#hi! i am looking for vocal synth fan mutuals :)

[pennpenn]

I have offerings for the vocal synth fandom

[mpltab]

REVIEW: Luv Is Rage 2 - Lil Uzi Vert

In his debut studio album, Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi Vert proves that a heartbroken superstar can still have a lot of fun. The 16 track effort was released on August 25, 2017 by Atlantic Records and Generation Now, and clocks in at just under an hour. The songs are mostly written by Lil Uzi Vert himself (the rapper is listed as Symere Woods, his real name), and are produced by many mainstays in the rap game. Frequent collaborators Maaly Raw and Don Cannon write and/or produce over half the songs on this LP.

As the title of the album implies, many of the songs on the album are more somber, as the project comes off the heels of the rapper’s breakup with long time girlfriend Brittany Byrd. The lead single from the project, “XO Tour Llif3” (produced by TM88), deals with these emotions. Woods raps “I don't really care if you cry / On the real, you shoulda never lied / Shoulda saw the way she looked me in my eyes / She said, "Baby, I am not afraid to die" / Push me to the edge / All my friends are dead”. Sonically, the song is dark and minimalistic, which works to its advantage, as it allows Uzi’s pure emotion to come through via his vocals. The song was a massive hit, going platinum seven times over. Of the more sober songs, “Feelings Mutual” is my personal favorite. Produced by Wondagurl, the instrumental is based around some 8-bit synths that are played in a sing-songy progression, to the point it sounds like a carousel. Throughout the song, Uzi says that despite this not being his “first merry-go-round,” he is sad nonetheless.

But make no mistake: Luv Is Rage 2 most certainly has its share of absolute bangers. For instance, there is the Frank Ocean cosigned “For Real.” Produced by DJ Plugg and Bobby Kritical, the track is a fun bouncy trap song. Woods confidently raps “Stop calling my phone, leave me alone / I'm on TV with the VVs so I 3-D'd my stones, yuh / We really don't get along / She anemic, I'm more chill / Had to keep this here for real / All the way to the beat build, yuh!” The cheekily named “444+222” is a fan favorite, and it’s not hard to see why. While there is absolutely nothing substantive in the way of lyricism (aside from Woods name-checking rap legend JAY-Z), the Maaly Raw produced track is definitely ready to be played at maximum volume in the car. “Neon Guts” featuring Pharell Williams is without a doubt the most fun song on the album. Williams produces the song as well (his classic four count lead in is very prominent on this track). During the song, Lil Uzi Vert and Williams trade upbeat verses referencing trips to Hawaii, Steve Urkel, King Tut, and Elon Musk.

Sadly, sky-high elation and bottomless depression seem to be the only routes Lil Uzi Vert took to make the tracks on Luv is Rage 2. While he does the two moods well on their own, things can get repetitive rather quickly. Songs like “Early 20 Rager,” The Weeknd assisted “Unfazed” and “Pretty Mami” are unnecessary additions to this album, and actually take away from it. The only track to combine these two emotions well is the song “X”. Produced by Pi’erre Bourne and Metro Boomin, the song is like an audial representation of the phrase “happy-go-lucky.” An unexpected beat switch at the end makes for a very smooth outro.

Ultimately, Lil Uzi Vert’s debut album is a fun ride, but he has some artistic developing to do. The personality, confidence, and ambition are there, and with time the music will only get better and better. One thing is for sure: the rapper has a bright future, and has created a niche for himself in the music world.

My rating: 7/10

Favorite tracks: 444+222, Sauce It Up, For Real, The Way Life Goes (feat. Oh Wonder), Feelings Mutual, Neon Guts (feat. Pharrell Williams), Malfunction

Least favorite tracks: Two®, No Sleep Leak, Dark Queen

Lil Uzi Vert’s “Luv Is Rage 2” is available to stream on Hoopla, which is free using your library card! His next album, titled “Eternal Atake” is finished, but as of this writing has no release date. Want to talk about this album? Email me at natebauer20@gmail.com!

[joneswilliam72]

A conversation with Boy Harsher: "We wanted to convey this sense of desperate longing, while running away."

