“Countin’ up my millions, you know it’s up a lot”, claimed rapper Lil Uzi Vert on his song Silly Watch. Despite how much the rapper brags about his ostentatious lifestyle and huge cash flow, one can easily conclude his income has dried up, based on the album he just released. On Nov 1, Lil Uzi Vert released Eternal Atake 2, their first album in nearly a year and a half. This album came as the long-anticipated sequel to their album eternal Atake, which, debuting on March 6, 2020, entered the billboard charts at #1 and went RIAA certified platinum. With Eternal Atake 2’s predecessor having such lofty success, expectations for Uzi’s newest project were high. Fans have been waiting on another Uzi album for over year and entering the rollout and release for the album, people were hyped. The hype didn’t last. This album is another disappointing project in Lil Uzi Verts once pristine discography, serving as an example as to why an artist should stick to their roots.
In the past several years, Uzi has been slowly switching their sound from the loud, thumping trap music that popularized them, to a grungy, rock-and-roll-based style. Although it’s always important for an artist to have new motivation and develop new flows, Uzi just hasn’t seemed to incorporate this grunge influence into his music in a way that sounds good. This is evident in tracks on the album such as Goddard Song, in which Uzi tries to sing over a slower beat, something that they have proven themselves capable of doing on songs such as XO Tour Llif3. However, whether it was due to the uninspired beat, boring lyrics, the slurring of Uzi’s voice or his seeming lack of effort in attempting to make it sound good, Goddard Song is barely listenable.
On the few occasions that Uzi does return to his iconic unique blend of trap music and futuristic sounds, the album thrives. The songs Light Year and Space High are reminiscent of the original Eternal Atake, with Uzi flying across high powered beats, utilizing his fast and instantly recognizable flow that earned him his considerable fanbase. Space High is without a doubt the best song on the album, and it also happens to have the most understandable lyrics.
Throughout the album, Uzi experiments with various types of sound, changing the volume, pitch, and tone of his voice seemingly at random throughout the project, often leading him to sound much more like other rappers known for being hard to understand. Although it’s good to attempt new styles, if I wanted to hear mumbling over futuristic beats, I’d listen to Playboi Carti.
Uzi has spent the majority of their career rapping over fast, loud, thumping trap music. Now, as they look to reenter the spotlight, they seem to have thought it was a good idea to deviate from the ascetic that gained them fame in the first place. Utilizing mediocre beats and questionable lyrics without their signature trap style led to the album displaying the worse sides of Lil Uzi Vert, unfortunately giving any new fans a terrible impression.
The bills must have been due for Lil Uzi, but they certainly weren’t rapping like they were. You could spend 43 minutes going on a walk, doing schoolwork, playing videogames, or even just laying down. However, by far, the worst way to spend 43 minutes is listening to Eternal Atake 2, an unfortunate step in Lil Uzi Verts flawless discography.