Lil Uzi Vert vs The World Review

Title: Lil Uzi Vert Takes Over the World
Deck: A Review of rapper Lil Uzi Vert's New Mixtape "Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World"

Every time Lil Uzi Vert says the word “Yeah” I get a little giddy inside. It’s this weird, digitized shout of enthusiasm; the sound Lil Uzi would make if you chose him in the Mario Kart select character menu. The ad-lib version of cartoon citrus fruit with diamond grills. This is Uzi’s style; some call it weirdo rap, some call it just plain weird, Vice magazine called it the future of rap.

 This seamless blend of zeal, nerd culture, and gangster rap braggadocio has propelled the 21-year old rapper from relative obscurity and into the hip-hop spotlight, as one of the genre’s brightest and most innovative young stars. And, according to him, he’s only been rapping for about two years.

The Philadelphia-born rapper (who has since moved to Atlanta) just released a surprise mixtape, the nine-track long,  “Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World.” It’s his first project since the album, “LUV is Rage,” dropped in January 2015 and elevated Uzi into national fame via internet buzz. While not as cohesive or long as “LUV,”  “Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World” (An allusion to the comic book series turned motion picture, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World") is very solid in it’s own right, and does not disappoint.

It’s a mixtape about celebration and reflection, often at the same time, looking back at his rise to fame. On Money Longer, an almost sure club hit, Uzi sings the chorus, “Nowadays I am on, my haters got sadder/Money got longer, speaker got louder, car got faster/Turn to a savage, pocket got fatter, she call me daddy”

This focus on fame comes from an inevitably self-aware youth perspective. He sees his 21-years on Earth as both a gift and a curse, reveling in his youth on tracks like "Hi Roller", “I’m so young I could fuck on your niece.”

But, just two tracks later on “Grab the Wheel,” he seems insecure in his youth, sing-rapping, “I don’t know / Look, I’m only 21 I don't know / I don’t know.”

His youth is one of five topics that make up the central themes of this tape, the other four being money, women, designer fashion, and nerd culture. No, this isn’t a tape for the backpackers of hip-hop; anyone looking for a revitalization of the hyper-conscious underground movement should look elsewhere. Uzi couldn't be more up-front about his either, when asked what the secret to his success was he replied, "I just stopped thinking."

 Above all else, this is music meant to be played in clubs, cars, and live, in the rabid atmosphere of a sold-out venue. Although his lyrics are at times clever and even funny, it’s not a tape designed for contemplation. It’s meant to be fun.

Anyone listening can tell just how much fun Lil Uzi is having. He’s young, famous, and in love with his girlfriend just as much as he is with his life. The first song, "Canadian Goose", is a prime example. The first words you hear on this tape come at you in a pitched up auto tune radiating energy, “Wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, smack my bitch ass, damn.”  Then compares his girlfriend, Brittany, to a rare Pokemon, saying “I just caught me a Mewtwo.” This is ridiculous; it’s not real life, it’s the arcade version of a song. It’s fantastic.

His obsession with high fashion is almost a caricature. In just the song “Hi Roller,” Uzi mentions, Yeezy (Kanye West), Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Phillip Lim, Maison Goyard, and Gucci. Again, it’s not just his extensive knowledge of designer brands that stands out, but the fact that he throws out these brands on the same song with lines like, “
“I am not from this Earth, like Invader Zim” and “Everyday adventure time, feel like I’m Finn.” Referring to both of the popular cartoon series’ Invader Zim, and Adventure Time.

The tape is backed  by an absolutely phenomenal group of producers, Metro Boomin, DJ Don Cannon, Wondagirl, and Maaly Raw, all of whom except for Maaly Raw are established stars in the hip-hop production world. They offer up a great selection of beats, almost all of which fit Lil Uzi Vert tackles perfectly. Whether sparring with the frenetic snares of "Canadian Goose", hypnotically riding the synth waves of "You Was Right," or moaning out his version of a love song over the mushy codeine rhythms of "Scott and Ramona"6 (another Scott Pilgrim reference), Uzi Vert and the beats feel like a perfect fit.


Looking at Lil Uzi Vert, you might be tempted to say he’s not like other rappers. It might be his diminutive stature (just over five feet), his short purple dreadlocks, or his affinity for anime and nerd culture; the man has a music video set to a compilation of anime fights. You might say it’s his strange delivery, switching between a slow slurred, lean influenced, autotune drawl, to quick shouting bursts reminiscent of the Uzi in his name.

You might be tempted to say all this, but you’d be wrong.

Uzi is much more a product of the last five years of rap than his is an organic break from the status quo. He’s the natural evolution of the internet takeover of hip-hop; a blend of places, styles, and influences, made possible by the way music and information has become distributed and accessed in the Internet age. “Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World” makes this more clear than ever before.

AT A GLANCE

-Lil Uzi Vert is going on tour with Kodak Black 
-"Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World" is available to download for free on DatPiff
-The New York Times recently reviewed a Lil Uzi Vert show

Albany Mayor Talks Pot

Over two years ago Oregon voters passed measure 91, legalizing the sale and use of recreational marijuana throughout the state.

