They attracted mainstream attention following the release of their debut single "Money Longer" in 2016. The song would act as the lead single for the subsequent mixtape "Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World". After releasing two additional mixtapes in 2016 and 2017, including one in collaboration with Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi Vert was featured on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They later secured their first top 10 single with "XO Tour Llif3", which won the MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Summer.
"XO Tour Llif3" acted as the lead single to Lil Uzi Vert's debut studio album "Luv Is Rage 2" (2017), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Lil Uzi Vert was nominated for Best New Artist. Their second studio album "Eternal Atake" (2020) was among the most anticipated albums in hip hop and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200.
2010–2015: Career beginnings
Woods began to rap in 2010 and began to associate with musical groups like Steaktown, in what they say was "just for money", under the name "Sealab Vertical". They later changed their name to Lil Uzi Vert from the way someone described their rap flow, saying their flow was "Fast, like a machine gun". Woods' first project, an EP titled "Purple Thoughtz Vol. 1", was released on January 19, 2014. The project, which was described as "phonk" and having cloud rap beats due to its psychedelic and "trippy" production, features a bigger focus on lyricism and was released with the single "White Shit". The track, produced by Spaceghostpurrp, went viral in 2017 within hip-hop circles following Woods' entry into the mainstream. Shortly after the release of their first project, Woods caught the attention of then industry-mainstays like Mob.
The EP and following features caught the attention of producer and cofounder of Atlantic Records Don Cannon after DJ Diamond Kuts played one of their songs on a local radio station. Cannon then produced and hosted their first mixtape, "The Real Uzi", which was released on August 5, 2014. After the release of "The Real Uzi", Woods signed a record deal with Atlantic Records through DJ Drama, Don Cannon's, and Leighton Morrison's imprint, Generation Now.
Following their signing to Atlantic Records, Woods was featured alongside Kid and Ferg on Carnage's single "WDYW". They also released several songs on SoundCloud including "No Wait", produced by Metro Booming, "Pressure", which is a collaboration with Durk, and ''Loaf". They were featured on Fall Out Boy and Khalifa's "Boys of Zummer" tour in August 2015.
Woods released their second mixtape, "Luv Is Rage" on October 30, 2015. The project was received positively and was featured on numerous music blogs such as Fader, XXL, and Vibe. They were further called a "breakout artist of 2015" by HotNewHipHop.
2016: Breakthrough
In February 2016, they released the single, "Money Longer" on their SoundCloud following a radio debut on Shade 45.
On April 15, 2016, Vert released their third mixtape and first commercial mixtape "Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World". The mixtape debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it their first entry on said chart. The project spent 55 weeks on the Billboard 200, eventually being certified Gold. Lil Uzi Vert and Kapri embarked on a joint tour in May 2016, titled the "Parental Advisory" tour.
In June 2016, Uzi appeared in XXL magazine as part of their 2016 Freshmen Class. As part of this appearance, Uzi performed a ‘freshman cypher’ alongside Denzel Curry, Lil Yachty, 21 Savage, and Kodak Black. Riding the wave of recognition the XXL Freshman list gave them, Woods released the video for the single "Money Longer" which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the following week, their first entry on the chart, at number 92 on July 2, 2016. The song later peaked at number 54 and is currently certified two times platinum in the United States. Woods' second entry on the chart, "You Was Right", debuted at 89 on July 30, 2016 and peaked at number 40.
On July 12, 2016, Woods announced their fourth mixtape, "The Perfect LUV Tape", which was released on July 31, their 22nd birthday. The mixtape featured the singles "Seven Million", featuring Future, and "Erase Your Social", both of which failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The mixtape debuted at number 55 on the Billboard 200 album chart and is certified Gold by the RIAA. In October 2016, Woods was announced to be an additional artist on The Weeknd's "Starboy: legend of the Fall" tour.
Lil Uzi Vert announced a collaboration mixtape with Gucci Mane titled "1017 vs. The World", which was released on November 23, 2016. On the 27th, Uzi announced "Luv Is Rage 2" which went through a series of delays.