Provocateurs of darkwave splendor, Jae Matthews and Gus Muller are Boy Harsher, a burgeoning act currently carving out an image as leading voices within the recent renaissance and reimagination of darker synth music. Wielding a chaotic formula that marries brooding synths with intoxicatingly danceable beats, Matthews and Muller’s art attempts and succeeds in capturing emotional instability, while allowing listeners enough room to dance their worries away.

Despite their musically synthetic exterior, Boy Harsher is a grassroots act in the purest sense. In fact, Since The 405 last spoke with Boy Harsher, they started up their own label, Nude Club Records, which they’ve already reprinted their two prior releases, and now, their sophomore album Careful.

In line with everything (for the most part) Boy Harsher previously produced, Careful sees Matthews and Muller more in tune with who they are as musicians, and of course, as a couple. Reflective of overarching and overwhelming grief, Careful cleans out the skeletons from the duo’s closet and somehow manages to exude a sense of hope amid the brutally honest accounts of romantic dysfunction and strained familial ties. It is no secret that we here at The 405 have been unabashed fans of the dark-minimal wave duo for a while now, so getting the chance to speak to Jae and Gus again was a no-brainer.

Fresh off their European tour and now gearing up for their U.S. venture. I spoke with the duo from Northampton, Massachusetts to break down their alluring new album, southern-gothic literature and the evolution of their relationship relative to their musical evolvement.

----------

In another interview, Jae, you mentioned that you’d love to go on tour with Deftones, but it would be very uncomfortable. Why was their album so important for you?

Jae Matthews: I grew up in a very small, rural town in upstate New York, so the music I had access to was whatever came out of KRock (Utica, NY). Deftones’ White Pony was in heavy rotation in 2002—lol it took a couple years to make it up North, plus it really resonated with me. I felt so alone during that period of my life, and found companionship in music. Now, White Pony just feels so classically teenage—both raw and tender, but I definitely still listen to it.

Aside from the music that you have consumed in your lifetime, are there any pieces of literature, movies, fashion designers or anything of that nature that have influenced the way that you express yourself through your own art?

Jae: The first big moment for me was with Raymond Carver - his writing really got me. I spent many years trying to write that way. Later, I started reading a lot of southern gothic, starting with Flannery O’Connor, then moving more contemporary to Harry Crews and Larry Brown. I felt a kinship to the south—my father once lived there and talked often about North Carolina and Florida and Alabama. But I had never been - so those narratives fed into the place and my desire to wind up there.

Augustus (Gus) Muller: Filmmakers like Terrence Malick and early David Gordon Green had a big impact on myself and Boy Harsher. They convey such a heavy beautiful atmosphere. Particularly the narration. Hearing the narration in films like George Washington and Days of Heaven really changed how I thought about telling a story. There’s this beautiful ASMR quality to them too.

Outside of the dark wave, industrial and even cold wave genres, who are some artists and bands we should all be looking out for?

Jae: Lately I’ve been getting into that contemporary minimal-ish folk country stuff, I really appreciate this Joshua Tree based musician Itasca, our friend Daniel Bachman,the last Weyes Blood album Front Row Seat to Earth—although her split with Angels in America will always be my favorite. I’ve been totally intrigued by Orville Peck. If I am in a certain type of mood, I just want to listen to this shit and pretend I’m living fifty years ago. I romance some idea of desert living, with country music in-house bands.

Gus: Divine Weight by Alex Zhang Hungtai and Deep Listening by Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis have been big for me recently.

What’s the inspiration behind the label name, Nude Club Records, and when did you decide it was time to release your own music on your own label?

Jae: I made a zine years several years ago entitled Nude Club. It was a collection of my friend’s art, writing and conversations. It’s the name we kept coming back to when consider all the ideas for this imprint.

What are some difficulties you’ve faced starting a label?

Jae: It’s a petty thing, but I always find typos, like after printing two hundred shirts or 500 records. It’s crazy! I cannot BELIEVE we keep missing them.

Gus: It’s just doing a million things at once. It can be overwhelming.

Can you take us behind the decision of releasing ‘Face the Fire’ as the “first taste” per se from your new album?

