Eternal Atake

After years of painstaking delays and miscommunication which eventually brought forth the melodrama between Uzi and their label, March 2020 didn’t only bring us lockdown… We also got Eternal Atake. Uzi’s timing was just right when releasing a concept album that encapsulated the relief of escapism, even Uzi wouldn’t have known that Baby Pluto would help remove us from the realities of the pandemic into the futuristic dreamland that housed Uzi’s new era of POP (you get the reference).

Eternal Atake is Uzi at their most unfuckwithable, an artist popularised by their internet presence; it was only right to continue their “character growth” in this new era by presenting a new persona; Baby Pluto. Baby Pluto welcomes us into the new dimensions of Uzi’s lore, introducing us to a dramaticized player-esque alter ego that provides us with some of the best lyrical performances from Uzi as well as delivering some of the most memorable moments from the album.

Constructed through six songs, the first section of Eternal Atake leaves us nothing short of an undeniably explosive rap showcase that only highlights Uzi’s exceptional ability to create constructed lyrical war zones that only Uzi can defeat. ‘Baby Pluto’ is a self titled introduction that prepares us for the running themes in this section. If you think you got money, Uzi makes sure to humble you with their extensive flexing. Uzi’s flow is quick witted and sharp and the intro is only the beginning of their brash deliveries. Uzi makes sure to start off with a breakdown of their material accolades, naming dozens of designers and cars that comes with the price of their fame, nevermind the girls; “Real rockstar Chrome hearts on my beanie”. 

Tracks 1-6 contain a cadence that can’t be replicated, Baby Pluto establishes Uzi as an untouchable rap artist, reintroducing us to OG Uzi that doesn’t find it hard to stunt what he got. Collaborating with Philly collective natives “Working on Dying” also helps authenticate Baby Pluto’s running themes, making sure to create an ego with formidability shows Uzi’s prospective ideas when performing with a distinct intention. ‘Silly watch’ is the pinnacle of Uzi’s lyrical ability, showcasing Uzi’s unrestrained flow, every line violently overtakes the other whilst Uzi effortlessly glides over the beat.  As well as being one of Uzis best vocal performances on the album, ’Silly watch’ also helps contextualise Baby Pluto even more, Uzi continues to compensate on his fame, reaping the rewards of all his success, Baby Pluto thrives in their material playground not failing to remind us of their high value; “Everyday my birthday, why the confetti stop?… She look good but she wear Fashion Nova”. I can’t fail to mention a fan favourite when talking about this section of the album… ‘POP’ is probably the most eventful 3 minutes off the album, a song that exposes Uzi’s inspiration from the likes of Chief Keef and Waka Flocka, even Carti. “POP POP POP POP THAT ASS DO THE DASH” is only a brief highlight of the song, it literally contains a whirlwind of character, even in a section of songs that are so colourfully bold, it still manages to project itself louder. 

Alluding to their more personal energies, Uzi brings us “Orenji” an ego that contradicts the latter, this section welcomes us to Uzi with a bit more feeling. Orenji slows down the race, bringing us Uzi on synth beats as well as reintroducing us to Uzi’s strained notes and more delicate melodies. Orenji allows Uzi to acknowledge the price of their fame and understand their own distasteful behaviours. ‘I’m sorry’ is vulnerable, making Uzi now relatable to their listeners, unlike that of Baby Pluto, Renji could be an approachable figure. Keef produced “Chrome heart tags” another song that can’t help but attract a lot of attention, Uzi writes with real heart, speaking on their break up and uncovering their personal problems. Of course Uzi utilises this vulnerability to relay back to their favourite adrenaline rush; retail therapy. Although Uzi doesn’t dwell on his heart-ache this song shows their disappointment when looking back at how time affected their relationship “first year was the best you”. The last track on this section uncovers Renji’s acceptance with the constant levelling up of their price, coming to terms with the levels of their success. ‘Prices’ is lyrically quite uplifting, a song that reminds them to reap the benefits of their hard work, yet its juxtaposed on a beat that sonically alludes to an opposing sensation; doubt.

Finalising the three alter ego’s is of course the fundamental Uzi, closing the chapter by doing the most sincere dedications to their own work by doing it without the help of any alternate roles. Uzi brings in his only feature on Eternal Atake with a meaningful feature from Syd, an artist who’s well versed in emotional retellings, ‘Urgency’ is dedicated to their need for love. Not forgetting to reminisce on their previous character, Uzi revamps their hit single “XO TOUR LIFE” in P2, an impressive introspection on the song that allowed their fame to amount to this level. Uzi ties in their new found perspective whilst carrying on the legacy of the song, they don’t kill off that version of themselves with no mercy, only enough to let us know that they aren’t who they used to be anymore, repeating the lines “I don’t really care cause i’m DONE” to bury their past selves. It’s also simultaneously linked to the finalisation of their break up with longterm girlfriend Brittany, concluding this chapter of their love as well as accepting their new self without her. 

Ultimately, Uzi doesn’t fail to end the album with two tracks that help fulfil the intentions of the album, bonus tracks that are definitely an added 7 minutes of entertainment, both ‘Futsal shuffle 2020’ and ‘That way’ are bonuses for a reason. My personal favourite being ‘That way’ an ode to boy band pop and an ultramodern remix of a pop classic, Uzi is allergic to making songs that can’t entertain you in some way. Eternal Atake is a showcase of Uzi’s full potential when left to explore their inner workings with depth, letting us into the framework of Lil Uzi Vert, with hardly any features Eternal Atake also demands a lot of respect for their solo talent. But this goes to say, Eternal Atake is a strong exhibition of Uzi’s range, topping their previous album with ease, who was to say that it couldn’t get any better. 

Then came the deluxe…