2017: Luv Is Rage 2
Uzi was featured on Migos' single "Bad and Boujee". The single was released on August 31, 2016, and its from the trio's second studio album "Culture". In January 2017, around the time the album was released, the single reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Uzi's first number 1 single as a lead or featured artist, and their highest charting single as both. On February 27, 2017, Woods released the EP "Luv Is Rage 1.5" while on tour with The Weeknd. The EP was positively received for its "nerdy" nature, with Kingdom Hearts themed instrumentals and lyrics referring to anime, Steven Universe, and hentai. The EP was also credited as the start of Uzi's affiliation with the "emo-rapper" label due to the heartbreak-associated lyrics on the song "Luv Scars K.o 1600" and references to threats of suicide and depression on the stand-out track "XO Tour Llif3".
"XO Tour Llif3" got significant popularity on SoundCloud, resulting in Uzi playing it live on the European leg of The Weeknd's tour, and the following week the song was added to streaming services and released as an official single. On April 4, 2017, "Xo Tour Llif3" debuted on Billboard Hot 100 at number 49 and peaked at number 7, becoming the rapper's highest charting song and biggest song, being certified 6x platinum as of August 2018.
"Luv Is Rage 2" was delayed again on April 2, 2017, with Uzi blaming it on DJ Drama. On April 9, Don Cannon confirmed the project wasn't getting released "any time soon" and confirmed that "XO Tour Llif3" would be on the album. Uzi was featured on fellow rapper Playboi Carti's single "wokeuplikethis*", released on April 7. The single was performed by the pair at Coachella 2017.
"wokeuplikethis*" was eventually certified platinum and peaked at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100. Uzi was featured alongside ASAP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, and Frank Ocean on A$AP rappers collective Mob's single "RAF". The single was released by surprise on May 15, 2017. In early August, hip-hop media personality DJ Akademiks claimed that "Luv Is Rage 2" would be released within 30 days. On August 24, 2017, "Luv Is Rage 2" was announced for a surprise release at midnight, and on August 25, 2017, Lil Uzi Vert released their heavily delayed debut studio album, which included "XO TOUR Llif3" as the lead single.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 135,000 album-equivalent units, and has since been certified platinum. The album also created ten Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, with two of them, "The Way Life Goes" and "Sauce It Up", becoming singles. During british singer Ed Sheeran's set at the Video Music Awards, Uzi Vert and Sheeran performed a medley of "XO Tour Llif3" and Sheeran's chart-topping single, "Shape Of You".
In September 2017, Woods teased a possible sequel project to "Lil Uzi Vert vs The World", possibly titled "Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2", and a collaboration project with Playboi Carti titled "16*29". In October, a joint tour with Playboi Carti called the "16*29 tour" was announced, further promoting the possibility of a collaboration project. The tour was canceled shortly thereafter due to Uzi claiming they needed to "focus". In October 2017, Uzi headlined Power 105.1's annual Powerhouse music celebration alongside The Weeknd, Migos, and Cardi B, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Uzi was also featured on Canadian rapper Nav's platinum-certified single "Wanted You". The song was released on November 3, 2017.
On December 4, 2017, "The Way Life Goes" music video was released with a remix featuring Nicki Minaj. The song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Uzi Vert performed the song on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show on February 6, 2018.
They were featured alongside Kanye West on Travis Scott's song, "Watch", which was released on May 3, 2018. "Watch" debuted at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They were also featured on a remix for fellow rapper Lil Tracy's single "Like a Farmer".
2018–2020: Eternal Atake, Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2, and Pluto x Baby Pluto
In January 2018, Uzi announced that they had completed a mixtape with record producer Wheezy. In May 2018, Don Cannon confirmed that a new Uzi project was dropping that year and speculation arose in July 2018 when Uzi tweeted the words "Eternal Atake", the title of their second studio album, pinning the tweet and announcing it was "coming soon", then at the end of the month sharing the then-chosen cover art for the project. The art referenced the logo of the cult Heavens Gate. The two members who survived the cult suggested that legal actions could be taken against Uzi for copying the logo style.
