By Jaclyn Quan

    After the release of his most anticipated album “Luv is Rage 2” in 2017 and a brief break from music, many hip-hop fans were left to wonder whether rapper Lil Uzi Vert was joking and would continue music or if his career was officially done. Despite the short break from music, Lil Uzi Vert released his newest album, “Eternal Atake” on Mar. 6, much to his fans’ excitement. 

      The album was released in two versions: original and deluxe. The deluxe version, “Eternal Atake(Deluxe)-Luv vs The World 2,” was released the week after the original album. Unlike its predecessor, the deluxe album contains 16 more songs along with collaborations with top rap artists such as 21 Savage, Young Thug, Chief Keef, and Gunna.

  Similar to “Luv is Rage 2,” Uzi’s latest debut invites his listeners to explore a fantasy packed with wealth, women, and drugs through his creative music-mixing and coded references.

    Despite the hype, I did not think that “Eternal Atake” lived up to be as iconic as “Luv is Rage 2.” Compared to its predecessor, the overall flow and composition of the music in the latest album was not memorable nor compelling to note. In simple terms, this album does not slap. 

     Although songs like “Bean(Kobe)” or “Myron” have become popular since the album’s release, these new songs cannot be compared to that of “XO Tour Llif3” and “20 min,” both of which were responsible for contributing to Uzi’s rise to popularity. 

    In spite of the fact that I prefer “Luv is Rage 2” over “Eternal Atake,” this does not mean I do not enjoy Lil Uzi Vert’s new music. In fact, my personal favorite from the new album is “Yessirskii,” as I thought that  21 Savage brought a smooth flow to the song. Also, “Strawberry Peels” is another song I enjoyed and one I can’t seem to get out of my mind because the verses are so catchy. 

   However, I personally think that the biggest reason why Uzi’s fans should listen to his latest album, especially the deluxe version, is because of his collaborations with some of the most prominent artists currently in the rap industry. Artists such as Young Thug or Future help provide catchy verses and rhythm to the music. 

    As of now, “Eternal Atake” is  No.1 on Billboard 200 while 22 of the 32 songs in the deluxe album landed on Billboard Hot 100. 

    Hopefully, Lil Uzi Vert’s next album will have more collaborations as well as live up to his past projects.  ⅘ stars