A Rare Interview With Lil Uzi Vert

Eternal Atake 2 is the second installment of the EA series, but you call it the beginning of a new era. What Uzi era are we entering?
I don't even really know. I told you when this all happened, I was in outer space. Now [that] I'm back, I'm going to digest everything right now and experience it with the fans. And I apologize in advance to a lot of my fans. I knew that they all felt the energy that I was giving out, and basically, I wasn't giving it my all. And now I'm back giving it my all, and I don't know why it wasn't [before]. Maybe it was that one fan, before I deleted my Instagram, they was like, “Uzi, you need to get back on your shit.” And that was the last thing I saw, and it was just like a Rocky movie, and I was just figuring everything out. I love my fans, they’re all I got.

Do you still talk to fan pages for feedback on projects?
It's a new era, so I would never abandon anyone or make anyone feel any type of way of like, “Damn, Uzi used to hit us up every day. Now Uzi back on this and don’t hit us up no more.” I'm just busy. But [the fans] know I love y'all. Y'all know I'm watching. Y'all see me in the chats, man, y'all see me. Y'all let it be known when y’all see me. So me just being there, I love y'all. I’m in the chat right now.

I got different chats too. I got a chat that everyone doesn’t know about, and these people became my friends for the last five years. I have one of my friends, he produced on this album. Not even a fan, he was a supporter. He's really my friend [now]. He's one of my close friends. Then we played Call of Duty together, and then after that I found out that he was from [Philadelphia]. He cool, his name is Blanco.

You're probably one of the only artists who stays in outer space, but is still down to earth enough to have a fan produce on their album.
Probably not. I wouldn’t even like to think that, because then I’d think everyone would be out to get me if I was the only person like this. There are probably other people whose focus isn't being down to earth. Their focus is probably more on, so achieving their goals and providing. So maybe they're not as down to earth. Maybe they wouldn't be as cool because they look at [music] as work. I look at this as my life. It's my lifestyle.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person to do this. For instance, I might've done it before him, Kai Cenat got that kid Ray. He did not know him. So I'm not the only person to do that. He changed his life too. Met at 7-Eleven and changed his life. So it's probably a couple people out there that's some rare aliens.

And I saw Kai had put your unreleased song “Dummy Man” behind the trailer for his Mafiathon 2 stream.
He loves that song. Shout out to Kai because Kai really always supports me no matter what. I could be at my worst or at my best. He's cool and really fucks with me, so I really appreciate him shining a light on me, knowing that we both have something big coming up. He obviously announced his subathon, he got Kim [Kardashian] in there and stuff. I'm like, “Oh he's crazy. He's really big now.” And for him to intertwine my music into his stuff, that was nice because everyone doesn't know my music, or everyone isn’t too fond of my music. So it's like maybe there are different rooms that Kai really opened people's eyes up and they'll like my music more. So I really appreciate him for that.

Did you always know you wanted to make a sequel to Eternal Atake? What do sequels mean to you?
Yes, Eternal Atake was so special to me. The first Eternal Atake was perfect, and I didn't have the team I have today and everything got leaked and everyone had it already. And it was just the songs that the artistry I was trying to be on, I was trying to push out a narrative that I really didn't care, and that wasn't the case. That was some good stuff, and if I knew what now, back then, I would’ve just put the whole leaked album out anyway instead of canceling it and then being like, “I need to make a whole new album.” Should have just put that whole album out and worked on my album. But me being stuck in my ways, I was like, “No, I can do it all over again.” And I actually did do good all over again, but I knew there was going to be a sequel just from that point on. And then when I finally dropped it, it fell into the COVID [era].

I know myself, especially back then, so by the time the world opened back up, of course the [songs] that I like a lot, I'm going to put them in my show. But I really didn't get to perform the whole album. So I always knew in my head I was going to come back and do Eternal Atake 2.

Why does now feel like the right time to release this sequel?
This is actually one of the fastest back-to-back drops that I ever did, which people should notice. I feel like I'm the shit again. And I never felt like I wasn't the shit, but I just got a little second wind, I don't know what it is. 

Where did that second wind come from?
I just switched out my closet not too long ago, and it's like it just made me [feel] different. I probably was just dressing trash for a while.

