Watch Lil Uzi Vert’s 2016 XXL Freshman Interview and Freestyle

Hip-hop has a new rock star and he goes by the name of Lil Uzi Vert. The Philadelphia native, known for his colorful dreadlocks and carefree attitude, is riding a new wave into the game, which is why he's earned a spot in the 2016 XXL Freshman class.

For the past two years, Uzi Vert, born Symere Woods, has been putting in work, building his hometown fan base and welcoming new supporters across the nation. Thanks to bangers like "Money Longer" and “Queso” plus his mixtapes, Luv Is Rage and Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, and guest appearances on Young Thug’s “Big Racks,” Carnage’s “WDYW” and Travi$ Scott’s “NaNa,” the 21-year-old's stock has risen exponentially.

Uzi's stomping grounds in Philly (and the haters living there) have helped his early success. "It's hard to come out of there though," he says of the city. "I'm telling you. It's hard. There's a lot of haters in Philly, but it's a lot of people that give you support -- but way more haters. It's definitely a great city to be from. But it's not really a lot of people that come out of there. So when you like make it out of Philadelphia everywhere else is easy."

As for his sound, Uzi likes to think of himself as one of a kind. While many rappers have no problem naming the artists who've influenced them along the way, the "Finessin Hearts" rhymer has a bit of a hard time narrowing it down.

“One thing I could tell you is that I’m all over the place," Uzi shares. "I know about everything, like one of those guys. When you get to that point it’s kinda hard to say who you influenced by because it’s so many people and then you embody it, not embrace it, embody it until something that you turn into your own. And then it’s like I just created this. You can’t say I look like this person or sound like this person exactly because I made it my own. I’m pretty, pretty influenced by myself right now.”

Get to know more about Lil Uzi Vert's movement in his interview above and watch him flex all over his freestyle below.

And if you missed any of the freestyles and interviews featuring this year's freshman class, check out their individual pages here: Kodak Black, Denzel Curry, Anderson .Paak, Desiigner, Lil Dicky, G Herbo, Dave East, 21 Savage and Lil Yachty.

See Behind-the-Scenes Photos of Lil Uzi Vert at the 2016 XXL Freshman Shoot