Jae: The melody behind ‘Face the Fire’ felt very athemic to me, so I ran with that feeling. The lyrical content evolved into this “pushing through” narrative, that action feeling. We were talking about the look of To Live or Die in LA, the giant red sunset, the dry heat. So I tried to create this story around your imperfect self, your vice, your hateful qualities, and that acceptance, while imagining it within that setting. That process probably only makes sense to me, but there ya go.

Gus: It’s a nice fade into the album. We haven’t released music in a while, so wanted to ease back into it with a nice slow burner. Also, the narrative we developed in the music video really reflects a lot of the narrative and sentiment of the record, so it was nice to have a strong visual aspect as well.

In the music video for ‘Face the Fire,’ there are scenes involving someone strolling lost on the beach, while there are others moments where the individual tosses themselves on a bed. Can you dive into how this video reflects the song and why did you choose this specific still from the bed scene as the album’s cover art?

Gus: When we were writing the song I always pictured a burning sunset on the beach. So we just riffed off of that. We both started to see similarities with Larry Brown’s novel Fay. So we based the narrative around the runaway. We wanted to convey this sense of desperate longing, while running away.

Are there any creative challenges when making art with your significant other?

Jae: The benefits are immense, you’re fully connected and a part of this intimate, trusting bond. Feeling this way in the studio is the reward. But it can also be real painful if your relationship isn’t faring well. It’s easy to take things personal, and the stakes to just become higher and higher. Most of the first two releases detail a lot of the pain and angst that Gus and I went through in during a rather rocky period. We’re more patient now. So I guess the music also becomes so reflective.

Gus: It’s very involved. We’re learning to be more patient with ourselves and also putting limits on how much we work. We need to leave enough time for ourselves.

It says in the album press release that your chaos made the project vulnerable and invariably lead to momentary destruction. “Jae had ‘careful’ tattooed across her back while Gus fried his speakers.” At that point, it mentions that you were not on “speaking terms.” That sounds pretty chaotic, but I’m a little confused about what happened. Would you mind diving into that particular moment for a bit of clarity?

Jae: Gus and I broke up, in a rather extreme and dramatic way. But, we still had a show to play, actually an event we curated called Cry Fest. We wanted to play the show, but we couldn’t be around each other— so we didn’t plan a set or anything. I asked a friend to tattoo my back, and while I let the vibrations kinda travel through my vocals, I don’t think I was really saying anything. I was crying, and screaming. Gus was somewhere else in the room—making a huge amount of noise and threw a lit candle. I am sure it was overwhelming to witness our mutual breakdown. Also, the cops came and we got a noise violation.

Can you talk about the significance of the spoken or sampled interlude ‘Crush’ to the rest of the album?

Gus: The ambient tracks have always been important us. That’s how we started. It’s also reflects our live sets. ‘Crush’ was a track that start as that simple drone we made, we liked it and wanted to expand on it, while he sound bytes are found recordings.

Speaking of the track L.A., as someone from the L.A. area and I tend to forget what I love about the place sometimes. As someone who has played there numerous times, what is the draw of the city for you?

Jae: We love L.A.; our fans in L.A. are incredibly enthusiastic and warm. I’ve always felt really connected when we play there. Every time we go I fall in love with someone, it must be the place—it’s just totally foreign and embraces this false sense of possibility.

Gus: L.A. represents a fantasy for us.

You’ve moved from Georgia to Massachusetts in the past and it seems to have done your career well. Do you ever foresee yourselves moving on from Massachusetts to a place like New York or L.A. in order to launch your careers even further?

Gus: We benefited a lot from being close to New York. It’s such a strong music community and definitely helped us get a leg up. I’m starting to accept I’m not a city person. We spend a lot of time in cities touring, and I really like the split lifestyle.

Jae: We talked about moving to LA. But I think we both realized that we really thrive in an environment that is isolated, more anonymous. I really appreciate my solitude.

I’m not sure if it’s meant to be ambiguous, but who is Jerry in the track ‘The Look You Gave Jerry’?

