The Perfect LUV Tape

The Perfect LUV Tape
Mixtape by Lil Uzi Vert
Released	July 31, 2016
Studio	Means Street (Atlanta)
Genre	Cloud rap trap
Length	30:07
Label	Atlantic Generation Now
Producer	Don Cannon (exec.) DJ Drama (also exec.) Leighton "LakeShow" Morrison (also exec.) Cubeatz DP Beats Ike Beatz Lyle LeDuff Maaly Raw Metro Boomin Nard & B Slade Da Monsta XL Eagle Germ Beatz Zaytoven
Lil Uzi Vert chronology
Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World (2016) The Perfect LUV Tape (2016) 1017 vs. the World (2016)
Singles from The Perfect LUV Tape
"Seven Million" Released: July 31, 2016 "Erase Your Social" Released: July 31, 2016

The Perfect LUV Tape is the fifth mixtape by the American rapper and singer Lil Uzi Vert, released on July 31, 2016, through Generation Now and Atlantic Records. It features guest appearences from the American rappers Playboi Carti, Offset, and Future. Continuing the sound of Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World (2016), The Perfect LUV Tape is a trap mixtape characterized by bright, melodic beats and Lil Uzi Vert's sing-song delivery. The mixtape was supported by two singles, "Erase Your Social" and "Seven Million", both released on the same day as the mixtape.

The Perfect LUV Tape received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its production and hooks but highlighted its stylistic similarity to Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World. It debuted at number 55 on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The opening track "Do What I Want" has been featured in the soundtrack for the video game NBA 2K18 (2017).

Background and release

In July 2016, following the commercial performance of Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, Lil Uzi Vert announced a follow-up mixtape titled The Perfect LUV Tape and shared a short audio preview on Twitter. Later that month, the mixtape's cover art was revealed; it retained the anime-inspired and graphic-novel visual style present on Uzi's earlier releases.

The Perfect LUV Tape was released digitally on July 31, 2016, through Generation Now and Atlantic Records, coinciding with Uzi's 22nd birthday. The ten-track project features guest appearances from Playboi Carti, Offset, and Future, and includes production from Maaly Raw, Don Cannon, Metro Boomin, Zaytoven, and others. Two songs from the mixtape, "Erase Your Social" and "Seven Million" (featuring Future), were released as singles on the same day as the mixtape.

Composition

The Perfect LUV Tape continues the stylistic thread of Lil Uzi Vert's earlier 2016 mixtape, Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, delivering a compact, 10-track project that blends syrupy trap beats with neon-tinged melodies and Uzi's signature bratty, sing-song delivery. Spanning under 40 minutes, the mixtape maintains a lean, cohesive sound, driven primarily by producers Maaly Raw, Don Cannon, Metro Boomin, and Ike Beatz, with additional contributions from Zaytoven, Nard & B, and DP Beats. AllMusic highlights the mixtape's similarity to its predecessor, citing a lack of significant stylistic evolution due to the short gap between releases, but highlights its ability to preserve Uzi's commercial momentum with tracks like the Future-assisted "Seven Million" and the hyperactive "Original Uzi (4 of Us)". The production is characterized by bright, day-glo trap beats, with HotNewHipHop describing their "gooey melodies" and a structure that places more conventional tracks upfront and experimental ones toward the back.

Uzi's vocal performance oscillates between melodic hooks and choppy, boastful flows, reflecting their persona as a rockstar-anime hybrid straddling materialism, romance, and youthful bravado. Pitchfork praises their knack for crafting earworm hooks and unconventional song structures, with some tracks featuring bridges that split verses or rely entirely on hooks, though it critiques the vocal dynamism as less adventurous than Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World. Standout tracks like "Canadian Goose" and "P's & Q's" showcase Uzi's ability to mirror unorthodox beats with infectious melodies, while "Ronda (Winners)", a Metro Boomin and Cubeatz production, incorporates a faux-dancehall vibe with inventive double and half-time shifts, as highlighted by HotNewHipHop. However, songs like "Original Uzi (4 of Us)" are faulted for Uzi's repetitive flow despite vibrant production, with HotNewHipHop suggesting he soars when he breaks from standard vocal structures, as on "You're Lost".

