Lil Uzi Vert delivers most underwhelming project of the year

After+hearing+Lil+Uzis+newest+album%2C+listeners+feel+the+need+to+dispose+of+their+headphones+as+a+result+of+a+killed+passion+for+music.

Natalia Alvarez

After hearing Lil Uzi’s newest album, listeners feel the need to dispose of their headphones as a result of a killed passion for music.

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Jacob Tutterow, Copy Editor

Rapper Lil Uzi Vert dropped the long awaited sequel album to his breakout mixtape Luv Is Rage with the aptly named Luv Is Rage 2. After several delays, the project released on August 25 to fans and to slight critical acclaim.

The tracklisting only includes two features, Pharrell Williams and The Weeknd, which might surprise fans, considering Uzi’s track record of appearing on several artists’ songs. On the 56 minute album, Uzi takes his time explaining the themes of fame, money, and his recent breakup with Brittany Byrd, which played an integral part in the making of Uzi’s previous two mixtapes, The Perfect LUV Tape and Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World.

In only 16 songs, Lil Uzi Vert accomplishes next to nothing when rapping. The hooks become entirely too repetitive, and the verses seem meaningless and lost in the ever-so-popular world of partying and abusing illegal substances. Tracks like “Sauce It Up” make for forgettable, generic trap music that radio stations across the United States would play to draw in young listeners.

The whole album feels like it did not need several of the tracks available, and they only serve as filler. These filler songs include “Pretty Mami,” “No Sleep Leak,” “Malfunction,” and “How To Talk.”

The same themes pop up on every other track. Listeners either hear Uzi singing about breakups, his large amounts of money, or how he just broke up with his girlfriend. The repeat themes might not make the album as bad as it would seem, but with 16 tracks of the same messages, the listener might feel bored, with the exception of “Dark Queen,” where Uzi surprisingly opens up about his mother and includes a tiny amount of introspection for once.

The biggest issue with Uzi’s debut album comes from the one thing he does pride himself on—his “rockstar” voice. The layers upon layers of autotune Uzi feels the need to put on his voice makes it sound like a metallic cat wailing at points on the album. When he does strip it back, though, the songs sound nearly enjoyable. Tracks like “X” and “Early 20 Rager” can make for decent songs to bob your head to. However, on most of these 16 tracks, Uzi takes no shame in coating his voice in whatever amount of autotune that he feels will whittle his audience down into a shell of their former selves.

The two features on the album do make for much needed breaks near the middle of the tracklisting, with the chemistry of Pharrell Williams and Lil Uzi providing a solid, listenable song on “Neon Guts.” Unfortunately, though, “UnFazed” featuring The Weeknd suffers from a hook that makes listeners want to bash their head through a wall with its repetition.

With the influx of trap rappers and generic hi hat beats, Luv Is Rage 2 does nothing to keep away from this trend. A majority of the production feels as if it could fit into any of the most popular rap songs. However, the beats of Luv Is Rage 2 make the album listenable. The producers did include catchy instrumentals to make Uzi’s voice bearable, on tracks like “X,” “XO TOUR Llif3,” “Early 20 Rager,” and “For Real.” These beats make for the highlight of the album, and will most likely draw teenagers looking for something to mindlessly dance to.

Overall, Luv Is Rage 2 suffers from the same errors Lil Uzi Vert made in the past, and with his unforgiving autotune, the album does nothing to mature his sound. The track “XO TOUR Llif3” tops the list for best song, though it came out near the beginning of 2017. If this album cut the filler songs, and Uzi experimented more with his undoubtedly unique voice, Luv Is Rage 2 might actually deserve the praise fans provide it with. In the end, though, Uzi steps on the same pitfalls his earlier projects make, and leaves listeners with just another generic trap rap album.

 

The Chant’s Grade: F