The art was the source of a threat from the remaining members of the organization over a legal attack. The then-thought lead single for the album, "New Patek" was released on September 18, 2018. Uzi was then featured on Lil Pump's single, "Multi Millionaire". The single was released on October 5, 2018.
In April 2019, following label trouble with Generation Now, it was announced that Uzi was now signed to Roc Nation. Two new promotional singles were released in April 2019, titled "Sanguine Paradise" and "That's a Rack", originally thought to be from their highly anticipated studio album, "Eternal Atake".
On December 13, 2019, Uzi released a new single titled "Futsal Shuffle 2020", which is the lead single of "Eternal Atake". The rapper then released the second single of the album, "That Way", on March 1, 2020.
"Eternal Atake" was released on March 6, 2020, with a sole guest appearance from American singer Syd. "New Patek", "That's a Rack" and "Sanguine Paradise" did not appear on the album. "Eternal Atake" debuted atop the Billboard 200.
On March 12, 2020, Lil Uzi teased that the deluxe version of "Eternal Atake" and the sequel to their 2016 mixtape, "Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World", titled "Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2", would be released the following day, the date fans expected the release date of the original album.
The deluxe edition would have fourteen new tracks, featuring guest appearances from Chief Keef, 21 Savage, Future, Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Durk, Young Nudy, and Nav. The first half of the album maintained a leading number 1 position with 400 million streams in early 2020. This marked the largest streaming count for any album since 2018, when Lil Wayne's twelfth studio album, "Tha Carter V", got 433 million streams.
On April 24, 2020, Lil Uzi Vert released a new single titled "Sasuke". On July 10, Lil Uzi appeared on the remix of StaySolidRocky's "Party Girl". On July 21, Lil Uzi and Future hinted at an upcoming joint project titled "Pluto x Baby Pluto" on their social media; it was released on November 13, 2020, and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
2021–2022: Subsequent ventures
In late 2020, Lil Uzi Vert began promoting new singles on Instagram Live that were sonically similar to popular releases early o their career. They announced an upcoming project titled "Forever Young", as well as a follow-up to "Luv Is Rage 2".
From the 16th to the 22nd of july 2022, Uzi released 4 songs from their EP, RED & WHITE on their SoundCloud account day by day, then, on the 22nd, the rest of the EP was released.
2023 - Present
In June 2023, Uzi noted that the album would be released that same month. On the 17th, Uzi had taken to Instagram to post an alternate cover art to the project. They also announced that the cover art would release in "a couple of days" and that the tracklist would release "this week," while confirming the release date of June 30.
On June 26, 2023, Uzi revealed the cover art and the release date on their website and simultaneously released the Gibson Hazard directed trailer for the album. Days prior to it's official announcement, Uzi threw an album release party — which they named “The Pink Tape Prom” — in which they previewed several tracks from the project.
On June 30, 2023, Lil Uzi Vert released the highly anticipated album, "Pink Tape". The album contains guest appearances from Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Bring Me The Horizon, Don Toliver, and Babymetal.
How to Talk
Lil Uzi Vert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause if you would of came here for me that would of been planned
You would've put me on
You ain't say 'oh I'm coming this, I'm coming that'
You just sit here and tell me one thing and you always do another
Because of, 'cause, let me know, let me, let me tell you why
'Cause you're not a man of your word
That's, that's the reason why
Oh, you come here for nothing
No, you came here for what?
