“Being a rapper is a facade.” — Lil Uzi Vert
From his eyebrow raising fashion to intriguing vocal presence, one of the most relevant names in the modern music era, Lil Uzi Vert continues to justify his claims to indeed be a rock star. Rock itself has endless sub-genres, but if you listen to Uzi’s tone and emo-esque lyrics like “push me to the edge, all my friends are dead.” you can easily see why many agree he can be aligned with those in the multi-dimensional rock scene.
One of the biggest problem with old heads, those who believe hip-hop lived and died in the “Golden Era” of the 90’s, is their inability and unwillingness to witness their genre transform and grow. More-so this critique group of modern hip-hop tends to place all those who may use hip-hop as component of their music composition into a structured grading rubric of hip-hop, it’d be like you having a complex workout that entails one round of hitting a heavy bag and all of a sudden you have dedicated boxing analysts picking apart your boxing skills. The boxing is a piece of the workout but the workout itself is its own entity. Same shit with Uzi’s correlation to the hip-hop game.
Lil Uzi Vert has even stated he doesn’t consider himself a rapper or hip-hop artist at all, and believes he indeed is a rock star. There is no need to compare Uzi with hip-hop legends all 35+ year olds who still wear over sized polo’s identify with, so how about we just let this kid do his thing and continue to change a constantly morphing music scene? A new era in rap has been attempted to be encompassed in one phrase, “mumble rap”. This is a phrase that critiques the artists lyrical capability, yet completely disregards their willingness to explore themselves sonically. If you can’t understand every word but the overall sound is dope, why are you mad? Sounds are music. Sounds were the foundations of music, from West African drum sequences to string symphonies to Beethoven classics, music started with sound. I’ve heard people say things like “If I can’t listen to the lyrics, I can’t listen to the song.”
Really? So explain to me how you would enjoy a guitar solo. You’d enjoy the sound, fool. The movement away from lyricism has brought about unbelievable audio effects, distinct humming and harmonies, ad libs, in essence its brought about a push towards exploring the limitations and potential of the human voice.
Uzi Vert is tap dancing outside of this rubric, not really giving a shit, and making music he likes. Fortunately for Uzi, millions of others like it too.
This cover of Uzi’s hit single “XO TOUR Llif3” by the rock band “Fame On Fire” is a beautiful visual and audible depiction of Lil Uzi Vert’s ability to transcend his anthems for the youth across genres. You can’t tell me this video isn’t glorious, something about guns with lazer scopes, guitars, animated bass players, and Hennessy works. Gorgeous combination. The way this songs emotion transcends effortlessly says everything about his ability to tap into the rock wavelength.
Give this kid a break, let him be him, and let the music speak for itself. Check out the Fame on Fire cover here:
Two Buttons Deep is a news & entertainment website based in upstate New York.
We don’t just post the news, we post stuff worth talking about…
Visit our newsfeed, and stay up to date on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.