by Nnamdi Chugbo

Lil Uzi Vert has finally made his return to the music industry.

The Philadelphia based rapper, born Symere Woods, had been on a hiatus from releasing any music since the artist released his hit single “New Patek” in September 2018, and his best selling album, “Luv is Rage 2,” in August 2017. Uzi struggled to release music due to  contract disputes with his Generation Now label executives, Don Cannon and DJ Drama. However, on March 28th, 2019, Uzi made his long awaited return to the music scene with a controversial single titled “Free Uzi.”

“Free Uzi” was a freestyle over the beat of “Gangway” by G Herbo, who is credited as an inspiration to Lil Uzi Vert. The song features Uzi discussing his issues with Don Cannon and DJ Drama, and plays along with the fact that fans have been constantly leaving comments under their social media posts to free Uzi from his corrupt record deal that causes him to struggle to release music.

Prior to Uzi releasing this song, he took to his Instagram page to repost fans who used #FreeUzi on his Instagram story. Uzi was not done at this point, as about 12 days later he came out with two more singles, “That’s a Rack,” and “Sanguine Paradise.”  

Fans are now in a frenzy, wondering whether the two singles that the Philadelphia rapper recently released will be featured on his long awaited album, “Eternal Atake.” However, the recent increase in activity in music from the artist is a ray of hope for all fans who are patiently anticipating his work.

Another promising occurrence that happened for fans was Lil Uzi Vert’s recent signing to Roc Nation and Jay-Z. After his two year struggle with his label executives, it is a sigh of relief that he is finally able to be managed by someone as legendary as Jay-Z.

Jay-Z has a reputation for helping artists in times of need. For example, he was able to help Lil Wayne release his Free Weezy album on Tidal under Roc Nation in 2015, then helped him resolve tax issues during his legal battles with Cash Money, Wayne’s label.

Having Uzi back in the rap game is a breath of fresh air for all people who enjoy his music after his two year hiatus. As fans continue their wait for the long-delayed Eternal Atake, they are satisfied by the fact that Uzi is finally back to being himself and is still making good music, as he showed us he can still do on “Free Uzi,” “That’s a Rack,” and “Sanguine Paradise.”