When Lil Uzi Vert teased parts of The Pink Tape at Rolling Loud California, it was an early sign of its undoubted greatness.
“I think it’s great, too great,” they said in a screenshotted text, keeping fans updated over the past few months with a refreshing dose of transparency. Off the heels of “IM NOT HUMAN” with XXXTENTACION and Veeze’s “GOMD” remix, the Eternal Atake star quenched a three-year drought with their third studio album on June 30
Touting 26 tracks and guest appearances from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Bring Me The Horizon, Nicki Minaj and BabyMetal, Pink Tape triumphantly marks the full-length solo return of the Generation Now rockstar. Its tracklist includes Uzi’s chart-topping “Just Wanna Rock” and three bonus cuts which features a longtime fan favorite, “Zoom.”
The album was initially teased in late 2020, and off the back of its arrival, Uzi claimed the first No. 1 rap album of 2023. Pink Tape sold 167,000 first-week units, per Hits Daily Double, and is already teasing “the album y’all really want” Luv Is Rage 3. This is Uzi’s third No. 1 debut of his career, earning the same honor for Luv Is Rage 2 (2017) and Eternal Atake (2020).
Additionally, the Philly-born rapper also announced the forthcoming “PINK TAPE TOUR” for October. The 17-date trek begins with a show at the Armory in Minneapolis before hitting Chicago, Birmingham, Atlanta, Los Angeles among other major cities. Uzi will wrap at the Wells Fargo Center in their hometown of Philly on Nov. 22. This will be their first headlining tour in five years.
Sharing the album’s artwork two days after their electric performance at Summer Smash, where Uzi previewed PINK TAPE’s Ken Carson-produced track, the cover stuns with vibrant pink hues replacing the red, white and blue of the American flag, timely for the Fourth of July. Its coinciding anime-esque short film depicts Uzi as a warrior clad with his patented pink diamond head jewel, getting transported to another world in the heat of battle.
Throughout the movie, directed by Gibson Hazard (Metro Boomin, HEROES & VILLAINS), Uzi’s on a quest to retrieve the diamond stolen from their forehead, speeding through downtown Tokyo, fighting with flames and trekking through tundra — all while album cuts are scored in the action-packed trailer. The pink diamond-encrusted flash drive Uzi has worn around their neck kept the contents of Pink Tape closeby for weeks.
Opium ties, Features
Prior to revealing the tracklist, Playboi Carti was a heavy favorite to land on PINK TAPE. However, it seems fans will have to wait longer for a 16*29 reunion… but perhaps not too long. Mistakenly uploading a hidden Carti verse on the YouTube version of “Patience,” fans clamored for the track to be a part of PINK TAPE’s deluxe. The pair also performed at Summer Smash over the weekend, igniting calls for Uzi and Carti’s return as 16*29.
Working with Opium stars in Carson and Destroy Lonely in the lead-up to its release, the 00 tandem were presumed to be on Pink Tape, considering Uzi brought the pair out to perform during their set at Governor’s Ball. Uzi’s proximity to the Opium camp is a sign that a collab with Carti could come full circle soon. “Not that many features but the features that everybody thinks I should have,” they said. “Basically, where I started at is where imma finish.” The trio of Uzi, Ken and Lone also appeared in Montreality’s latest video.
DJ Akademiks first reported that Travis Scott was to be featured on Pink Tape. BNYX is the producer behind the Uzi and Travis record, per inklings in our comments and on Twitter. The prolific producer — whose scored recent placements with Drake and Kid Cudi — continues a dominant 2023 off the back of his close relationship with Yeat. Don Toliver also makes an appearance alongside the Cactus Jack mogul, as well as prolific rockers Bring Me The Horizon and BabyMetal on the anime-esque outro.
Rolling Loud California
Notorious for their iconic Rolling Loud performances, this past year in LA ranked among Uzi’s best. Performing a slew of new tracks at the Levi’s Stage on March 5, Uzi initially addressed the crowd — which seemingly packed in the entire festival — about their forthcoming studio album. PINK TAPE is surely set to arrive this summer regardless if it drops in June or not.
“I know I make y’all wait a long time for music, and I’m so sorry I thought that shit was cool before, but that shit is lame. I’m putting the finishing touches on ‘PINK TAPE’ and I promise — and I made a lot of promises in my life — but this time I promise,” they said eyeing into the pit, sporting lizard-colored contacts with two different hues, their patented spiked hair and a blood-red leather suit.
Initial ‘Pink Tape’ chatter
A week after their RL set (March 13), TMZ surprisingly caught up with the rapper on the street, asking Uzi about the status of PINK TAPE. “I probably got like two more months [left],” Uzi said trying to stray away from the camera.
In the clip, Uzi speaks on making PINK TAPE entirely sober, after Generation Now co-founder Don Cannon revealed that Uzi was in a different creative space because of his sobriety. Perhaps this clear thinking led to Uzi linking back up with Playboi Carti — teasing their reunion with a photo on their Instagram story.
“It was challenging at first, but after a month I got used to it,” Uzi said to TMZ. “I thought my creative process wasn’t going to be the same because I wasn’t on drugs any more, but it was the same — even better. I could think more clear, everything made sense and I didn’t just make random music. I actually made songs with topics this time.”
The start of it all…
On Jan. 2, Uzi hopped on the r/liluzivert Reddit to chat it up with fans, sparring those who didn’t believe that their long-awaited album was coming this year. “Shit ain’t dropping,” an r/user posted. “If [you] don’t drop before [your] tour, [you’re] an idiot,” another commented.
Uzi quickly retorted with an eye-opening reply: “That’s why I’m dropping in February… new shit, new sound, no mid.” The “Just Wanna Rock” superstar was previously spotted shooting a music video for the album on Feb. 10. However, Uzi’s new album did not find its way into February releases. It’s been over four months since the record was supposed to drop.
Pink Tape’s release follows Uzi’s July 2022’s teaser tape RED & WHITE as well as their instantly viral Jersey Club record “Just Wanna Rock” in November 2022. The song recently eclipsed 2 million total units sold — and counting — earning double platinum honors from the RIAA. It’s been nearly three years since Uzi’s last solo outing, as Eternal Atake and his collab album with Future, Pluto X Baby Pluto, have become newfound staples in their discography.
Rejoice Uzi fans, PINK TAPE is finally here.
Listen to ‘Pink Tape’ below!
