By: ALEXANDER TAYLOR
Staff Writer
It’s been over a month since Lil Uzi Vert released their long-awaited mixtape and the first release since their collaboration album with Atlanta Rapper Future Pluto x Baby Pluto (2020). RED & WHITE is what the Philadelphia rapper, whose real name is Symere Woods, calls “Before the P!NK” referring to the Pink Tape which is due to release sometime during 2023.
Slowly releasing songs throughout the week of the 22nd starting with SPACE CADET, released on the 15th of July, and ending with the rest of the album released on the following Friday, Lil Uzi Vert yet again demonstrates their ability to evolve and change with every album release. The album begins with the track SPACE CADET, a powerful intro track first previewed at the 2021 Rolling Loud in Miami. The intro line of “I am a space cadet, the geek, that real” describes how Lil Uzi Vert viewed themselves at the time of the song’s recording in early 2021. During this time we saw Symere pierce a diamond into their forehead, which itself made headlines around the world.
Another standout track is FOR FUN, recorded in 2018 during the original sessions for Eternal Atake. FOR FUN is a track that was considered a “grail” or extremely wanted song since it was first previewed on Aug 17, 2019. On this track we hear Uzi float over a heavenly beat produced by BeatsByJeff, rapping about typical Lil Uzi Vert subjects. Getting the bands, counting blue cheese, and doing both of those things “for fun.” FOR FUN is a personal favorite of many from this album, and it is doing well on platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram with Reels.
The final standout track, as well as my personal favorite, is titled FINAL FANTASY (F.F. on streaming services). This song sees Lil Uzi Vert rapping over a majestic beat produced by Brandon Finessin and Esko about achieving their “Final Fantasy” referring to the Square Enix game of the same title, which is mentioned a total of 58 times in total. This song is inspiring in the way it’s become a personal anthem of mine as well as the anthem of many others, it shows that the only important thing in life is reaching your “Final Fantasy” no matter the cost. FINAL FANTASY is a good example of how powerful music can be and how much songs can mean to so many people and I think that FINAL FANTASY being the closing song on the album is very fitting, it is a beautiful outro to a very beautiful album.
In conclusion, although all songs were not mentioned in this article, the rest of the album is just as amazing as the 3 tracks mentioned above. RED & WHITE is a perfect example of the artistic evolution of a rapper. We saw the Philadelphia rapper going from rapping about substance abuse, gang violence, and women. To do the same thing, but with a happier vibe to it, as well as changing up their sound. Going from the hard beats of Uzi’s first commercial mixtape Luv Is Rage, to the dark themes of its sequel Luv Is Rage 2, and the interplanetary sound of Eternal Atake. To a much softer yet more aggressive at the same time style of RED & WHITE. This album proves that Lil Uzi Vert will never be done evolving and is a very rare sight of an evolving artist.