Designed by Sean Whitaker

Bursting at the seams with relentless energy, the 27-year-old Philadelphia native, Lil Uzi Vert, blatantly wears their influences on their sleeve while trying to branch out into something new — something unknown. 

Lil Uzi Vert’s new album “Pink Tape” does not lack in style — flirting with punk, metal, alternative and other niches in hip-hop. However, the new venture lacks the consistency of their previous projects, as Uzi spreads themselves too thin to make any sort of impact on the listener.

Announced two years ago, the highly anticipated project follows Uzi’s “Eternal Atake” and “Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2,” both released in 2020. 

Ranging from the anthemic to the mundane, “Pink Tape” succeeds where it also fails — vibes above everything, even over substance. The aesthetics of this project consist of trance-like cloud rap, synth-heavy rage rap, cyberpunk, alternative rock and anime — lots of anime.

Uzi starts out the record with the brooding and burgeoning “Flooded the Face,” a dark drill beat complemented by vocal inflections somewhere between Rob Zombie and Chief Keef.

Despite this promising start, the momentum quickly seizes and is juxtaposed with the awful “Suicide Doors” — truly a poor man’s imitation of contemporary trap artists like Playboi Carti, Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely. 

Everything is there for a proper rager  — Playboi Carti-esque adlibs, the hypnotic beat, decadent lyrics and punk aesthetic, yet the song does not meld quite right. A good rage track makes sense, with all of its ingredients melding together to create something akin to a Sour Patch Kid. Sour, sweet then gone. 

Rage, as a phenomenon, rose to prominence because of producers and rappers working together to pump out a feeling unlike any other. The punk comparison is often drawn here due to the infatuation with short song lengths and lyrics bathed in counter-culture.

“Suicide Doors” is a raw symptom of what is wrong with Uzi in this current era. Uzi’s poor imitation of their contemporaries manifests itself in half-baked rage tracks, but something else is there too — a potential for greatness. 

On a few tracks like “Werewolf,” “The End,” “CS” — a cover of System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” and “Nakamura,” Uzi’s love for punk and alternative rock shines through with guitar-led tracks and a truly awe-inspiring passion akin to punk bands of the late 70s — without being rage. 

Uzi knows who they are, but it’s just plain sad to see them on these overproduced corporate bland rock instrumentals. Incidentally, on the more high-energy rage beats, Uzi’s passion seems to be missing. Their quirks are still there though — plenty of adlibs, chaotic goblin noises and “WOAH’s.”

There are some gems such as “Flooded the Face,” “Fire Alarm,” “Mama, I’m Sorry,” “Pluto to Mars” and “Rehab” — arguably Uzi’s most sincere track. 

“Rehab” shares the story of Uzi’s trip to a rehabilitation center and the connections they made there. It’s a genuinely heartfelt look at the struggles of drug addiction and how people can impact us. This slow, melodic beat complements Uzi really well. 

Uzi knows how to rap, they know how to pick beats and they even know how to be sincere to who they are on certain tracks. In spite of this, “Pink Tape” goes for too many thoughts, feelings, vibes, genres and aesthetics. 

Rage is simple. Uzi is not. 

Rating: 2/5 stars