Whoever you came here for
So, whatever, you have no type of communication at all
So get up out my comments"
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice, talk to me nice
You know I'm gon' ball yeah
No way I could fall yeah
They predicted next fall yeah
Look at them like aw yeah
Talk to me, talk to me nice
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice
Or don't talk to me at all yeah
On the way one call yeah
Count it up and it's all there
Water hittin' look like small tears
Told her "talk to me nice, talk to me nice"
I say it once, I won't say it twice
Okay, might say it twice, because I'm kinda high
Even though I'm so evil, I still look at the sky
And I ask why
Why I treat her like my dog, yeah
We supposed to be all here
She got different color long hair
Pull up coupe two small chairs
Took that girl right in the club
Felt the booty and it's all there
So smooth so it's all Nair
Heard she talk to a ball player (what?) it's cool
Heard she talk to a ball player but you know I keep it all player
And I heard he ain't a star player
I'm not worried, I'm a hard worker
I'm in outer space on Mars faded
And I'm not tryna make it R Rated
But my niggas look like Darth Vader
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice, talk to me nice
You know I'm gon' ball yeah
No way I could fall yeah
They predicted next fall yeah
Look at them like aw yeah
Talk to me, talk to me nice
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice
Or don't talk to me at all yeah
On the way, one call yeah
Count it up and it's all there
Water hittin' look like small tears
I was in a dream, yeah I used to dream
I was all a dream
Now I'm in reality, don't need those
It's fantasy, what I see, sleep when I'm woke
Real ones can't die, only multiply
But I know something, it ain't right, how you put me to the side
When I called your phone, yeah, you said I was lying
How am I lying? I just pulled up to my show
I'm still on the grind
Heard you got a chauffeur (woo)
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice
Heard she a Doll when she mad, why I flood her all in ice
Ride it like a bike, bust me like a Sprite
Load up the jet for New York tonight
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice, talk to me nice
You know I'm gon' ball yeah
No way I could fall yeah
They predicted next fall yeah
Look at them like aw yeah
Talk to me, talk to me nice
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice
Or don't talk to me at all yeah
On the way, one call yeah
Count it up and it's all there
Water hittin' look like small tears
Talk to me
The lyrics to Lil Uzi Vert's song How to Talk convey a message about communication and honesty in relationships. The singer is frustrated with their partner or potential partner's lack of transparency and reliability. They insist that they want to be spoken to nicely, which suggests that they value mutual respect and kindness in communication. Additionally, the lyrics touch upon themes of success and fame, with references to balling, falling, predictions, and New York. Overall, the song stresses the importance of being true to oneself and others.
The second verse of the song has been the subject of controversy due to a line that many interpreted as promoting domestic violence. Uzi raps, "Heard she a Doll when she mad, why I flood her all in ice." "Doll" is a slang term for a member of the Blood gang, and "flood" may refer to showering someone with diamonds. However, the phrase "all in ice" can also be interpreted as a reference to freezing someone out or punishing them physically.
Despite the controversy, How to Talk has been well-received by fans and critics alike. It was praised for its catchy hook and Uzi's signature flow. The song has been streamed millions of times and has charted in various countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia.
Interestingly, How to Talk was not originally meant to be released as a single. The song was leaked in early 2019, along with several other tracks from Uzi's unreleased album Eternal Atake. However, due to the positive response from fans, Uzi decided to officially release How to Talk in July of that year.
Line by Line Meaning
And you didn't come here for me, let's talk about it
You didn't come here to see me, let's discuss why
'Cause if you would of came here for me that would of been planned
If you came here for me, it would have been arranged
You would've put me on
You would have promoted me
You ain't say 'oh I'm coming this, I'm coming that'
You didn't say you were coming here with a specific plan
You just sit here and tell me one thing and you always do another
You tell me one thing but do something else entirely
Because of, 'cause, let me know, let me, let me tell you why
Because of this, let me explain why
'Cause you're not a man of your word
You don't keep your promises
That's, that's the reason why
That's why I am frustrated
So let's talk about it
Let's discuss this situation
Oh, you come here for nothing
You came here without a purpose
No, you came here for what?
Then why did you come here?