Jae: Specifically, Jerry is my stepfather, who passed away two years ago—right in the midst of writing this album. And Jerry is also my father, who died when I was sixteen. This song attempts to process this cyclical grief, the way that these losses have hurt me and my family. The “look” in the song is this phenomenon that my mother described—her inability to forget the look of her husband as he left her—just really heartbreaking stuff.

Jae, it is mentioned in the album’s press release that trauma of losing someone is almost in tandem with your understanding of love, how have the emotions of losing someone helped inform your understanding of love?

Jae: I can’t say that it’s made me steely or anything. Maybe just realistic and tired. The fear of natural abandonment and death allow me to expect that loss.

Has the recording setup remained the same?

Gus: Not really. Same laptop and horrible speakers. We got a few new synths which have contributed a lot, but the set up is still very minimal.

It seems your music is a manifestation of your tumultuous but very loving relationship which is reflective in the sometimes chaotic yet melancholic sound, is it possible that as your dynamic evolves, the music will reflect that as well?

Jae: It’s certainly possible. We’ll continue to make music that feels right!

You mentioned in a recent interview that all our your songs represent a different location, even though the latest releases have a more rural influence. Can you maybe go through which locations are reflected in a few of the tracks?

Jae: We move every couple of years and the music tends to reflect the different settings. The first two albums feel completely drenched in southern heat and lust, where the latter two—to me at least���have more of a nostalgic cold presence, much like the Northeast.

I've been to one of your shows in L.A., and they are hypnotically hectic and seems to play off that small packed atmosphere well. As Boy Harsher garners more recognition and gets to play bigger venues, how do you foresee this project maintaining that chaotic intimacy that has become synonymous with your shows?

Gus: Our music definitely is designed with intimacy in mind. We’re going to just keep doing what we’re doing and see how it translates into bigger spaces. I could never see us getting a drummer or anything like that, but who knows!

from The 405 https://ift.tt/2HefxKN

[drippeddaily]

Album of the Year #12: Lil Uzi Vert - Luv is Rage 2

Album of the Year #12: Lil Uzi Vert - Luv is Rage 2

Artist: Lil Uzi Vert

Album: Luv is Rage 2

Listen:

Spotify

Soundcloud

YouTube

Apple Music

Tidal

Background:

Lil Uzi Vert, born Symere Woods on July 31, 1994, is the biggest name to come out of the Philadelphia hip hop scene in some time. Starting to rap in high school, Uzi later attracted the attention of DJ and record producer Don Cannon, who pushed Uzi's name on to DJ Drama. With industry attention and interest, Uzi released his breakout mixtape Luv is Rage in 2015. 2016 continued to raise his star with the release of a pair of successful mixtapes, Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World and The Perfect LUV Tape. While Uzi had been previously successful in the hip hop scene, he broke through commercially in 2016 as well with singles "Money Longer" and "You Was Right", which both charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Uzi's star continued to rise as 2016 turned to 2017, grabbing his first #1 single on the Migos collab "Bad and Boujee". Throughout 2016 and 2017, he continued to tease and hint at a follow-up to Luv is Rage, and in February 2017 Uzi dropped a 4-track EP called Luv is Rage 1.5 to keep fans happy during the wait for the sequel. This EP unexpectedly spawned Uzi's biggest commercial solo single to date in "XO Tour Llif3", which peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 and won the MTV VMA for Song of the Summer. In November, Uzi received his first two Grammy nominations, for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance for "Bad and Boujee".

Where Uzi separates himself from the pack of a new wave of rappers known as "Soundcloud rap" or more negatively "mumble rap" largely comes in aesthetic. Uzi has prided himself on taking influences primarily from rock music, citing Paramore lead single Hayley Williams as a primary influence as well as shock rock singer Marilyn Manson. Uzi makes his wish to be seen as a rockstar rather than a rapper very known, and it shows through his music and his fashion. Another constant in Uzi's music is his now ex girlfriend Brittany Byrd, who appears in multiple art styles on the album covers to several Uzi projects.

