more excited for the release of Luv is Rage 2. To me this album didn’t really live up to the hype that “XO Tour Life” gave fan but I was hopeful. Even though some tracks didn’t interest me much, Uzi shows that he continues to grow both as an artist and a person.
One subject he brings up a lot in this album is the deterioration of his relationship with his girlfriend Brittany. She has been an inspiration for his music ever since 2014 now both have separated and Uzi is moving forward, he shows this on the track titled “X”. Produced by Pi’erre Bourne who also produced Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, Uzi talks about him not wanting Brittany anymore not knowing what the future holds for him when he raps,
“I don’t know what’s next/ I don’t want my ex, no/ Break up with a text/ I’m not tryna flex/ Girl you know the rest (bye, bye, hoe)”
He continues talking about his heartbreak when he raps,
“Yeah, my life’s a mess/ But I’m also blessed/ My heart’s in the junkyard cause it’s wrecked/ And today’s not feeling like it’s used to/ You got stuck up in that life that you used to/ If you got hurt, yeah, I got bruised to”
I like how these lyrics show that Uzi was so close to Brittany that if she was hurt he would feel it almost like they were identical twins. He showed that this relationship has taken a tole on him saying that he was a wreck. Even before this track was released their relationship was always up in the air when Uzi got more successful. There were rumors that they had broken up in 2015 but then Uzi let everyone know they were back together again. But I guess there came a breaking point and he had had enough. As the track continues Uzi compares himself to Leonardo Dicaprio saying he can take any guys girl and that he has girls in his phone who look like New New, a character from the movie ATL. He continues to talk about his heartbreak and how he’ll get over it in the song “The Way Life Goes”.
This track surprised me because it wasn’t full of bass, hi-hats and autotuned mumbling like most standard Uzi track but instead we have a melodic, chill vibe and not that much autotune on his voice. He raps about how much he cared for Brittany and because of the heartbreak he tried to fill that hole with another girl when he raps,
“Wish I never ever ever told you things/ I was only only trying to show you things/ Iced out heart on your neck trying to froze your ring/ I had to get me a new bitch to hold the pain/ We was in Hawaii looking at the ring/ She was smiling happy but I’m laughing cause her man a lame”
Even though Uzi found a replacement for Brittany, he doesn’t have the same feelings for her. While she’s over the moon happy having the ring on her finger Uzi is laughing because he knows that the girls real partner is lame and isn’t as wealthy as Uzi. For the chorus of the song Uzi uses the first verse the song Landslide by Oh Wonder, a London pop band. The chorus says,
“I know it hurts sometimes but you’ll get over it/ You’ll find another life to live/ I swear that you’ll get over it/ I know you’re sad and tired / You’ve got nothing left to give/ You’ll find another life to live/ I know that you’ll get over it”
This chorus perfectly describes Uzi’s feelings now that his relationship is now over. This song will be used by every heartbroken guy or girl for years to song. I wouldn’t be surprised if you heard this song be the next radio single for Uzi. Finally the song that I enjoyed the most and have been singing and listening to repeat since I first heard it “Neon Guts”.
On the track it is both featuring and being produced by Skateboard P, Pharrell. I was so excited when I saw this track because Uzi went on Pharrell’s Apple Radio show and posted a picture together on Instagram thus making my mouth water thinking of what a track with the two artist would be like and damn they did not disappoint. This song changed the dim outlook Uzi was having because of his ex and did a 180 to become happy and hype at the same time. Both P and Uzi are very colorful people and have always been considered “weird” by the hip-hop community because of their fashion choices rather than their music. But with these guys on one track, I never knew I wanted a Uzi/Pharrell collab album but I do now and I hope they do it. On the track itself both talk about their colorful personalities and how that they don’t let “dark energy” effect them.
Overall this album was good but it’s not Uzi’s best work. Even with these tracks I talked about that will garner praise from both Uzi fans and critics, there are some tracks on this album that you can skip and you won’t miss anything. If you want to hear the progression of Uzi I encourage you to listen to the first Luv is Rage and compare the two. Continuing on the sequels of albums, it’s rumored that Uzi is working on Lil Uzi vs The World 2 so I will be excited to see what Uzi has working on even after dropping this project.
