Orange Look Like Tang

Lil Uzi Vert “Venetia”

A very large amount of rap is built on the premise of wish fulfillment but with Lil Uzi Vert, the dreams of endless money, flashy clothes, expensive cars, and unlimited sex seem warped and surreal. A lot of it’s in his low-key Afrofuturism, or the way he openly wants to be a cartoon beyond the limitations of reality. But it’s mostly in the extreme elasticity of his voice, which seems to glide through busy melodies and bounce through speedy rhymes with uncommon grace. His style and cadence is unmistakable, and his melodies are as robust as they are eccentric. “Venetia” is pretty much boilerplate on a lyrical level – he’s just boasting about being rich and spending money, you’ve heard it all before – but with the combination his voice and Brandon Finessin’s sparkling synths, you get something magical and effervescent. Maybe it’s the same logic behind the value of the designer clothes he’s singing about in the chorus – OK, sure, they’re just shoes and shirts, but high levels of craft and personal flair can elevate even the most mundane things.

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