Review:

Luv is Rage 2 was a project a long time coming, and the sequel definitely serves as an expanded upon version of the original project. If the original Luv is Rage was Uzi's Terminator, a well executed breakout project with a lower budget, this album is his T2, expanding upon the original mixtape with a larger soundscape and some big name collaborators. Uzi and Pharrell Williams prove themselves a great combination on the track "Neon Guts", beginning with Pharrell's instantly recognizable four-count intro and letting the two trade bars over a smooth beat outfitted with light keys and a throwback feel. Uzi and Pharrell both sing:

"And I got a colorful aura like I got neon guts"

A simple line, but still effective at describing Uzi's colorful aesthetic that shines throughout the album. The Weeknd also shows up for a collab on "UnFazed", a track made for radio success with a hard trap beat and Abel bringing out a similar effortless rap flow to his highlight verses on Gucci Mane's "Curve" and Bryson Tiller's "Rambo" remix. Ever since "XO Tour Llif3", a collab seemed inevitable, and the end result justified the need for one. English alt-pop band Oh Wonder also shows up for a feature/sample on the moody "The Way Life Goes", a collab that wasn't originally labeled on the album tracklist. On the song's hook, Uzi sings over the voices of Oh Wonder on a sample for their song "Landslide":

"I know it hurts sometimes but you'll get over it / You'll find another life to live / I swear that you'll get over it / I know you're sad and tired / You've got nothing left to give / You'll find another life to live / I know that you'll get over it"

Uzi's singing vocals on the track range from quiet and tired to large and belty, showing a range of emotions that can't be about anyone else but Brittany. Uzi bears it all on the song:

"Wish I never ever ever told you things / I was only only trying to show you things / Iced out heart on your neck trying to froze your ring / I had to get a me a new bitch to hold the pain"

It's real, heartbroken, and despondent. The idea of trying to move on from someone you care about is relatable and Uzi conveys it very well on "The Way Life Goes". The heartbreak of Brittany come up throughout the album, with Uzi breaking down on "Feelings Mutual" with these lines:

"I can't feel, no / I can't feel, I can't feel / I can't feel, my body's numb / It because I am so hurt / I feel the pain in the rain / Tell me when is my time and where"

Uzi captures a specific period in the lifetime of a breakup throughout Luv is Rage 2, a place where you're both bitter and resentful but also sad and regretful. Uzi plays the part of a braggadocio up and coming rap superstar, but also a broken man who misses his ex. While the theme is conveyed before on the project, nowhere is it more on point and devastating then on the closing hit single "XO Tour Llif3". The song is a depressing three-minute rollercoaster, covering the end of his relationship with Brittany, an addiction to Xanax that becomes even sadder in the wake of Lil Peep's death and Uzi's subsequent attempt to go sober, and darker topics like suicide and emptiness. The chorus is iconic and some of Uzi's best songwriting:

"I don't really care if you cry / On the real, you shoulda never lied / Saw the way she looked me in my eyes / She said: "I am not afraid to die." / All my friends are dead / Push me to the edge / All my friends are dead, yeah / Push me to the edge / All my friends are dead, yeah / All my friends are dead, yeah"

So much is conveyed through the hook of "XO Tour Llif3", so much heartbreak and emotion and depression and dark thoughts that many of us can relate to. Logic really tried to get into the head of someone who is thinking about the end, but I think Uzi's attempt really works as a realistic thought process of someone at his lowest. The fact that a song can be this raw and real but also be a high-tempo trap banger will forever prove Post Malone wrong. In the miserable year that 2017 was, we needed an "XO Tour Llif3' to speak to our pain. It's no surprise to me that the song went big. The success of the track also seemed to push the direction of the album in a positive way. Luv is Rage 2 can be a very downbeat listen lyrically, but encourages repeat listens through the catchy hooks and well-done production. Uzi put together a solid producer team for the album including Pharrell, The Weeknd, Metro Boomin, Pi'erre Bourne, WondaGurl, TM88, and frequent collaborators Don Cannon and Maaly Raw. The sound is kept consistent and cohesive, with alot of bubbly trap snares and smooth synths along with the trippy, muddy, almost psychedelic sound that Uzi has used throughout his career. It really feels like an evolution from the original mixtape without being a collection of different songs slapped with a familiar name for the fans. Luv is Rage 2 feels like the step from mixtape Uzi to album Uzi, and it excites me to think of what a guy with the potential he has can do at his peak. Uzi is only 23, he hasn't even pre-came yet in bizarre Kid Cudi terms. He can only go up from here.

