Shocking news arrived Friday evening in the form of an announcement from Lil Uzi Vert. The Philadelphia rapper took to Instagram to tell the world that he’s quitting music. The 24-year-old artist posted a photo of his Gucci-sock-clad feet and wrote:
I wanna take the time out to say I thank each and every one of my supporters but I’m done with Music. I deleted everything. I wanna be normal … I wanna wake up in 2013. You are free.
This news comes as a devastating shock to Uzi’s fans who were eagerly awaiting the release of his sophomore album Eternal Atake. He had been teasing the project for some time, and last month, he even told the crowd at a show in Philadelphia that the album was already finished.
This is certainly not the first time the mercurial rapper has suprised his followers with errant behavior. Last March, Uzi’s instagram was hacked after he apparently left his login information in the bathroom of a brothel. In July, Uzi released the album artwork for Eternal Atake.
The image was a direct reference to a cult best known for a 39-person mass suicide it conducted in 1997. In December, the Philadelphia-native became a meme after a skittish appearance on Nardwuar’s popular interview series, which concluded in him sprinting away from the Youtube personality mid-interview.
Uzi is one of rap’s strangest and most unpredictable characters. Consequently, it’s hard to tell how serious we should take this retirement announcement. Judging by the outpouring on Twitter, many are hoping that he is able to find the freedom desires, so he can continue to make the music they love.
