Loud, angry rap has never been my thing, but Lil Uzi Vert made me curious. I love music and everything that goes into making it, from meaningful lyrics to layered instruments creating the perfect sound. So, when I saw Lil Uzi Vert’s new album, “Eternal Atake 2,” I was intrigued.
Symere Bysil Woods, or Lil Uzi Vert, is a gender non-conforming American rapper known for the $24 million diamond in their forehead and style that is simply one-of-a-kind. Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts with three of their four albums, Lil Uzi Vert has made their talent apparent to a mainstream audience. They have also been a pioneer in modern EDM trap music, giving this fast paced, highly electronic genre the recognition it has today.
“Not many rappers have done what Uzi has,” said Luke Ryan, a Summit junior and Lil Uzi Vert fan. “With their style of music, they were the first ones to do it.”
Uzi is extremely original and talented, two things few people have simultaneously. Their talent has brought them to mainstream fame, but people have always had mixed opinions on Uzi’s personal style, especially with their newest songs.
Uzi’s 2020 album, “Eternal Atake,” served as a prequel to the newly released “Eternal Atake 2,” or EA2, which dropped this November. EA2 left fans with 16 more tracks of intergalactic rap with an unparalleled image. Uzi’s ability to convey this retro, sci-fi feel is highly entertaining and further proves their artistic range. Producing good songs takes talent, but successfully capturing an entire aesthetic through sound is a more impressive feat. However, with “Eternal Atake 2” only the latter stands out. Uzi’s music itself did not deliver. But was it really intended to?
Uzi begins their album with a dramatic voice introducing EA2 on the first track, “We Good.” This song sounds like a spaceship landing, full of suspense and anticipation. These first 10 seconds built up my expectations, and then Uzi started singing. Their bars completely clashed with the electronic sound. Listening to “We Good” feels like accidentally playing two different songs at the same time. As you progress through the album, it’s the same discord for eight songs, with overcompensating beats failing to balance a lack of melodic rapping. It wasn’t until halfway through “Eternal Atake 2” that my opinion was changed.
Starting with “Lyft Em Up” I heard the harmony I was initially looking for. This song is built on piano chords, a nice contrast to the overly electronic sounds of the rest of the album. Additionally, Uzi’s rapping finally complemented the song itself and the album only got better from there. By the end of “Eternal Atake 2,” I forgot about the disorganization of the previous tracks and could actually embrace Uzi’s talent as an artist. Their words started flowing with the instrumentation and the songs were outright catchy. The final tracks on the album were fun, making it feel like Uzi actually enjoyed producing them. However, for the first half of the songs, it seems as though Uzi meant for them to be hated.
Lil Uzi Vert is a seasoned artist. They’ve been in the spotlight long enough to grasp what people will praise and what they’ll condemn. If they were trying to make another top album, they would have done so. EA2 shows that Uzi isn’t driven by fame or approval from others; they’re making music for personal enjoyment.
Evidently, not every album lands and “Eternal Atake 2” sent listeners through turbulence. The transformation within the tracklist is chaotic and polarizing, yet still engaging. It showcases Uzi’s creativity and lack of fear when it comes to public opinion. Uzi is a mature artist who has excelled in fusing these futuristic sounds into catchy songs—some high quality while others not so much. Ultimately, it’s clear that Lil Uzi wasn’t even trying, yet they still managed to impress.
