Lil Uzi Vert "Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World" Album Review

Nowadays it would seem like it's a Lil Uzi Vert world. It's kind of hard to argue against that since his singles are getting a lot of airplay and his buzz seems to be growing damn near every day. Even though I'm not the hugest of Lil Uzi Vert fans, his music is enjoyable and his an entertaining entertainer (can't hate on the man.) 

Lil Uzi Vert surprised fans this week (sorry I'm late, finals you guys) with a new project, the 9-song Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World. After featuring the project's opener "Canadian Goose" on his soundcloud I decided to do a review on his new project. I found it interesting that Vert the project takes its cue from the movie "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," not only with the title but with the record "Scott And Ramona".

The focus of this project is aesthetic and, on that front, the production is enthralling. Frequent collaborators Don Cannon and Maaly Raw steal the show with their ear for unique sounds. Off-kilter melodies led by accordions might flare on to the scene at any given moment, while serene synths continuously threatens to overwhelm the canvas. Metro Boomin secures two tracks in the middle and offers up some of his most subtle work in recent memory. However, Metro’s newfound stardom doesn’t stop him from being outshined by the other three composers -- the third being Wondagurl on the melancholic closer, “Scott and Ramona.” Even the sequencing is carefully mapped, with Maaly following up his ferocious opener with the quirky drone of “Hi Roller,” before purposefully tripping into the delirious collaborative effort with Cannon, “Money Longer.” It’s a perfect handoff.

The potential is there for Uzi to dip into soaring ballads as well as underground anthems (“Team Rocket” vs “Money Longer”), but as of now his sound has too many bells and whistles to be truly transcendent. When tracks such as “Scott and Ramona” reach for moments of clarity, they drag due to Uzi’s stiff emoting and, more times than not, Uzi comes of as an excitable fan hogging the mic at karaoke night. Verses frequently induce an eyeroll (ironically, Uzi’s trademark move) and empty cuts such as “Baby Are You Home” quickly prove expendable.

The funky “Ps & Qs,” finds a middle ground between his diverging styles and sees Uzi directly taunting his girlfriend’s ex. It’s menacing yet playful, a mix of bravado and nostalgia, and other standouts such as the trio of tracks that open up the tape all sit comfortably in this same groove. Uzi is a caricature living in a cartoon wonderland of lean, love and lust, and he thrives in that niche. By the final two sappy odes to his sweetheart you can almost picture Uzi standing outside Brittany’s window, serenading her with a Beats Pill. He just caught himself a very rare “Mewtwo” and now him and his girl hop from movie to cartoon, cartoon to comic, playing Bonnie and Clyde, Ramona and Scott, and every couple in between.

Luv Is Rage is the more ambitious effort, but Uzi trims the fat to present a more polished package. Flows aren’t as unhinged as on his previous release (see: “Enemies” or “All My Chains”) but the songs are tighter and the direction is more distinctive. On Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World, the 21-year-old self-proclaimed rockstar doubles down on the pop-sensibility found on last year’s breakout tape and continues to take the genre in a divisive new direction. Solid project from him, but I won't be bumping it heavy in my whip. 

Standout Tracks: ("Canadian Goose", "Ps and Qs", "Team Rocket", and "Scott and Ramona") 

By Rico Johnson, the managing editor of Baller Blog and a hip-hop writer. I'm a wizard with my words. Twitter:Rico-Got_Wisdom IG: blvckhippy_lostitntheera