I don't think you've ever dressed trash, though.
Sometimes, it comes with the territory. Because sometimes I'll wear an outfit for a different reason than what your eyes see the outfit for. I got a whole different vision in my head. Like me, I'm really into movies and stuff, and I'm like, “Yo, I got to be on my Prince or my The Fifth Element type stuff,” and it might throw you off because this is what I'm on. You feel what I'm saying? I feel like I want to be Ruby Rhode off Fifth Elements [laughs].

And if you knew that, if I would've came outside and was like, “I'm Chris Tucker off Fifth Element, that's what I'm doing for Coachella.” If you knew that, then you'd be like, “Oh, I see the inspiration. That's why he had the mic on his mouth like that. That's why he jumped off stage and did the splits. That's why the girls was up there dancing like that. That's why he had on the futuristic Rick Owens half vest with the shoulder pads.” Now it makes sense [Laughs]. So it's like it never made sense [before]. That's an outfit that would probably be one of Uzi’s worst outfits to a lot of people. But I guarantee that outfit is on hundreds of mood boards.

So what is the Lil Uzi Vert secret to self-confidence?
To be honest, you know how everybody always be talking like “[Uzi is] this visionary.” I just be doing anything, and sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t. But it doesn't scare me because we all living at the same time. You think y'all going to tell me that I look crazy? I’m going to find something wrong with everybody in here if they say I look crazy.

Talk to me about the cover art for Eternal Atake 2. What's up with the evil-looking white women?
They ain’t all white! [Laughs] So I basically got kidnapped on the first Eternal Atake. I thought it was a journey. If you watch the [Eternal Atake] promo, I thought it was a message coming to me like I'm not supposed to be here. Like, I'm basically better than everybody. But what I come to find out is they kidnap me because they love my music. So when they kidnap me, the reason you see [the women on the cover] like this is because they're literally watching me like a show. And I wake up every day and I'm brushing my teeth live, and I'm running on a hamster wheel. I'm working out in front of all of these people, and I never realized it because they got a force field around me, and I can't see none of them behind this force field. I'm just living my life. I'm thinking that these are my girls, like this is my life. And that girl in the middle is the girl that messed up everything for them. She knows it's not right that I'm not supposed to be there.

Looking back, what’s the biggest difference between the Lil Uzi Vert of today and the Sealab Vertical from the very beginning of your career?
Lil Uzi Vert today definitely wouldn't have believed Sealab Vertical would've turned into this, but Sealab Vertical would've definitely believed that he would've turned into Lil Uzi Vert. Back then I thought I was bigger than this. I'm going to tell you something. Nowadays, because I know this is my life, I'm way more nervous than what I used to be. I ain't never do it like this. I could just drop music and then just leave. It’s different now, I like it though.

What is your relationship with fame these days?
Fame is like air, it’s just there. I always wanted to be that person like, “No fuck fame.” Nah, fame is great, but it's also even better to have your peace. That's amazing. If you can figure out both of those, then you need to call my phone. Fame could change your life overnight. Fame could give you an outlet. There’s a lot of people I know, literally artists, that if it wasn't for fame, they might not be here today. So, to some people, fame is weird. Some people, fame is amazing. To me, it's like air.

Where do you find joy in the music-making process at this stage of your career?
The reactions. I like 50/50 [reactions]. I don't like when everyone says [the music] is good. I feel like it's going to die out fast. If it's good from the jump, I promise you it's annoying because it took no effort for your brain to calculate that that song right there was amazing. Think about it as a fan, you definitely know your taste of music, and it's not all fans because there are some fans that are very talented, but there are some fans that don't care about that. They care about enjoying the music and not making it. But let's just say you're a fan that don't make music. You're telling me that your brain calculated that this song is that amazing in that 2.2 seconds? I'm not saying that you're wrong because everybody hits the lottery, but I like those times when it's 50/50, when your fanbase gets to fight the world and they actually conquer, and it's like some 300 shit and they make sure that your record makes it to the top. That’s what I like. I don't like feeling like things have been given to me, because nothing's ever been given to me my whole career.

And where do you find the challenges in the music-making process now?
It is really not a challenge. It's like second nature, it's my life. I have a $65 million penthouse. I always wanted to say that [Laughs]. I always wanted to say that, but it's like I don't even be sleeping there. I be working. Don't get me wrong, I go home, I got to go home. Got to go home, see my baby. But I be working so much, and my girl be working too, so my house just be empty.