Whoever you came here for
You came here for someone else
So, whatever, you have no type of communication at all
Whatever, you lack any communication skills
So get up out my comments
Leave my social media pages
Told her 'talk to me nice, talk to me nice'
I asked her to speak to me kindly
I say it once, I won't say it twice
I don't like to repeat myself
Okay, might say it twice, because I'm kinda high
Well, I might repeat myself because I'm under the influence
Even though I'm so evil, I still look at the sky
Despite my negative traits, I still have a sense of wonder
And I ask why
And I wonder why things are the way they are
Why I treat her like my dog, yeah
I mistreat her like an animal
We supposed to be all here
We're supposed to be in this together
She got different color long hair
She has attention-grabbing hair
Pull up coupe two small chairs
I arrived with a small car that only seated two people
Took that girl right in the club
I brought that girl straight into the club
Felt the booty and it's all there
I grabbed her butt and it was all real
So smooth so it's all Nair
It was smooth like hair removal cream
Heard she talk to a ball player (what?) it's cool
I heard she's talking to an athlete, but I'm not bothered
Heard she talk to a ball player but you know I keep it all player
I heard she's talking to an athlete, but I'm nonchalant about it
And I heard he ain't a star player
I also heard he's not even a top athlete
I'm not worried, I'm a hard worker
I'm not concerned because I focus on working hard
I'm in outer space on Mars faded
I'm extremely high and feel like I'm in space
And I'm not tryna make it R Rated
I don't want to make this explicit
But my niggas look like Darth Vader
But my friends look intimidating like Darth Vader
I was in a dream, yeah I used to dream
I used to dream a lot
I was all a dream
It feels like all of that was just a dream now
Now I'm in reality, don't need those
Now I'm in the real world, I don't need those dreams
It's fantasy, what I see, sleep when I'm woke
Sometimes what I see feels like a dream, even when I'm awake
Real ones can't die, only multiply
True friends don't die, but they grow in number
But I know something, it ain't right, how you put me to the side
But I noticed that you pushed me aside, and it doesn't feel right
When I called your phone, yeah, you said I was lying
When I called you, you accused me of lying
How am I lying? I just pulled up to my show
I'm not lying, I just arrived to perform
I'm still on the grind
I'm still working hard to achieve my goals
Heard you got a chauffeur (woo)
I heard you hired a driver
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice
Speak to me with respect
Heard she a Doll when she mad, why I flood her all in ice
I heard she's mean when she's upset, so I bought her expensive jewelry to calm her down
Ride it like a bike, bust me like a Sprite
Have sex with me like you're riding a bike, and make me feel good like drinking Sprite
Load up the jet for New York tonight
Get ready to fly to New York soon
Talk to me nice, talk to me nice, talk to me nice
Request to be spoken to respectably
You know I'm gon' ball yeah
I'm going to be successful
No way I could fall yeah
I can't fail
They predicted next fall yeah
People expected me to fail soon
Look at them like aw yeah
I proved them wrong and they are surprised
Talk to me, talk to me nice
Again, speak to me respectfully
Or don't talk to me at all yeah
Otherwise, don't bother talking to me
On the way, one call yeah
I can make things happen with just one phone call
Count it up and it's all there
I have all the money I need
Water hittin' look like small tears
The way the water hits looks like someone crying
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ebony Oshunrinde, Symere Woods
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ifnmac9442
I just got a wave of nostalgia, time movin too fast smh
@NoName-oq9bx
Big factsss
@chabotal3133
Maaan LIR 2 dropped my freshman year of college now I’m a senior. Time went by too fast
@user-pr4km1ey6t
Chabotal you came a long way tho and for that is a big accomplishment✌🏾🦇
@impacc4182
Chabotal same for mean me except it was high school freshman year for me
@user-pr4km1ey6t
- Impacc- ahh so u a senior this year right?
@fezzer7858
We love old uzi
@charliemacphee7614
Fezzer word up
@Backpack47973
Im with ya
@mcxploders6704
Fezzer lmao this is awkward