To say that Lil Uzi Vert’s second record, “Eternal Atake,” was one of hip-hop’s most hotly awaited releases would be something of an understatement.
But after its actual release, I’m just left asking, “That’s it?”
For a little background, it was in 2018 that the Philadelphia-rapper who was born Symere Woods first announced “Eternal Atake,” a nonsense phrase he explained in a tweet with the following: “Eternal means forever. Atake means 2 overtake.”
This tweet sort of goes to show the level of “concept” that we’re working with here, by the way.
2018, of course, was just after everyone started to care about Uzi in a big way, with his biggest single to date, “XO Tour Llif3” — which I would like to say is one of the best, most defining singles of the 2010s, before anyone accuses me of being an Uzi-hater — made a huge splash in 2017.
After the album “XO Tour Llif3” was ostensibly supporting — Uzi’s debut “Luv Is Rage 2” — dropped in 2017 to a resounding “eh,” fans began looking forward to “Eternal Atake.”
And while “Eternal Atake” is certainly a more interesting record than “Luv Is Rage 2,” it’s also plagued by many of the same issues, namely that the album is overly long, and it’s bogged down by songs that are, themselves, overly long.
Make no mistake: I think Uzi is a brilliant songwriter and a talented rapper. I don’t think you can produce a single of quality as high as “XO Tour Llif3” without being a real talent. The problem, though, is that Uzi seems to have too many ideas and can’t determine which ones are the ones to flesh out and which should be cast aside.
It’s an issue that’s apparent in the structure of many of his songs, including the lead single (and now technically bonus track) “Futsal Shuffle 2020.” Uzi often just seems trapped in his songs, with no idea of how to escape them. So many of his tracks drag on past five minutes long, just cramming as many verses and choruses into the songs as possible.
And the verses are great. Uzi’s rapping technique is rock solid — except on tracks like “POP” in which he just kind of ignores the beat — using a blistering flow that is absolutely infectious. And the choruses are great, too, with sticky melodies that lodge themselves into your head. But Uzi’s problem is his lyrics just aren’t good enough to justify having six or more verses and choruses in his songs.
It’s an experience I have almost every single time Uzi debuts a new song: I love it at the beginning, but by the time it reaches the end of its run-time, I’m bored. Extend that problem across a whole album, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Then, couple that with an album concept that is, at best, half-baked. Uzi has said that the first half of the record is meant to represent Uzi going to space, and the second half is his space travels. This is somewhat supported by a smattering of skits that show Uzi reacting like Bill and/or Ted to the wonders of space, but the lyrics of the songs themselves have less than nothing to do with it, with Uzi usually just either bragging about how much sex he has or complaining about how little sex he’s having.
It’s a concept that could have been interesting if he had actually explored it. But instead, he just gets in his own way, which is so often the problem for Lil Uzi Vert.
It’s a shame, because he’s obviously an incredibly talented writer and performer. I just hope he gets his act together for the next project.