Discussion Points:

With the recent death of Lil Peep bringing prescription drug abuse in hip hop to a forefront of discussion, should artists like Uzi who frequently mention such drugs in their music continue to do so? Is there a point where it becomes glorification of such a harmful drug?

Is the success of "XO Tour Llif3" showing a demand for a more raw and barren portrayal of depression in mainstream hip hop? Will "emo rap" eventually be at the forefront of the genre, or is the song a fluke?

What can Uzi do to keep his sound fresh amongst potential imitators? How can Uzi avoid becoming just one of the crowd?

Are Uzi's lyrics about Brittany emotional and resonant, or misogynist and bitter? Can one write personally about heartbreak without resorting to personal attacks on their ex-lover?

How will Uzi be remembered amongst the rap scene of this era? Will he be influential, memorable, or forgotten?

Do Uzi's rockstar influences and persona actually show in his music?

Artist: Lil Uzi VertAlbum: Luv is Rage 2Listen:SpotifySoundcloudYouTubeApple MusicTidalBackground:Lil Uzi Vert, born Symere Woods on July 31, 1994, is the biggest name to come out of the Philadelphia hip hop scene in some time. Starting to rap in high school, Uzi later attracted the attention of DJ and record producer Don Cannon, who pushed Uzi's name on to DJ Drama. With industry attention and interest, Uzi released his breakout mixtape Luv is Rage in 2015. 2016 continued to raise his star with the release of a pair of successful mixtapes, Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World and The Perfect LUV Tape. While Uzi had been previously successful in the hip hop scene, he broke through commercially in 2016 as well with singles "Money Longer" and "You Was Right", which both charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Uzi's star continued to rise as 2016 turned to 2017, grabbing his first #1 single on the Migos collab "Bad and Boujee". Throughout 2016 and 2017, he continued to tease and hint at a follow-up to Luv is Rage, and in February 2017 Uzi dropped a 4-track EP called Luv is Rage 1.5 to keep fans happy during the wait for the sequel. This EP unexpectedly spawned Uzi's biggest commercial solo single to date in "XO Tour Llif3", which peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 and won the MTV VMA for Song of the Summer. In November, Uzi received his first two Grammy nominations, for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance for "Bad and Boujee".Where Uzi separates himself from the pack of a new wave of rappers known as "Soundcloud rap" or more negatively "mumble rap" largely comes in aesthetic. Uzi has prided himself on taking influences primarily from rock music, citing Paramore lead single Hayley Williams as a primary influence as well as shock rock singer Marilyn Manson. Uzi makes his wish to be seen as a rockstar rather than a rapper very known, and it shows through his music and his fashion. Another constant in Uzi's music is his now ex girlfriend Brittany Byrd, who appears in multiple art styles on the album covers to several Uzi projects.Review:Luv is Rage 2 was a project a long time coming, and the sequel definitely serves as an expanded upon version of the original project. If the original Luv is Rage was Uzi's Terminator, a well executed breakout project with a lower budget, this album is his T2, expanding upon the original mixtape with a larger soundscape and some big name collaborators. Uzi and Pharrell Williams prove themselves a great combination on the track "Neon Guts", beginning with Pharrell's instantly recognizable four-count intro and letting the two trade bars over a smooth beat outfitted with light keys and a throwback feel. Uzi and Pharrell both sing:"And I got a colorful aura like I got neon guts"A simple line, but still effective at describing Uzi's colorful aesthetic that shines throughout the album. The Weeknd also shows up for a collab on "UnFazed", a track made for radio success with a hard trap beat and Abel bringing out a similar effortless rap flow to his highlight verses on Gucci Mane's "Curve" and Bryson Tiller's "Rambo" remix. Ever since "XO Tour Llif3", a collab seemed inevitable, and the end result justified the need for one. English alt-pop band Oh Wonder also shows up for a feature/sample on the moody "The Way Life Goes", a collab that wasn't originally labeled on the album tracklist. On the song's hook, Uzi sings over the voices of Oh Wonder on a sample for their song "Landslide":"I know it hurts sometimes but you'll get over it / You'll find another life to