Ebro insists Lil Uzi Vert is not a “rockstar” as he reignites their feud
Hot 97.0 host Ebro Darden is an opinionated figure. Although he’s not as controversial as The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne Tha God or podcaster Joe Budden, Darden is still a provocative individual, and he makes his voice heard when he isn’t happy.
That said, the Ebro In The Morning frontman recently called out Lil Uzi Vert, insisting that no matter how hard they try, they will never be a “rockstar”. Lil Uzi Vert and Ebro have a history. In 2016, shortly after the ‘Money Longer’ rapper appeared on the cover of XXL magazine, the radio host urged Uzi to freestyle over a boom-bap beat.
However, the emcee refused and told Darden that they wouldn’t rap for him over an “old ass beat.” That created tension and led to a heated exchange. At that moment, rap fans witnessed a clash between the old and new generation. But Darden took it a step further and told the Luv Is Rage creator that they wouldn’t maintain success with such a narrow-minded approach to music.
That debate took place in 2016, and nearly a decade later, Lil Uzi Vert is still a relatively formidable artist in the genre. However, Ebro still doesn’t believe the Pink Tape emcee is a beloved “rockstar”, as they claimed eight years ago.
During a recent panel discussion, Ebro was asked about Lil Uzi Vert and their development as an artist. Surprisingly, Ebro admitted that he appreciated the ways in which the Philadelphia emcee has grown over the years but admitted he still feels let down, considering how much the self-proclaimed “rockstar” hyped themself up in their early days.
Opening up about his former foe, Darden explained, “I feel like he still hasn’t become the rockstar he said he would become. We’re still waiting.” The Hot 97.0 star continued to emphasise how little Uzi has achieved compared to the musicians who he considers actual rockstars.
Highlighting this, he added, “The rockstars I know were selling out Met Life stadium. They can sell out Madison Square Garden 8-10 times. They got hits on the radio.” Despite his current views, Ebro admitted that it’s not impossible for Lil Uzi Vert to prove him wrong, stating, “Like I said before, time will tell! Where you at, my guy? Uzi, where you at bro?”
The host’s opinions on Lil Uzi Vert seem to change regularly. Following the release of their 2020 album Eternal Atake, which was deemed poor by critics and fans alike, Darden defended them, claiming that the rapper had proven their worth when the album managed to land three tracks on the Billboard Hot 100.
Although Ebro and Lil Uzi Vert are never likely to be friends, it is safe to say the host seems less hostile towards the Luv Is Rage artist than he did eight years ago.