Wale just dropped his new album everything is a lot, and chose to stop by Hot 97 with Ebro, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. During their conversation, though, he couldn't help but bring up Ebro's previously critical comments concerning an on-the-rise Lil Uzi Vert back in 2016, which he recently doubled down on.
For those unaware, the radio host said that Uzi wouldn't become a "rockstar." Nine years later, despite some criticism, the Philly rapper has Diamond singles to his name. That's on top of a massive following, heaps of influence, and a lot of relevance in the game. Say what you will about a supposed fall-off... But that doesn't completely invalidate what they already contributed and continue to benefit from.
The DMV MC called out Ebro's beef with Lil Uzi Vert, bringing up their success and influence in a clip caught by No Jumper on Instagram. Also, he argued that being a rockstar doesn't necessitate selling out stadiums in the way that the media personality suggested. Rather, Wale emphasized that the culture picks their rockstars. Uzi proved plenty of times that they resonate with hip-hop fans.
On the other hand, Ebro thinks that people are lowering the bar too much in order to praise artists like the SoundCloud rap icon. In response, the "Belly" artist also spoke to the evolving nature of rap music, whereas Ebro sarcastically conceded.
Lil Uzi Vert Ebro Beef
Overall, it's a pretty interesting conversation. It applies to many huge artists today, not just Lil Uzi Vert, and the debate didn't really settle down. We doubt the wider conversation around success, impact, status, and titles will only grow more complicated from here.
For those unaware, Lil Uzi Vert joked about Ebro's criticism various times in the past. For one, they have even made lyrical reference to it on tracks and snippets. For the most part, Uzi is just happy to get hate from the old heads, because that's a solid marker of where they're heading.
After all, don't these conversations pop up every few years in the hip-hop discourse roundabout? Maybe instead of focusing on specific labels, the media and artists alike can celebrate each other on their own terms.
