Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Uzi Vert Artistfacts

  • July 31, 1995
  • Born Symere Bysil Woods in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lil Uzi Vert is a rapper who exploded into the mainstream with the debut single "Money Longer" in 2016.

    Uzi, who uses they/them pronouns, was discovered when Don Cannon, then Vice President of A&R at Def Jam, heard one of their songs on the radio and got them signed to the Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now. The rapper dropped three mixtapes - including Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World, which boasts "Money Longer" and "You Was Right," their first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 - before releasing their debut album, Luv Is Rage 2, in 2017.
  • The rapper's stage name was born out of a comment a friend made about his rapid-fire rap delivery sounding like a machine gun or "a little uzi."
  • Uzi is a standout figure in the hip-hop world for their diverse style that borrows from a variety of genres, including rock, emo, punk, trap, and dance - a result of listening to a range of musicians growing up. The budding rapper admired hip-hop artists like Mike Jones, the Ying Yang Twins, Meek Mill and Wiz Khalifa, but also leaned into alt-rock music from Paramore, My Chemical Romance, and Marilyn Manson.
  • The first album Uzi ever purchased was Mike Jones' 2005 debut album, Who Is Mike Jones?

    "That's the first rapper I learned everything lyric for lyric and I wanted to be like him," they told XXL magazine in 2021.

    Jones used to spit out his real phone number on his early tunes and Uzi used to spend lots of time and money (they had a prepaid phone plan that didn't include unlimited calls) trying to contact their idol, to no avail.
  • Prior to their music career, Uzi's only job was working as a stock person at a Bottom Dollar grocery store. They'd just dropped out of school and only took the gig to avoid being kicked out by their mother. It was a miserable experience that only lasted a few days until they quit.
  • Uzi's physical style is just as eclectic as their music style, wearing designer duds one day and vintage band tees the next. The rapper is covered head-to-toe in ink and studded with various piercings. Perhaps the most outrageous accessory is the 10-carat pink diamond, valued at around $24 million, they had implanted in their forehead in 2021. Months later, a fan ripped the jewel out when the rapper did a stage dive at the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival in Miami. Uzi got the diamond back but decided to put a barbell piercing in its former spot.
  • Uzi was in a romantic relationship with fashion designer/artist Brittany Byrd, who appeared in the music video for "Money Longer," from 2014 to 2017. Some of the rapper's musical output at the time chronicled the ups and downs of their romance, with "Stole Your Luv" and "XO Tour Llif3" referencing their split. In 2019, Uzi became involved with JT of the Miami hip-hop duo City Girls.
  • Uzi was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2018 Grammy Awards, but lost to "Here" singer Alessia Cara. At the same ceremony, their Migos collaboration "Bad And Boujee" was nominated for Best Rap Performance. Uzi also co-wrote and performed on the track "There She Go" for Justin Bieber's Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) album, which was nominated for Album of The Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
  • In 2017, California rapper Daylyt accused Uzi of being a Satanist, saying the name Lil Uzi Vert sounds a lot like Lucifer if you say it quickly. He also claimed Uzi's evil master plan was hidden in the stage name: Vert stands for vertical, so the rapper intends on aiming his uzi towards the sky to kill God.

    Uzi responded to the accusations by adding fuel to the fire, using Satanic symbols like upside-down crucifixes, pentagrams and the number 666 on social media and in shows. They even sang an unreleased song ("For Me") with the lyrics, "I make a City Girl believe in Satan," referring to girlfriend JT, at Rolling Loud California in 2023. But afterward Uzi told TMZ the devil-worshipping claims aren't true, a fact they doubled down on with Pink Tape's "Suicide Doors" that same year: "I ain't Satanist, but they say I am."
  • Uzi likes big butts and they cannot lie. The rapper told Pitchfork they didn't understand why so many people hate on BBLs (Brazilian Butt Lifts) and thinks they're underrated, especially if the procedure makes a woman feel better about herself.

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