Coming into 2020, Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake stood as one of the year’s more anticipated projects. Three years removed from LUV IS RAGE 2 and stuck in label limbo, the Philadelphia native not only broke through on his own, he flourished.
As it stands, Uzi’s March release stands as the biggest Hip Hop release of 2020 with 288,000 copies sold in its opening week. He’s one of the genre’s more unconventional stars and as we approach the halfway mark, he’s not only one of the year’s best stories but the year’s best artists.
If you’re a fan of Uzi, then you know he grabs inspiration from all ends of the pop culture spectrum. It’s these unlikely blends that have created a unique musical persona. Even after becoming a Billboard chart-topping success with “XO TOUR LIF3,” which has gone 7x platinum since its release and more, Uzi remarked on how he wanted to go back – when there was no fame and the freeing aspect of making music was his calling.
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In 2013, Uzi had yet to release his debut mixtape. He wasn’t friends with superstars, he didn’t have the attention of the world, and he was most likely eating Poptarts at the crib, just rapping for fun with his friends in Philadelphia. The Instagram post where he declared “I wanna wake up in 2013, you are free,” could have been Uzi wishing that he had never gotten all of the money, all of the fame, and all of the pressures that come with the music industry. Perhaps, Uzi just wanted to be normal again. Not a rockstar, not one of the hottest rappers in the game, but just Symere Woods, the kid in Francisville who liked listening to Marylin Manson and Wiz Khalifa.
But here it is – 2020. Uzi not only gifted fans Eternal Atake, he followed it up with another surprise in Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2, the sequel to his third mixtape and a homage to the comic series, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. His status as a force in Hip Hop is secure. Beyond the sales, and regardless of how you feel about the album musically, there is no denying the impact that Uzi has had on the rap game, and on an entire generation of kids.
Take in Uzi’s Eternal Atake and Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2 below.