Despite this, the sale of recreational marijuana is still illegal in 101 Oregon cities.

Measure 91 allows for City Councils to veto the law and place an indefinite ban on recreational sales; councils are also able to put a temporary ban in place and allow the community to vote again in the November elections. Either way, there are 101 cities in Oregon where no one is allowed to sell recreational marijuana.

While each city’s reasoning for maintaining the ban is slightly different, there are a few concerns that are universal.

City Council members are worried marijuana will affect the safety of the community, they have moral objections to the consumption of marijuana, they object to the technical breaking of federal law, and most are councils from smaller towns with traditional views.

Out of the 101 cities who have banned recreational marijuana, all but three have a population below 30,000.

Albany is one of the three.

As Mayor of Albany, Sharon Konopa has had a major role in the decisions made regarding the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana. She broke the 3-3 tie in council to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in Albany. Over the course of an interview, it became clear that her opinions on recreational marijuana are murkier.

Konopa is about as straight edge as they come.

“I’ve never had a cigarette in my mouth, I don’t drink; none of that,” said Konopa.  

But she insists she doesn't want her lifestyle to restrict the freedoms of others.

“It’s somebody’s choice in life, what they want to do,” said Konopa.

Even with her view on medical, Konopa supports the 4-2 Dec. 15 decision to ban the sale of recreational marijuana until the general vote in November. She cites the contentious Albany vote on Measure 91 as reason to enforce ban.

“[Measure 91] was passed by the voters, but in Albany it only passed by 398 votes,” said Konopa. “So when you have a town of almost 52,000, it creates a divided community. I heard from many people for it, and I heard from many people against it. The state allowed that we could go back out to the voters in November so we just went that route.”

She sees the vote as a toss up, a vote that could have gone either way, and feels that voters needed more time to cool down and think things over.

“Of the ones that testified, about 30 percentdidn't live in Albany,” said Konopa.“Every one of them were dispensary owners.”

Konopa believes a lot of the dissatisfaction could have had to do with a misunderstanding of the intent of Measure 91.

“They [Town Hall participants] didn't understand that what passed was the state was going to establish rules, and we’re only following the rules that the state established, “said Konopa.  “A lot of them didn't want to accept that the rules were we could go back out to the voters if the city council wanted to, and we could ban it from going back to the voters.”

Each city council has legal rights to continue to enforce a recreational marijuana ban as long as they feel fit. The decision required some proactive action by the council in order for the ordinance (OR. 5862) to be put in place. If they were to take no action at all, the default result would have been the legalization of the sale of recreational marijuana.

The Council voted to sign and return a form called the “Local Option Opt-Out.” It would provide the OLCC a copy of their ordinance, and stop recreational marijuana sales.

It was a perfectly legal action taken in conjunction with State law.

Konopa met with every dispensary owner who requested a meeting and discussed the topic for as long as two hours.

According to Konopa, some of these conversations were just as unpleasant as the Town Halls, she remembers it was “very difficult having a conversation.”

One phone call stood out to her.

“[The dispensary owner] kept going back and saying, “the voters voted on it,” said Konopa. ”He just kept going on and on, and yelling and yelling, and I finally got off the phone and I realized wow, he was high on marijuana. It's not easy to discuss an issue with someone when they're high on marijuana and they don’t see that. They don't realize what their behavior’s like,” said Konopa.

Her opinion of marijuana use comes from her understanding of the plant as something intrinsically worse than alcohol.

“It wasn’t that the council said to ban permanently; it was only to ban temporarily, and let the voters have a second look,” said Konopa.

The Council could have agreed with the State of Oregon, the majority of cities in it, and the slight majority of Albany voters, by legalizing recreational marijuana and still holding a general election in November.

They chose not to.

In any issue as closely contested as recreational marijuana is in Albany, tempers can begin to flare; the period of public hearings before the vote in Dec. was no exception. Konopa feels that the supporters of recreational marijuana were disporporantly ill-behaved.

“I’ve been in public service for 20 years, and I've never seen so much disrespect for the public meeting process as when we had those hearings over marijuana,” said Konopa.

She cites a Sept. 23 meeting as especially bad.

“These people were just mad; and they were just being abusive, and so disruptive, and had no regards for the public meeting process, said Konopa.“That for me was very disheartening.”

Not only were they out of order, but almost a third of attendants at the Town Hall meetings weren’t even from Albany.

Ray Kopczynski and Dick Olsen were the two “No” votes on the banning ordinance.

Konopa said, “They saw nothing wrong with Marijuana at all, they just think it should just be allowed like alcohol. They didn't see anything wrong with it.”

According to voting record, neither did the majority of voters in Albany.

In November citizens of Albany will finally have a chance to repeal the ban via voting. But what will actually happen? There’s no way to be sure; not even Konopa has any idea.