Thematically, The Perfect LUV Tape loosely explores "luv" through a lens of clout, romance, and millennial stunting, with Uzi referencing their rising fame, social media presence, and personal life, including their brief breakup and Snapchat preferences. PopMatters highlights meta moments, such as the opening lines of "Do What I Want", where Uzi interpolates their hit "Money Longer", signaling their growing confidence and self-awareness. Lyrically, Uzi prioritizes vibe over depth, delivering taunts, boasts, and catchy phrases like "Don't want to fuck, I swerve her / That be that ‘Bye, bye, birdie'" on "Original Uzi (4 of Us)", which PopMatters highlights he sells with conviction. HotNewHipHop positions Uzi as a cultural bridge between reality TV drama and superhero swagger, appealing to a rabid fanbase with their blend of horniness, devotion, and approachability.

The mixtape's sonic palette draws from trap's springy, Atlanta-inspired sound, with influences from Chief Keef and Future, but infused with a youthful, posi-minded energy akin to Lil Yachty's output. Tracks like "Seven Million" lean into traditional trap, while "Alfa Romeo AW30 (I Can Drive)" experiments with piano-led bass, and "Ronda (Winners)" ventures into tropical territory. Despite its consistency, Pitchfork and HotNewHipHop describe the mixtape lacks the adventurous highs of Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, with Uzi occasionally replicating past successes rather than pushing boundaries.

Critical reception

The Perfect LUV Tape ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
HotNewHipHop	76%
Pitchfork	6.9/10
PopMatters	6/10

The Perfect LUV Tape received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its catchy melodies and cohesive sound while noting its lack of innovation compared to Lil Uzi Vert's prior work. Andy Kellman of AllMusic described the mixtape as a "like-sized set of marginally lower quality" than Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, emphasizing its role in maintaining Uzi's 2016 commercial presence despite minimal stylistic development, with standout tracks like "Seven Million" and "Original Uzi (4 of Us)". HotNewHipHop acknowledged the mixtape's consistency and "gooey melodies", but felt it lacked the freshness and energy of Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, critiquing Uzi's occasionally unadventurous vocal delivery, though tracks like "Canadian Goose" and "Ronda (Winners)" were highlighted for their infectious momentum.

Pitchfork's review positioned The Perfect LUV Tape as a reaffirmation of Uzi's talent for synthesizing rap trends into a "catchy melodic soup", praising their earworm hooks and unconventional song structures, but highlighted a dip in vocal dynamism and a tendency to replicate past successes, making it less impactful than Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World. Brian Duricy of PopMatters viewed the mixtape as a step forward in Uzi's progression, calling it "more consistent than he's ever been" and commending their confident delivery and meta references, such as interpolating "Money Longer" in "Do What I Want", though he acknowledged Uzi had yet to match the potency of peers like Young Thug or 21 Savage.

Commercial performance

The Perfect LUV Tape debuted at number 55 on the US Billboard 200. In February 2018, the mixtape was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales, streaming, and track-sale equivalents of 500,000 units. "Do What I Want" has been certified three-times platinum by the RIAA.

Track listing

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Do What I Want"	Symere Woods Donald Cannon Jamaal Henry	Don Cannon Maaly Raw	2:55
2.	"Of Course We Ghetto Flowers" (featuring Playboi Carti and Offset)	Woods Henry Jordan Carter Kiari Cephus	Maaly Raw	4:22
3.	"Original Uzi (4 of Us)"	Woods Henry Ivison Smith	Maaly Raw Ike Beatz	2:46
4.	"Money Mitch"	Woods Xavier Dotson	Zaytoven	4:07
5.	"SideLine Watching (Hold Up)"	Woods Dotson	Zaytoven	3:11
6.	"I Can Drive"	Woods Don Paschall	DP Beats	2:33
7.	"You're Lost"	Woods Cannon Marcus Slade	Don Cannon Slade Da Monsta	2:38
8.	"Erase Your Social"	Woods Cannon Lyle LeDuff	Don Cannon LeDuff[a]	3:20
9.	"Ronda (Winners)"	Woods Leland Wayne Kevin Gomringer Tim Gomringer	Metro Boomin Cubeatz[a]	3:36
10.	"Seven Million" (featuring Future)	Woods Cannon Nayvadius Wilburn James Rosser Jr. Brandon Rackley	Don Cannon Nard & B XL Eagle[b]	3:02
Total length:				30:07

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an uncredited co-producer

Personnel

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.

Technical

• Kesha "K. Lee" Lee – recording (all tracks), mixing (tracks 1–6)
• Don Cannon – mixing (tracks 7–10)
• Chris Athens – mastering (all tracks)

Additional personnel

• Don Cannon – album producer
• Carolyn Tracey – project manager
• Farris Knudsen – cover art design
• Matt Meiners – package design

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	55
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	20

Year-end charts

Chart (2017)	Position
US Billboard 200	110
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	86

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.