Eternal Atake- Lil Uzi Vert.
Best tracks: Silly Watch, You Better Move, Prices
Worst tracks: POP, Celebration Station, P2
Rapper and producer Lil Uzi Vert released arguably one of the most hyped up albums of the last decade under the name “Eternal Atake”. Being one of the founding fathers of modern day trap music, Uzi’s career so far has been successful and game changing. It’s been almost three years since his last album “Luv is Rage 2” came out, which featured one of the most famous trap songs of all time, “XO Tour Lif3”. After the huge success that was “Luv is Rage 2”, fans were beyond excited to hear “Eternal Atake”, an album that Uzi has been milking the hype out of for about a year. Unfortunately, “Eternal Atake” is one of Uzi’s biggest flops and a wake up call for many that deem him as the greatest rapper of this decade.
Surprising many fans, Uzi released “Eternal Atake” a week before he said he would with almost no build up or expectation. I, like many others, dropped everything I was doing to hear this elusive album many thought was never coming out. On a first listen, “Eternal Atake” is a fun, bouncy, trap album that mimics his previous. Unfortunately, that is just what ruined this album. It is too similar to his previous albums. Modern day trap started around 2012 on Soundcloud, with artists such as Travis Scott, A$AP Mob, and Migos. These artists have been able to evolve and change their music in ways that make it their own, unique style. Uzi, on the other hand, seems to refuse to want to change. “Eternal Atake” is an album that would’ve blown up 4 years ago, but in 2020, it is so bland, generic, and repetitive that it’s almost laughable.
Uzi released an 18 song album with one feature. Typically there are few feature albums that are done by artists who have enough range to keep the album fun and different as they explore different ways to create music. Uzi thought that he was one of those artists\; he isn’t. The first few songs were amazing, but once you start going down the tracklist, all songs sound so similar they blend into a blob of generic trap beats with no redeeming factors. The songs that do hit on this album are, admittedly, very good. Songs like “Silly Watch”, “Prices”, and “Urgency” are among my favorites solely because they’re different and memorable. Part of me thinks that Uzi put very little work into this album just because he knew if he dropped anything people would eat it up. The song “POP”, features a verse where Uzi says ‘Balenci’ 15 times in a row showing his great, masterful lyrical ability. Uzi buddy, I get it, you wear nice clothes, but you’ve been saying the same thing for the last five years, get some new bars.
Uzi is an artist that specializes in one lane, and he is a master at it. Lyrics aside, the beats and instrumentals are extraordinary, which should be expected from someone like Uzi. It’s hard to keep your head from bobbing while listening to his rhythmic songs he’s been making for years. I admit, I have been a little critical on this album, but I was just expecting so much out of “Eternal Atake”. Uzi has so much potential that he’s wasting on refining the music he’s already perfected. In terms of trap albums, “Eternal Atake” is great, but in terms of an Uzi album, it’s a bit of a let down.
Heaven or Hell- Don Toliver
Best tracks: No Idea, After Party, Wasted
Worst tracks: Euphoria, No Photos
Rookie trap artist Don Toliver released his sophomore album in March following the early release of his blow up song “No Idea,” which was brought into the limelight via a Tik Tok trend. “Heaven or Hell” is his first commercial album, and it features songs that appear eerily similar to that of his mentor Travis Scott, who has a signature airy, psychedelic, and hard sound in his music. You can hear the Scott inspiration in songs like “After Party,” “No Photos,” and “Euphoria,” which had Scott on it. While some may call Toliver an off-brand Travis Scott, I’d argue that songs where he drops the Scott influenced sound is where he shines the most. “No Idea,” “Wasted,” and “Cardigan” are some of the best songs on the album. They are full of quirks that make Toliver’s music unique. While there are a few hits on this record, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this album is horribly bland. Out of 12 songs, only about 4 of them show any substance. The rest are forgettable and seem like Toliver put little work into them.
Eternal Atake (Deluxe): LUV vs. The World 2-Lil Uzi Vert
Best tracks: Moon Relate, Money Spread, Yessirskiii
Worst tracks: N/A
Uzi redeems himself with a 14 song addition to his album Eternal Atake. Naming the deluxe version “LUV vs. The World 2,” Uzi shows the world that he still has it. “LUV vs. The World 2” has a generous number of features and a feeling of life that was devoid on “Eternal Atake”. His addition of features gives this album a fresh break from just hearing Uzi on his previous record, and gives the few solo Uzi songs on this album more room to breathe. This record pays homage to the album that blew him up in 2016, “LUV vs. The World,” and carries the same silly vibe throughout. The songs on “LUV vs. The World 2” are all at least good, something I could not say about “Eternal Atake”. Some songs such as “Moon Relate” and “Yessirskii” are arguably two of Uzi’s best. Although I do enjoy this album, I honestly am still a little disappointed that it took him four whole years to release it.
After Hours- The Weeknd
Best Tracks: Snow Child, Blinding Lights, After Hours
Worst Tracks: Alone Again, Until I Bleed Out
The prolific three time Grammy winner R&B artist, known as the Weeknd, released his eighth studio album “After Hours” in late March. Following the monstrous success of his previous full length album “Starboy,” many fans were expecting another amazing album. While “After Hours” may not be the album people were expecting, it does a lot for his legacy as it’s his first solo album. “After Hours” shows much contrast with “Starboy”, an album known for it’s upbeat dance hits. It hosts a multitude of slow and dreary songs about The Weeknd’s romantic life, and shows a heavy emphasis on his drug use. The breakout single of this album, “Blinding Lights” is on track to being his fourth song to hit a billion streams and does a lot of legwork on the success of this album. The Weeknd shows very little variance in “After Hours,” and that ends up being the biggest weakness to it. Unfortunately, “After Hours” is arguably The Weeknd’s worst album so far, but is still a solid 7/10, which just shows how talented and innovative The Weeknd is as an artist.