Many hip-hop artists have shared who they think are the greatest rappers of all time, but Lil Uzi Vert has revealed the five rhymers who influenced his rap career.
The former 2016 XXL Freshman appeared on The Fat Joe Show on Instagram Live last night (Feb. 11), and named the hip-hop artists who have attributed to him becoming the rapper that he is today.
The “XO Tour Llif3” rhymer explained that his No. 1 most influential rapper is Mike Jones. “The first rapper that I ever learned lyric for lyric was Mike Jones,” he told Joe. “That’s the first rapper I learned everything lyric for lyric and I wanted to be like him…I had a Boost Mobile and my mom would give me $15 and I’d get phone cards and shit and I would spend all my money calling Mike Jones’ number ‘cause I wanted to talk to him…I remember the number by heart. To this day: 281-330-8004…I felt that star power from him. He had that star power.”
Uzi is referring to Mike Jones’ 2005 hit song, “Back Then,” when he recited his number in the lyrics.
Lil Uzi then named Lil Wayne, saying that people—particularly girls when he was younger—said he looked like the New Orleans-bred MC. “And then after Mike Jones, of course, I wanted to be Lil Wayne,” he continued. “When I was younger girls would say I looked like Lil Wayne, so I would run with that. And I would wear fedoras, and I would wear the tight Polo tees with the skinnies, and wear the Vans and shit…And back then, I ordered a fake piercing off Amazon and it was a magnet and I had it right here [below his lip on the right side] and I would wear it everyday like I was Lil Wayne.”
Lil Uzi Vert also name-dropped Remy Ma, Kurupt and Young Thug.
Uzi said he became a fan of Remy because of his aunt. He was also impacted by Kurupt because he’s a Philadelphia-born rhymer, like Uzi Vert, with a West Coast swag and flow. And lastly, he considered Thugger “mythical creature.”