live / I swear that you'll get over it / I know you're sad and tired / You've got nothing left to give / You'll find another life to live / I know that you'll get over it"Uzi's singing vocals on the track range from quiet and tired to large and belty, showing a range of emotions that can't be about anyone else but Brittany. Uzi bears it all on the song:"Wish I never ever ever told you things / I was only only trying to show you things / Iced out heart on your neck trying to froze your ring / I had to get a me a new bitch to hold the pain"It's real, heartbroken, and despondent. The idea of trying to move on from someone you care about is relatable and Uzi conveys it very well on "The Way Life Goes". The heartbreak of Brittany come up throughout the album, with Uzi breaking down on "Feelings Mutual" with these lines:"I can't feel, no / I can't feel, I can't feel / I can't feel, my body's numb / It because I am so hurt / I feel the pain in the rain / Tell me when is my time and where"Uzi captures a specific period in the lifetime of a breakup throughout Luv is Rage 2, a place where you're both bitter and resentful but also sad and regretful. Uzi plays the part of a braggadocio up and coming rap superstar, but also a broken man who misses his ex. While the theme is conveyed before on the project, nowhere is it more on point and devastating then on the closing hit single "XO Tour Llif3". The song is a depressing three-minute rollercoaster, covering the end of his relationship with Brittany, an addiction to Xanax that becomes even sadder in the wake of Lil Peep's death and Uzi's subsequent attempt to go sober, and darker topics like suicide and emptiness. The chorus is iconic and some of Uzi's best songwriting:"I don't really care if you cry / On the real, you shoulda never lied / Saw the way she looked me in my eyes / She said: "I am not afraid to die." / All my friends are dead / Push me to the edge / All my friends are dead, yeah / Push me to the edge / All my friends are dead, yeah / All my friends are dead, yeah"So much is conveyed through the hook of "XO Tour Llif3", so much heartbreak and emotion and depression and dark thoughts that many of us can relate to. Logic really tried to get into the head of someone who is thinking about the end, but I think Uzi's attempt really works as a realistic thought process of someone at his lowest. The fact that a song can be this raw and real but also be a high-tempo trap banger will forever prove Post Malone wrong. In the miserable year that 2017 was, we needed an "XO Tour Llif3' to speak to our pain. It's no surprise to me that the song went big. The success of the track also seemed to push the direction of the album in a positive way. Luv is Rage 2 can be a very downbeat listen lyrically, but encourages repeat listens through the catchy hooks and well-done production. Uzi put together a solid producer team for the album including Pharrell, The Weeknd, Metro Boomin, Pi'erre Bourne, WondaGurl, TM88, and frequent collaborators Don Cannon and Maaly Raw. The sound is kept consistent and cohesive, with alot of bubbly trap snares and smooth synths along with the trippy, muddy, almost psychedelic sound that Uzi has used throughout his career. It really feels like an evolution from the original mixtape without being a collection of different songs slapped with a familiar name for the fans. Luv is Rage 2 feels like the step from mixtape Uzi to album Uzi, and it excites me to think of what a guy with the potential he has can do at his peak. Uzi is only 23, he hasn't even pre-came yet in bizarre Kid Cudi terms. He can only go up from here.Discussion Points:With the recent death of Lil Peep bringing prescription drug abuse in hip hop to a forefront of discussion, should artists like Uzi who frequently mention such drugs in their music continue to do so? Is there a point where it becomes glorification of such a harmful drug?Is the success of "XO Tour Llif3" showing a demand for a more raw and barren portrayal of depression in mainstream hip hop? Will "emo rap" eventually be at the forefront of the genre, or is the song a fluke?What can Uzi do to keep his sound fresh amongst potential imitators? How can Uzi avoid becoming just one of the crowd?Are Uzi's lyrics about Brittany emotional and resonant, or misogynist and bitter? Can one write personally about heartbreak without resorting to personal attacks on their ex-lover?How will Uzi be remembered amongst the rap scene of this era? Will he be influential, memorable, or forgotten?Do Uzi's rockstar influences and persona actually show in his music?