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Lil Uzi Vert’s New Song Pulled From Streaming Services Over Copyright Issue

By Kristina Smolenski Nelson
Published on: 09:57 PST, Mar 29, 2019

Lil Uzi Vert is once again under fire for copyright issues. The rapper, who previously announced his retirement just months ago, decided to return to the music industry. However, his latest attempt to release a single may cause him more legal drama.

Lil Uzi Vert’s newly released single, “Free Uzi,” has been pulled from Apple Music and Tidal. The song can no longer be used for streaming or purchase, according to TMZ. Lil Uzi Vert allegedly freestyled over a pre-recorded beat that was used in a G Herbo song called “Gangway.” With those licensing and copyright issues now plaguing the release of “Free Uzi,” it seems unlikely that any of the rapper’s fans will be able to utilize streaming services for the new single anytime soon.

Lil Uzi Vert is now being accused of not making an original production, and also of not clearing the sample beat he used from G Herbo’s song. That means the rapper can be prevented from earning any cash from his new song.

While some might speculate that Lil Uzi Vert’s argument with DJ Drama and Don Cannon’s company, Generation Now, may have something to do with the new single getting pulled from streaming, that doesn’t appear to be the case. The owners of the Generation Now label never tried to take the song down. Generation Now stated they were willing to support the rapper when releasing his music. Lil Uzi even spoke to Generation Now and waited for their blessing to drop the new song, so his recent release backfired because of copyright issues, according to TMZ.

While the song “Free Uzi” disappeared from most streaming services overnight, there are still some recordings of it available on YouTube and SoundCloud.

The Philadelphia rapper’s return from retirement now seems unclear. While he did sign a management deal with Roc Nation, Lil Uzi has been promising his fans for months that he would have a new album coming out, Eternal Atake. However, not only has the new album not arrived, the first single Lil Uzi released, “Free Uzi,” will now be tied up with copyright infringement issues.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Lil Uzi has had to deal with copyright issues. Back in August of 2018, the artwork he used for his Eternal Atake album at the time resembled images that looked a lot like the Heaven’s Gate cult. The cover looked very similar to art utilized by the cult for their logo, with just a couple of small differences.

“He is using and adapting our copyrights and trademarks without our permission, and the infringement will be taken up with our attorneys,” the group said in a statement to the rapper’s label, according to Fox News. “This is not fair use or parody, it is a direct and clear infringement.”

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