We’re rocking with Lil Uzi Vert. The SoHo-flash-mob-turned-intergalactic-music-video for “I Just Wanna Rock” just dropped, and it’s even more out of this world than we'd imagined.
In early November, Uzi, Kai Cenant and 2Rare shut down NYC's SoHo with a "come one, come all" flash mob that drew the city’s best dancers, the crew's most avid fans and the niche-est micro-influencers around for a chance to Jersey Rock with the Philly-raised rapper. Wreaking hype-filled havoc, fans turned up in droves, clogging Canal Street and populating Instagram stories with POVs of the pandemonium for the better part of the day.
The resulting music video, directed by Gibson Hazard — who worked with Lil Uzi before on Eternal Etake — lives up to the hype. The visual takes us for a ride through the Lil Uziverse, as he descends in a flying armored vehicle upon NYC for one night of intergalactic chaos. Jersey Rocking in a Sade T-shirt and fur-hunting hat, Uzi’s star power is undeniable. The scene escalates when a blurred-face police force brings their own armored vehicle to the party, and Uzi escapes through the sunroof.
Whether the show of police force was planned or a live kettling demonstration is unclear, though we doubt we'll see Uzi South of Houston Street for some time. If you’re the one who snitched... you’re on omnipotent Uzi’s watch list.
TikTok song of the year “I Just Wanna Rock” bevels boisterous visuals with a seamless fusion of sci-fi and club chaos. The Jersey club renaissance is upon us, and Uzi's addition captures the braggadocio of the genre's early 2000s origins with Uzi's distinct futuristic twist. Like the visual, "I Just Wanna Rock" catches listeners in an endless loop. We're still hitting replay.
Photo courtesy of Jason Sean Weiss/ BFA