Lil Uzi Vert’s long-awaited album “Eternal Atake” proves every mumble-rap hater right, ruining plenty of well-produced beats with mind-numbingly repetitive flows and stupid lyrics.
Uzi’s past albums are inconsistent at best, often padding out tracklists with low-effort trap songs that pale in comparison to his best singles like the synth-heavy “Money Longer” or the emo-rap anthem “XO Tour Llif3.”
After a feud with Atlantic Records in 2019 and complaining that the label wouldn’t let him release new music, Uzi hinted toward taking an exciting new direction by independently releasing the track “Free Uzi.” On it, he sounded more energetic than ever before, delivering non-stop punchlines over a hard-hitting beat.
Unfortunately, the highlights across “Eternal Atake’s” 18 songs and
62 minutes are not where Uzi complements inventive beats with energetic performances. Rather, his verses and hooks are not quite offensive enough to distract from the production.
Over the bright synthlines, airy background vocals and grimy 808 bass of “Celebration Station,” Uzi’s melodic flows are just forgettable enough to melt into the music and make the song tolerable. None of his repetitive rhythms or basic tones stand out, letting the subtle atmosphere and layers of vocal harmonies carry the track.
The beat steals the show again on “Chrome Heart Tags,” which features dramatic choirs, flutes, synths and snappy trap drums creating a larger-than-life instrumental that overpowers Uzi’s simple flows. His basic melodies match the music well enough to make his dumb lyrics easy enough to ignore.
Although it is sad enough that “Eternal Atake’s” best tracks are the ones where Uzi has the least presence, it is even more shameful when his gross lyrics and annoying flows make it impossible to just turn your brain off and enjoy.
“You Better Move” features an incredible beat, with a gritty blend of sci-fi sound effects, distorted bass and crisp trap drums. Unfortunately, Uzi ruins the creative production with his verses and hooks, which range from insultingly repetitive to laughably off key, straining his voice by jumping up an octave at the end of every line.
Uzi reaches his lyrical low point on “Venetia,” which features a serviceable blend of off-kilter synths, bright keys and busy percussion. Reaching past his usual materialism and misogyny, Uzi brags that he can “make a gay girl turn to a straight” on the second verse. This line along with all the other cringe-worthy flexes on “Venetia” turn what could have been a fun track into a disgusting dud.
To emphasize exactly how creatively bankrupt “Eternal Atake” is, Uzi ends the album with “P2,” a half-hearted re-hash of his biggest hit, “XO Tour Llif3.” Instead of taking the song in a new direction or developing the original’s dark aesthetic, “P2” just makes everything about “XO Tour Llif3” worse, replacing the off-kilter synths with bland electric guitars and Uzi’s sticky hook with a more grating performance of the same melody.
Confusingly, Uzi slaps “Eternal Atake’s” best songs onto the end as bonus tracks, with the hyperactive-synthlines and confident flows of “Futsal Shuffle 2020” and his tongue-in-cheek interpretation of Backstreet Boys’ ’90s hit “That Way” providing much more replay value than anything on the album proper.
Despite all the details that make “Eternal Atake” a chore, its length may be its most heinous crime. No one should have to sit through more than an hour of Uzi’s brain-dead bars and snotty delivery.
If you’re looking for an album to open your mind to the escapist pleasure of mumble rap, just go listen to some Playboi Carti.
“Eternal Atake” is exactly what mumble-rap haters expect and despise for good reason.
