Lil Uzi Vert has released a new song titled “Free Uzi” on Tidal. The drop comes days after Uzi reportedly signed a management deal with Jay-Z’s other company Roc Nation, and amid rumors of conflict with his Atlantic record label Generation Now. “Free Uzi,” which finds the Philadelphia rapper rhyming over DJ L’s beat for G Herbo’s 2012 single “Gangway,” doesn’t properly address the drama, though it does allude to money problems. In any case, it’s an enjoyable display of Uzi’s style, featuring such memorable turns as “This my I-don’t-even-know-um-what-happened face / Grandma in the kitchen still singing ‘Happy Days.'”
The song is Uzi’s first since “New Patek,” released last September. He also appeared last year on singles by Young Thug (“Up”), Lil Pump (“Multi Millionaire”), Juice Wrld (“Wasted”), Playboi Carti (“Bankroll”), Zaytoven (“Strong”), and others. Eternal Atake, the much-anticipated (and cult-angering) follow-up to his excellent 2017 studio debut Luv Is Rage 2, remains without a release date. Earlier this week, Generation Now label head DJ Drama wrote on Instagram that Uzi can release the album “any day he wants.”
Listen to “Free Uzi” below.
Update (6:30 p.m. ET): Atlantic Records told The Fader in a statement, “This is a leaked record. Not official.” Asked by the magazine whether Uzi, who has promoted the track on Instagram, leaked the song himself, Atlantic declined to comment. A “Free Uzi” music video subsequently appeared on YouTube. Watch it below.
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