Image via YouTube
Lil Uzi Vert makes emo hits. The rapper is, of course, actually a “rockstar,” according to his own legendary declaration during a 2016 Hot 97 interview and his opening lines on Playboi Carti’s “Woke Up Like This.” Uzi says on the track, “I’m a rockstar.” In much the same way his heroes GG Allin and Marilyn Manson shocked their respective audiences during their reigns, Vert has been doing the same to the old heads of hip-hop. They simply cannot handle the rock. But he doesn’t make AC/DC, Tool or even Avril Lavigne rock: Vert makes emo. Symere has perhaps dethroned Drake as rap’s biggest sad boy with public statements like “I don’t even have friends” and saying he doesn’t like attention. He’s just an emo kid with colourful braids.
Perhaps his best work in the emo genre is “XO Tour Llif3,” a certified tear bang. Whereas rappers spend the bulk of their time bragging about how money and confidence they have, Symere opens up on “XO Tour Llif3,” talking about a failed relationship with “Brittany,” likely referring to ex-girlfriend Brittany Byrd, and suicidal thoughts. What’s money when you can’t find love? “All my friends are dead,” Vert croons. Emo! Someone get this guy a spot on the 2005 Warped Tour!
Given the rise of Emo Trap God Lil Uzi Vert, we decided to reach out to a bunch of emo bands to do a peer review of “XO Tour Llif3.” From screamo, roots emo, skramz and all the other sub genres under the emo umbrella, we wanted to find out if the genre has room for Vert’s 808s and heartbreak variant. Emo bands love the Vert. Read their reviews below:
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Heavy Weather
“Everyone in the band likes this song except for Will because he’s a boring piss baby. The song sounds like it would take place at the time of day when it’s quantifiably “dark” but there is still enough light in the sky to keep it a brighter blue more than anything else. The lyrics are pretty damn emo and the track sounds like the feeling of being alone surrounded by people.”
I Hate Sex
“This song is totally emo. Every fan of emo needs something to turn-up to, I mean, how many times can you get drunk and cry to American Football (LP 1) in your life? It reminds me of some nothing, nowhere. which in my opinion is intentional emo-rap. I’m into this though. I’m going to check out more of Lil Uzi Vert. What can I learn from this song? I’d probably make music like this if I also was rich, cool and a lil sad like Lil Uzi.”
Mom Jeans
“I think the GIF loop [in the video] is pretty sweet. Very relatable and makes me think of my own experiences smokin’ weed in the car late at night listening to sad music. The beat is tight. Don’t really know whether I like the vocal delivery or not. It’s cool, sometimes a little goofy to me, but hey I like a lot of goofy sounding vocals (I mean Algernon and Brave Little Abacus for example).
Can’t relate to a lot of the lyrics, but I think it’s mostly because my personal experience and level privilege are very different than Lil Uzi Vert’s. Some of the themes like using drugs to relieve emotional pain and losing friends definitely speak to me on some level.”
Rosacea
“Holy shit, I love this song. Do you guys ever notice how trap is basically the hip-hop equivalent to emo? Dark feel/beats, songs about emotional trauma or just being fucked up. “All my friends are dead/ push me to the edge” could be an unreleased FFTL track. Who knows, maybe Skrillex has a ghost contribution on this one.
This song is going at the top of Rosacea’s tour playlist for August. Followed closely by Future’s “Mask Off.” We can’t wait to live that “XO Tour Llif3″ from August 3 to 17, 2017. If you wanna be hype and emo, get down with trap, seriously.”
Pity Party Girls Club
“The instrumental/lyrics were good but his voice made it hard to listen to lol. It was almost an alright song until he started rapping. Definitely a potential emo hit!! Especially with those lyrics.”
There you have it. Emo bands agree “XO Tour Llif3” is a refreshing and instant classic in the genre. As if you needed more proof of this fact, a quick google search reveals numerous acoustic covers of the song. We predict it will be discussed for generations to come alongside American Football and Jawbreaker, perhaps even being elevated to the Hot Topic t-shirt quote level of godhood.
Devin Pacholik YAH YAH YAH YAH YAHs on Twitter. Follow him.
