TIA: Back in July 2018, Playboi Carti went on record to share that he and Lil Uzi Vert
had some unreleased music in the vault.
INTERVIEWER: How many records do y’all have together that we haven’t heard?
CARTI: Like a hundred.
We been recording since like 2015 so we know what we gotta do, we know what we’re capable of.
TIA: Now with the 2nd anniversary of Carti's self-titled mixtape and Uzi's return from
retirement with tracks like "Free Uzi," "Sanguine Paradise" and "That's A Rack," many are hoping
the two collaborate again.
So Genius decided to take a look back at their friendship.
TIA: Both Uzi and Carti emerged as stars of hip-hop’s new generation, landing coveted
spots in the 2016 and 2017 XXL Freshman class, respectively.
Though both artists had been getting tons of buzz in the years before, in 2016 they
teamed up for their first official release on "Left, Right," which resulted in a 9 city tour.
TIA: Later that year, Uzi enlisted Carti for the Maaly Raw-produced track,
"Of Course We Ghetto Flowers” on ‘The Perfect LUV Tape.’
TIA: These duets inspired more releases from the pair in 2017.
That March, ahead of the release of his self-titled mixtape, Carti dropped two more official tracks
featuring Uzi: “Lookin” and “wokeuplikethis*.”
TIA: And Uzi made sure to support Carti’s debut mixtape.
UZI: Ay listen here, my brother Carti just dropped the best damn album that I ever heard.
TIA: And although sometimes working together can be a struggle…
UZI: Alright so lemme tell you something about Carti.
He’s psyched out.
Me and Carti be really having to fight, like physically fight for him to listen.
TIA: At the end of the day, the love is real.
CARTI: Me and Uzi be in the studio together at all times and we just be knowing.
We just, we a team.
UZI: I just went to the store, yeah.
CARTI: Fucked a lil hoe, yeah.
UZI: Ay.
CARTI: Went back to the store.
UZI: What.
Yeah, you feel me? It’s just lit, it’s just all about being lit.
TIA: In May 2017, both rappers made an appearance on the feature-packed track “RAF,” from
A$AP Mob’s ‘Cozy Tapes, Volume 2.’
TIA: In August, Uzi dropped his critically acclaimed debut studio album 'Luv Is Rage 2,'
featuring the hit “XO Tour Llif3”.
In September, Carti teased a joint album on Snapchat and less than a month later,
"Break The Bank” dropped, giving fans hope that it might really happen.
TIA: A month later, Carti announced their 16*29 tour but the next day, Uzi bowed out, saying:
TIA: Though the two didn’t hit the road
together, they kept making music.
Tracks like "Bankroll" as well as snippets like “I’m With The Squad” also known
as “Squad” or “Firearm” surfaced in the following months.
TIA: In May 2018, Carti’s debut studio album, ‘Die Lit’ dropped and “Shoota” became
the pair’s first official release since 2017’s “wokeuplikethis*.”
TIA: By the end of late 2018, Uzi was visibly going through some business issues with his
label Generation Now.
He announced his retirement from music and thanked his fans for their support.
But by March 2019, the Philly rapper released “Free Uzi,” delighting his fans and continuing
the hope for the release of ‘Eternal Atake,’ his second major label album.
TIA: And although there is no official release date for '16*29,' now that Uzi’s album
may really be on the horizon, fans could have a new Carti - Uzi collab to look forward to.
TIA: I’m Tia with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.