Does Lil Uzi Vert’s latest album live up to the hype? Or is it simply a mindless throwaway used to boost the sales of Eternal Atake?
On April 15th, 2016, Lil Uzi Vert released his third mixtape, LUV Vs. The World. Nearly four years later, Uzi has finally dropped a sequel to the highly praised project. Despite being released as a deluxe edition to his long-awaited sophomore album Eternal Atake, treating it as such would be difficult since LUV Vs. The World 2 has a completely different sound. While EA is more Space-themed and only has one feature, LVTW2 is more faithful to Uzi’s typical sound and contains features for 7 of the 14 tracks on the project. Feature-filled or not, two questions remain: Is it good? If so, how does it compare to its predecessor?
The album starts off weak, with the first track, Myron, not doing much to distinguish itself from EA. After, however, is when things start to pick up. Perhaps the best part of this project is the production. Uzi is best when he’s rapping over happy and melodic trap beats, and thankfully this project packs a lot of them. Uzi’s ability to choose unique and interesting instrumentals is what sets him apart from his peers and makes his music so appealing.
Aside from the production, the features are the second-best part. With them making up half of the album, it’d be a tragedy if most of the features were lack-luster. However, this gracefully is not the case. One of the stand-out tracks, Leaders (feat. NAV), is enough by itself to prove why NAV x LUV is never a bad collab. Strawberry Peels (feat. Young Thug & Gunna) is a track that has LUV stepping out his comfort zone by rapping over a gloomy Soundcloud-esque bass-heavy instrumental.
Most of the features do a great job at matching Uzi’s energy, even when their personas are completely different. For example, the track Yessirskii (feat. 21 Savage) features one of the most ruthless and cold-blooded rappers among new-age hip. But on this track, 21 Savage manages to outshine Uzi by using a more auto-tuned voice that meshes surprisingly well with the instrumental.
However, this is not always the case. While the previous tracks feature artists that have a similar tone to Uzi, songs like Money Spread (feat. Young Nudy) and No Auto (feat. Lil Durk) feature artists with styles that aren’t like Uzi. Money Spread is easily the most unique beat on not only the album, but so far in 2020. Sadly, not even that could save the track from getting ruined by Young Nudy’s laughably bad verse. The latter, No Auto, has the opposite effect. While Lil Durk’s verse is good, he employs a style that’s closer to 21 Savage rather than Lil Uzi. When Uzi tries to match Durk’s menacing sound, it comes off as a cringe-inducing imitation.
But how does this project compare to the original Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World? To be brief, it’s not much of a competition. Although this album offers a variety of melodious music, none of them compare to classic LUV songs such as Money Longer, Ps and Qs, and You Was Right.
In conclusion, it’s hard to go in depth for this project because there isn’t much depth to begin with. The project is exactly what it’s supposed to be: a compilation of mindless entertainment that attracts Uzi’s fans in the first place. If music had blockbusters, then Uzi would be the face of them along with ex-friend Playboi Carti. He’s best when he’s rapping over unique and stylistic trap beats, and he proves to work best when featuring artists who share his auto-tune heavy sound. Although EA or LUV Vs. The World 2 are albums I wouldn’t normally listen too, I can see the appeal. So, Is It Good? If you’re a fan of new-age hip hop, or even a casual listener, then yes, this project is certainly something you’d enjoy.
Rating: 7/10
Standout Tracks: Bean (Kobe) (feat. Chief Keef), Strawberry peels (feat. Young Thug & Gunna), Come This Way, Money Spread (minus Young Nudy), & Leaders (feat. NAV)
Worst Tracks: No Auto (feat. Lil Durk), Money Spread (with Young Nudy), & Myron
If you liked this review, then make sure you check out my review for Eternal Atake here
