Last year, Lil Uzi Vert released the underwhelming “Pink Tape,” which put immense pressure on their next release as a make-or-break moment.
On Nov. 1, the Philadelphia rapper released a sequel to their publicly acclaimed 2020 album “Eternal Atake” which many saw as a step in the right direction. Uzi’s most critically and commercially successful project to date, “Eternal Atake,” can be seen as the highest point in their career.
However, upon release, it might be time to ask whether or not Uzi can still make quality music. The albums just aren’t hitting the same.
Like every Uzi album, the intro song “We Good” was a highlight and the rapper returned to the style of music that made them so popular in the first place. On the track, Uzi directly addresses their battle with nitrous oxide as it’s been publicly known for months they’ve struggled with addiction.
Uzi raps, “They thought I was a dead guy/ I was on that NOS/ Smallest car was a Redeye/ Smokin’ gas, don’t cough.”
The second track “Light Year (Practice)” is one of the few standout songs on the project. The song sees Uzi use the energetic and upbeat flow that fans fell in love with during the mid-2010s.
After the first couple of songs, the album takes a downhill spiral. Uzi appears to be copying Playboi Carti’s newest style on several tracks.
Carti, who debuted his “deep voice” style on Travis Scott’s 2023 track “FE!N” has been synonymous with this new style of rap for the past couple of years. It feels unoriginal for Uzi to be directly copying this style while also using it to make bad music.
A lot of the tracks feel repetitive, with Uzi repeating the same mind-numbing lyrics over and over again. The terrible mixing doesn’t help matters either, which goes hand in hand with the production.
I felt like turning off the album after about seven songs, but I endured until the end despite it feeling more like a chore than a source of excitement.
For half of the album, the production feels bland. The hyper-centric beats show no distinction between one another and it feels like listening to the same song over and over again.
That is until the second half of the album, where Uzi tries (and fails) to maneuver to a melodic route.
And it’s not just me, the general public agrees as well. During its first day, “Eternal Atake 2” debuted with 22.1 million Spotify streams, a 30 million stream decrease from their last album “Pink Tape” which debuted with 54 million.
Despite stating that they will retire from music altogether in the past, Uzi stated in a rare interview with Complex that “Eternal Atake 2” will not be the end.
“It’s crazy because I was very misinformed about what quitting music is,” Uzi said. “If I’m over here really letting you know that my life is music, it’s like why would I sell myself short on a blessing.”
When asked during an interview with Rolling Stone if people should expect more frequent releases in the future, Uzi revealed they’re on a mission.
“Yeah. I’m on go. I’m not even lying.”
Before the release of “Eternal Atake 2,” the rapper had promised fans albums such as “Barter 16” and “Luv Is Rage 3” with neither seeing a release. So a promise of more consistent releases is a good sign.
But if this is the new tone Uzi sets for their albums, I only have one thing to say: Leave the game before the game leaves you.