“I just don't know [if the ordinance will pass].  At first I kept thinking, over time, it might not pass.

I think that 400 person swing could go back to banning, it just all depends. But some of the people that maybe were adamant against it before, they might say, ‘Oh well I don’t see any issues now,’ and they might approve it,” said Konopa.

But, she says, one thing is certain about the November vote; it will require an active interest in the democratic process to be shown by the younger generation. In order to secure the ability to purchase and sell recreational marijuana, 18-24 year olds must make their voices heard.

“It's going to take the younger population to go out and vote. If they want the marijuana they’re going to have to be out there and do some voting, because those seniors are going to be voting no,” said Konopa.

Calling all Artists!

Paper, cut into intricate patterns in a distinctly Japanese style, acts as a backdrop for Vicki Idema's 6-by-4 foot self-portrait. This self-portrait is painted onto a map of eastern California. Her entire body is stretched out over the John Muir trail, a popular California backpacking trail crossing the distance from Yosemite National Park to Mt. Whitney.

Along with telling her story, the piece also has sentimental meaning.

The top of the exhibit has Idema’s hand reaching to grasp Mt. Whitney and complete the trail. It’s not simply art for the sake of art.

“It's about reaching for the top and reaching for your goals,” says Idema. “My goal was to hike the John Muir.”

It’s Idema’s hope that this art won’t serve as a source of inspiration solely for her, but also for a much larger audience.

She is entering it into the LBCC Student Art Show.

Anyone not involved in the arts at LB can come check out the show when it opens on April 27 in North Santiam Hall. For those looking for the full experience of an art show it’s recommended you come on May 4 between 12 to 1:30 p.m. for the reception and awards. If that’s not enough, there will also be food and drink.

If her piece makes it into the show it will be on display in NSH from April 27 until June 2.

Anyone looking to enter has until the deadline on April 20. It’s one of the best ways for student artists to have their art shown to a much wider audience, as well as a chance for students to check out all the creative talent we have on campus.  

As an incentive for entering, LBCC is offering $2,000 in awards given to the best pieces.

Last year 27 different works of art were awarded with prize money. On top of that, the school buys one piece to add to their permanent collection each year, and the LBCC President's Office has been known to buy an exhibit every once in a while.

For aspiring artists, the show offers more than just a chance to be in the public eye; it's what they call a Juried Show. This means that not all works will be accepted, it goes through a judging process before show time and a juror selects the best pieces each year. Those are what's displayed in the show.

Juried shows are considered much more significant than open shows and look great on a resume.

The show is part of a larger art movement happening on campus. It’s an example of a movement meant to give more exposure to the artists and poets at LBCC. There are plans in the works to up the aesthetic appeal of the courtyard, and starting around the end of the term, progress on a giant mural covering a side of the Athletic Center will begin.

You can already see some of the transformation starting to take place in the poetry birdhouses located around the campus.

This progress is due in no small part to people like M’Liss Runyon, a member of the Art and Aesthetics Resource Team on campus.

According to their website, the AART Team is dedicated to “pursue[ing] the creation of art and the integration of aesthetics on the Albany LBCC campus and satellite campuses.”  

Their actions stem from a belief that art is more than just pretty pictures or pleasant words; Runyon says art has holistic and positive effects on campus.

“Art can start a lot of conversations; it can help us be comfortable with a lot more diverse viewpoints,” says Runyon.  

According to Runyon, art can help “better represent the diverse population we have at LB.”

And beyond helping improve relationships in the community, art can have a very tangible and grounded affect.

“Art around campus leads to student safety. The more art there is and the nicer the environment is the more comfortable students are.” says Runyon.

The art culture at LBCC goes deeper than just a committee committed to making our campuses a more safe and pleasing place to be. Taylor Johnson, an art major, spoke highly of the art classes at LB in comparison to high school.

“They push you a lot more; it’s more of a challenge. You have to learn the ability to get into a creative mindset to meet a deadline, which is very important for the field I want to get into,” says Johnson.

He’s not the only one impressed with our classes.

Idema, who holds an art degree, has worked with fabric and fibers for 45 years, and is now retired from a 12-year career in graphic design. She is also enthusiastic about the quality of the art classes here at LB.

She says, “[LBCC] has great graphic design classes, I think they were better than a lot of the instructors at OSU. “One thing about OSU is they’re pressured to write or do different things and it’s not just about the students, it’s about them also.”

The LBCC Student Art Show is definitely all about the students, and entering the show gives student artists many benefits.

For many students it is their first time presenting their work publicly. This involves a lot of learning on the job, including things like presentation, how to properly photograph their art, and other skills generally not thought about in the traditional creative process.  

Idema's art, being displayed in the North Santiam Hall gallery.

At a glance:

-Vicki Idema is a member of a community of artists in the Soap Creek area.

-Last year, Idema entered a piece titled “Window Pane” and won the Food For Art Award.

-The deadline for submitting art is Wednesday, April 20th.

-Students can submit up to 3 works.