Here’s Everything We Know About Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Eternal Atake’ Album
For Lil Uzi Vert fans, the wait for his new album Eternal Atake has felt like an eternity.
It’s been 23 months since the release of his double platinum debut album Luv Is Rage 2, which features the seven-times platinum single “XO Tour Llif3” and helped propel the 2016 XXL Freshman to superstardom. The highly anticipated follow-up was supposed to further push the Philly native into the stratosphere. Yet, here we sit nearly two years later, and Apollo EA is still sitting on the launchpad with thousands of spectators with binoculars curiously awaiting liftoff.
Uzi first announced Eternal Atake through two cryptic tweets a whole year ago. Fans were hype for his return.
“Damn I can’t wait for the album, so closeeeee,” one fan commented.
A short time later, the rapper even revealed a controversial cover art, to boot. However, for the last 12 months, the album has sat in limbo, leaving supporters of the Generation Now rhymer waiting with bated breath.
The year seems to have been just as frustrating for Uzi, who has gone through continuous label issues, retired, un-retired, switched management, reportedly scrapped the initial EA only to recently announce its completion once again.
At this point, it seems like the album could drop tomorrow or never. The last time Uzi gave an update on the release date for the project, he delivered the anti-climactic response, "Um, I don't know honestly."
Will the highly anticipated Eternal Atake ever see the light of day? In anticipation that it does, XXL compiles everything we know about Uzi’s long-delayed album.
The Announcement:
At 7:43 p.m. on July 16, 2018, Lil Uzi Vert sent out the tweet, “Eternal Atake.” Fans immediately assumed the post was the title of his new album and proved to be correct.
Two hours later, Uzi slightly expounded on his previous post typing, “Eternal means forever. Atake means 2 overtake.”
The Cover Art:
Two weeks later, Uzi erased all the images from his Instagram page and posted what is believed to be the cover art for the album, which was themed after the logo for the UFO-based Heaven’s Gate cult that infamously had 39 members commit suicide during a rite in 1997. The artwork features a shot taken from outer space with the Eternal Atake title and subhead, "As was promised - the keys to Eternal Atake are here again in Luv and Rage (The UFO 2) as Lil Uzi Vert and his Father 2000 yrs. ago."
The group’s living members threatened Uzi with litigation for the use of their logo last August, claiming the cover violates their intellectual property rights.
"He is using and adapting our copyrights and trademarks without our permission and the infringement will be taken up with our attorneys,” a Heaven’s Gate rep stated. “This is not fair use or parody, it is a direct and clear infringement."
Uzi kept the same theme for the cover art for the single “New Patek,” which only further angered the group. They continued to pursue legal action.
“Our attorneys are working with him on direct and clear infringement of trademarks, copyrights and use of logo,” a Heaven's Gate rep said. “We are also dealing with expressions of ‘Fair Use’, which is cited when this kind of image is displayed. The artist has to be careful to not make full use of the spirit and meaning of the group while altering images of it to make it look like he isn’t infringing. We will see what can be sorted out. It is in the hands of attorneys."
LilUziVert via Instagram / Heaven's GateLilUziVert via Instagram / Heaven's Gate The Singles:
So far, Uzi has released three singles that seem slated to appear on Eternal Atake.
“New Patek” is produced by Dolan Beats and Don Cannon. A thumper, the track finds Uzi boasting about his acquired wealth and sexual exploits.
“That’s a Rack” has more of an “XO Tour Llif3” feel sonically, and has Nick Mira, DJ Bangout and Oogie Mane on the boards. It features the infectious chorus of, “Fuck from the back/Hit her once, that's a wrap (Let's go)/No strings attached/That's a rack/That's a rack (Rack, rack).”
“Sanguine Paradise” samples Mykko Montana’s 2012 hit “Do It” and has club banger written all over it. Oogie Mane and Brandon Finessin are on the beat.
The latter two were leaked prematurely, with Uzi noting at the time, “Everytime something leak you know everything takes longer ….so have fun.”
Uzi has released videos for "That's a Rack" and "Sanguine Paradise." Others songs like “Free Uzi” and the leaked records "Everything Lit" and "Introvert" will likely not appear on the new LP but could.
“New Patek”
“That’s a Rack”
“Sanguine Paradise”
Possible Holdups:
Uzi hasn’t been shy about voicing his dissatisfaction with his label, Generation Now, which he's insinuated has been the root of the album’s holdup.
“If y’all do sign ... sign 2 a major Dont sign 2 a rapper or a Dj ........Its Just Easier When The Time Come For That Fake Shit,” Uzi tweeted in January 2018.
He has since vented about getting out of his deal and claimed he was retiring only to return.
"I gotta figure it out," Uzi said in February after revealing that he “deleted everything” that was to be on the album at first. "I really just want [the label] to respect me. They just gotta respect me, 'cause I respect them. That's the reason why I really went over there. Like normal shit. It's just a different level in life. Everybody go through the same shit."
DJ Drama, co-head of Generation Now, has given Uzi the blessing to put out the project whenever he wants. "Uzi should put out EA [Eternal Atake] tomorrow or any day he wants," Drama wrote on Twitter back in March. "He has me and [co-CEO Don] Cannon's total support and blessings to drop it."
Uzi seemed to get new life after signing a management deal with Roc Nation in March. Still, four months later, no Eternal Atake.
The Release Date:
Your guess is as good as ours. Uzi revealed Eternal Atake has been completed at least twice and has continually teased its release in the past few months.
In June, we got the most promising news to date when Uzi said EA would be coming in two weeks. That date came and went without the project dropping.
Later that month, he told a fan, "Um, I don't know honestly," when asked when the LP is dropping. So, for now, we wait.
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