What Happened to Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert’s 16*29?

Lil Uzi Vert ended his musical hiatus earlier this month with the surprise release of Eternal Atake. The excitement surrounding the long-awaited album and its deluxe edition, which spent a couple of weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, may have also reignited interest in another long-teased effort, Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti joint project, 16*29.

Back in 2017, it was first revealed that Uzi and Carti could be joining forces to deliver a collaborative mixtape. The dripped-out tandem’s creative chemistry, previewed on tracks like “Lookin,” the double platinum “Wokeuplikethis*” and the leaked “Big Bank,” helped to build the heightened levels of hype attached to the mysterious project. “We’ve been recording since like 2015,” said Carti, who admitted that he and the “My Way” rap star had recorded around 100 tracks together. “So we know what we got to do. We know what we're capable of. We just gotta do what we gotta do.”

Although the two haven’t offered many updates on 16*29, they did announce the now canceled 16*29 Tour. Expected to feature special guests G Herbo and SOB x RBE, the anticipated tour was scheduled to touch down in major cities like Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh and New York. But, that was scrapped. Soon, the anticipated project began to sound less like a priority and more like an afterthought. In November of 2019, Uzi seemingly deaded the idea of a joint effort with Carti when he revealed that the two were following different paths.

All hope hasn’t been lost, however. Lil Uzi Vert recently dispelled rumors that there is beef between him and the Die Lit rapper. “We not beefing dude,” Uzi told a follower on Twitter, days before retweeting a snippet of the unreleased “Big Bank.”

Here, XXL takes a look at everything we know up to this point regarding Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti’s 16*29.

Playboi Carti Announces 16*29 Project With Lil Uzi Vert
It all began with a Snapchat post. In September 2017, young Carti posted a picture featuring the punk rock group, The Damned. The pic was accompanied by a caption that read “Carti Uzi Tape * Uzi Carti Tape * 16.29.” 16.29 is supposedly a reference to the “Lookin” collaborators’ old neighborhoods. Carti came up in Atlanta’s 2900 section, while Uzi reps North Philly’s 1600 block.
Uzi and Carti Unveil 16*29 Tour
With 16*29 reportedly on the way at the time, the dynamic duo announced in October 2017 that they would be taking their swagged-out show on the road. Supported by G Herbo and the SOB x RBE gang, the 16*29 Tour was slated to pull up to 18 cities, including Houston, Memphis, Detroit and Boston.
Tour Canceled, Leaving Questions About Joint Project
Days after Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert's 16*29 Tour was unveiled, things were called off. The "Money Longer" rapper took to Twitter to explain why his tour with the "Magnolia" rapper was no longer happening. “Not going on tour wit carti need 2 focus,” he tweeted.
Carti Says He Has Around 100 Songs With Uzi
During a 2018 trip to Los Angeles-based radio station, Real 92.3, Playboi Carti was asked for an update on 16*29. Although he didn’t quite offer any new details regarding his rumored project with Lil Uzi Vert, he did speak on their creative chemistry. “We know what we got to do. We know what we're capable of. We just gotta do what we gotta do,” said the Whole Lotta Red rapper, who also stated that there could be around 100 Uzi and Carti collabs that haven’t seen the light of day.
"Big Bank" Leaks
After revealing that he and Lil Uzi Vert had 100 songs in the can, Playboi Carti and Uzi's collab “Big Bank” appeared online in August of 2018. Equipped with a catchy hook and even memorable ad-libs, “Big Bank” features Carti and Uzi trading bars about things like breaking the bank and stunting on the competition.
"If you don't like me, too bad, oh well/Just signed a new deal, that's a mill/That's a mill/That's a mill," raps Uzi on the leaked track that later resurfaced.
Rumors of Beef Leaves Project in Limbo
In November of 2019, it seemed like 16*29 would stay stuck in limbo. During a Twitter chat with fans, Uzi was asked a couple questions regarding the status of his friendship with Playboi Carti. “No,” responded the “The Way Life Goes” rapper, when asked if he and Carti were on good terms at the time. According to Uzi, there was no beef, he “just took a different route.”
Uzi Puts an End to Rumors He Has Beef With Carti
Earlier this month, while promoting Eternal Atake on Twitter, Lil Uzi Vert dispelled rumors that there was any beef between him and Carti. Even though the two may have been following different paths, there seems to be no love lost. “We not beefing dude,” Uzi told a follower on Twitter.
Lil Uzi Vert Retweets Unreleased Playboi Carti Track
In the wake of the release of Eternal Awake, Lil Uzi Vert’s Twitter fingers were extra active. Interacting with fans, Uzi responded to a question regarding the Playboi Carti-assisted “Big Bank,” which unofficially popped up on the Internet in 2018 and was later removed from platforms like YouTube. “Baby Pluto would we ever get to hear this masterpiece??," asked a follower. The Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World artist didn’t respond with words, but he did share the sample of the banger.
Now that Uzi says he has no beef with Carti and the fact he retweeted the song means there is still a possibility fans could eventually hear their joint project 16*29 one day.