Talk about the song titled “Chill Ebro” that you had put on the initial tracklist. That’s not on my album. I was just talking to him [Laughs]. Ebro is a good guy, that’s my mans. I got a different respect for people that's in hip-hop and anybody who's my elder. So he has the right, and is definitely entitled to his opinion because he's definitely a staple in music no matter what. If he wasn't a staple in music, he wouldn't be here to be able to voice his opinion. And I'm pretty sure just as many people don't think that what he said was accurate. There are probably many people that could stand with what he said and say, “Well, Ebro is right about this, right about that.”

Because maybe what he's looking at when I said “rockstar,” maybe he's looking at the arenas and all that. I don't know if he know that I used to look up to GG Allin when I was younger. When I say rockstar, he’s looking at the fireworks, he looking at all that stuff. Not the lifestyle, and I understand that. And I wasn't, especially me being younger, I wasn't able to explain exactly what I meant.

Do you feel vindicated at all now you built this successful career for yourself?
No, because when I was building my career, I never thought about that. It's so crazy, bro.One day, my career was going up and it was lit. I was so fresh, I remember this day because I was so excited. I get on the elevator and I'm smiling, and I look up and I see Ebro, and I think it was his birthday. And it wasn't like nothing like that, I'm not even that type of person, I'm Little Uzi. I'm just like, “what's up?” And he's like, “Yo, what's up, man?” He's basically was saying good job. And he may have doubled back. Maybe he didn't have anything to talk about, but if he did have something to talk about, maybe doubled back on me just to get back on my shit. Maybe he wanted me to really pop back out. So there’s not a song on my album called “Chill Ebro.” That was just me telling him just to chill because we definitely sit in the same Super Bowl suite. We do the same things, so just chill.

You said that you wanted to quit music after Luv Is Rage 3. Is that still the plan? It’s crazy because I was very misinformed about what quitting music is. If I'm over here really letting you know that my life is music, it's like why would I sell myself short on a blessing or whatever I can call it. I'm just going to let life keep life-ing. 

I think that's why people don't like [other] people, because they think too much, and when you think it's premeditated and when you premeditate, that means that there’s a motive. So I just don't think too much anymore. It's times when I catch myself nowadays talking to someone, and they'll think I'm being sarcastic, and I’m being serious. And then it'd be like, “Damn, you thinking too much.” So instead of me trying to try, I'm just living.

What made you get to the point where you thought you’d quit in the first place?
I wear all white every day, so if you try wearing all white, it's going to get dirty. You got to just flow.

Was there anyone on Eternal Atake 2 that you were excited to work with?
I got Big Time Rush on one of my songs. I just asked [Laughs]. That’s my only feature, and I was scared to call. That’s Big Time Rush. [The song] is called “Rush.”

How do you and JT inspire each other?
She really inspires me a lot. The way that JT inspires me is she gives me the room to have the freedom of my creative space, and she never really judges me on anything that I do. Everything that I do, she's always for it. She's very supportive, and really in times in my life, especially times around now, she's the only person in my life that really supports me and makes sure that I'm mentally okay. That's the things that people don't see and I really appreciate it.

Have y'all gotten to make any music together yet?
That's how I started talking to her [Lauguhs]. I sent her a song, well kinda. I did a lot. But yeah, I want to sit down and really work with her, and I want to really pick her brain because she's really good as an artist, and to me for real, it's pockets that she know how to do that I don't know how to do on some rapping shit, and she just does it naturally. We talk about it, and we talk about this in the house, but I'm talking about actually make a whole project. We go to the studio together. It's my girl, but really lock in and I don't worry about myself and it's all about her in there.

You said your ultimate goal in life is “honesty.” What do you mean by that? Do you mean being honest with yourself, or others, or both?
You probably lied 15 times already today. You don't even notice it, so my main goal is a forever goal. I will never reach that. So I always tell myself that so I can get better. It's impossible to be completely honest unless I just tell myself that every day so I won't fuck up and I won't do nothing weird. A lot of people need to tell themself that every day, that they need to practice honesty because they don't be honest with themselves. And if you're not honest with yourself, then your team can't be honest with you. And if your team can't be honest with you, it's going to get bad. They got to be honest with you.