The line between an official Lil Uzi Vert song, an unofficial Uzi song and a leaked Uzi song are, right now, blurred to the point of no longer mattering much at all. In late March, the Philadelphia rapper released “Free Uzi.” Atlantic Records, his label, called it a “leak.” A source close to the situation alleged that Uzi’s record company is not allowing him to release any music. Then, Don Cannon and DJ Drama began disputing that claim, and teasing new music. Over a week later, and Uzi’s “official” return to music after a brief, self-announced retirement is over.
“That’s a Rack” and “Sanguine Dream” dropped on streaming services on Tuesday, this time with an Atlantic Records attribution.
“Free Uzi” was a chaotic freestyle, featuring slightly pitched-up vocals from Uzi, and over a beat that had already been release. The two new songs are more traditional fare, circling identical topics. The hook for “That’s a Rack” is, as its title would imply, about racks (and also hitting it from the back and calling it a wrap with diamonds on your neck). Not to be outdone, the hook for “Sanguine Dream” is also about racks and hitting it from the back, but instead of regular diamonds, this time Uzi has colored jewelry on.
At first listen, it’s hard not to feel like both records are likely placeholders. Everything, from the bars to the melodies, are uninspired when placed next to Uzi’s typically convention-twisting work. The Uzi drought was interminable, so any new music should feel like a relief, but these make a worthy follow-up to Luv Is Rage 2 seems farther and farther away.