Lil Uzi Vert says they were spending millions of dollars on Balenciaga and other brands to keep up with Kanye West when they were frequently hanging out back in 2020. Speaking with Dazed for a new interview, Vert reflected on their spending habits and how they influenced their album, Eternal Atake.
The topic arose with Uzi selecting a lyric that "means a lot" to them. In doing so, he brought up the third verse from "POP," in which he repeats "Balenci'" over a dozen times.
"Around that time, I really was swiping my card to the max," he explained. "I was keeping up with Kanye West around that time. The reason I say Kanye West is because he was covering a heavy tab. He was putting all his clothes in storage. He was spending millions, and I was too, but the crazy thing is that I'm pretty sure he could afford it 10 times more than me."
Lil Uzi Vert's Next Album
Elsewhere in the interview, Uzi discussed their plans for their next album. "You gotta understand, I got so many flows," they said. "My fans don’t really appreciate when I make a big mainstream song. They say, ‘Well, we want a trapped-out Uzi.’ Then I make a trap song and they say, ‘Uzi, you know better than this, you make quality music, we can’t even hear it.' So instead of meeting those people in the middle, I make two different genres of music… I have my real drops that I usually drop on holidays or I have a countdown." They have yet to officially announce the project.
Having not put out a full-length effort since Eternal Atake 2 in 2024, fans are growing impatient for another project. Regardless, Uzi says there's no pressure to speed up their next release. "I don’t feel pressure, bro," they explained. "I’m gonna tell you right now: everybody that don’t pay attention to me, [they] got they life going on. Everybody that pay attention to me [too much], it’s somehow coded that I’m better than you. They be trying to make it like we supposed to drop one album a year."
