XO Tour Llif3

Album: Luv is Rage 1.5 (2017)
Charted: 25 7
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Vert grapples with suicidal thoughts, relationship issues and betrayal. He recalls during the hook a conversation he had with his longtime girlfriend Brittany Byrd, at a time when it was rumored she was cheating on him. Byrd threatened to kill herself if the rapper ended their relationship.

    I don't really care if you cry
    On the real you should've never lied
    Should've saw the way she looked me in my eyes
    She said 'Baby, I am not afraid to die.'
  • The song title comes from The Weeknd's Starboy: Legend of the Fall 2017 world tour, where Lil Uzi Vert was the opening act.
  • The bassy and upbeat beat was supplied by TM88, who is one of the leading members of the Atlanta-based record production and songwriting team 808 Mafia. TM88's other production credits include Rich Gang's "Tapout" and 2 Chainz's "Gotta Lotta."
  • The song gained a significant amount of heat thanks to the viral #LilUziVertChallenge. The genesis of these videos was a NYFW event, during which the Philly rapper demonstrated some of his funky moves, including his signature shoulder shimmy. After fans caught wind of the footage they began showing off their best Uzi half-shimmy dance impressions soundtracked by this tune.
  • Instead of using a traditional studio setup, TM88 mixed and mastered the track by listening to it through an Apple Beats Pill speaker.
  • The song's vibe came from a slower beat TM88 had made with his producer JW Lucas, which he'd been sitting on for three years. It served as the foundation for number six of a pack of 20 beats that TM88 then sent to Uzi Vert.

    "The beat ended up not traveling nowhere," he told Genius. "It was one of them ones where I didn't send it out, and I'm pretty sure he was sending it out, but it didn't reach. But, I was sitting there and I was like 'Man, let me sample myself.' I heard the beat and I was like, 'Damn. It's slow as s--t. It's like R&B. Man, f--k!' The slower beats don't go to the clubs. I know Uzi wanna go to the clubs. So I was like, 'Let me make a pack of uptempo 148 to 155.'"
  • This won for Song of the Summer at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. AT the ceremony, Lil Uzi Vert joined Ed Sheeran to perform this song and Sheeran's "Shape Of You."
  • Directed by fashion designer Virgil Abloh, the song's music video features grim images like Lil Uzi Vert spitting blood, zombie girls, and a dead woman in a bathtub filled with her own blood. There are also appearances by the Weeknd and NAV. (Uzi was on tour with The Weeknd at the time of the song's first appearance on SoundCloud.) The final part of the clip matches the song's fatal lyrics.
  • The Genius community voted this their Best Song of 2017. They said:

    "Don't let the airy TM88-produced instrumental distract you from the song's themes of drug addiction, mental health, and failed relationships. Uzi's morbid hook was one of 2017's biggest earworms, setting up the ironic juxtaposition of crowds gleefully belting out the lyrics 'Push me to the edge. All my friends are dead.'"
  • Lil Uzi Vert recorded a sequel for this song in 2020 titled "P2" Both tunes are the outro tracks of their respective albums.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.