Symere Bysil Woods (born July 31, 1995), professionally known as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American recording artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In an interview with Vibe Magazine, the Francisville, North Philadelphia native explained the origins of their stage name:

Some guy was just like ‘You rap fast, man. Like a little machine gun,’ and from that moment I was Lil Uzi.

Uzi also added “Vert” to the end of their stage name. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Uzi described the meaning of “Vert” as “straight to the top, like a vertical leap.“ Lil Uzi Vert is also a loose homophone for Lucifer — a name that fits perfectly with their satanic image.

After being inspired by their classmate William Aston’s freestyles, Uzi began making music for money in their sophomore year of high school in 2010 — under the moniker Sealab Vertical. Following this, the two formed the rap group Steaktown with a fellow Philadelphia rapper A.Y. — ultimately causing Uzi’s first official song “Steaktown Anthem” to come into fruition.

Shortly preceding the release of Uzi’s first project Purple Thoughtz Vol. 1, they caught the attention of the A$AP Mob along with their label’s co-owner Don Cannon. The latter led to Uzi signing to Generation Now their second project, The Real Uzi came out.

After scoring songs with notable names like Metro Boomin, A$AP Ferg, and Lil Durk, Uzi dropped their critically acclaimed Luv Is Rage mixtape late that year — leading to them being throned “breakout artist of 2015” by HotNewHipHop.

Uzi’s January 2016 performance with the A$AP Mob would preface their stardom, as they would go on to drop “Money Longer” in the following month — the two-time platinum single that would put them into the mainstream’s radar. They then dropped their first commercial mixtape Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, which likewise marked their first charting Billboard entry. Furthering their long list of achievements, they appeared in the most renowned XXL cypher of all time alongside being in their 2016 Freshman class.

Uzi’s feature on Migos' “Bad and Boujee” and the release of their hit single “XO TOUR Llif3” gave Uzi significant popularity and exposure, peaking at #1 and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively.

Lil Uzi Vert’s style has been compared to Lil Wayne on multiple occasions, and their style has been described as emo rap with some elements of rock. They have also been called a lo-fi rapper. Uzi calls Marilyn Manson one of their biggest inspirations.

Uzi released their highly anticipated debut studio album, Luv Is Rage 2 on August 25, 2017, a sequel to their first mixtape. The album debuted at #1 and is certified double platinum.

On January 11, 2019, Uzi allegedly quit music and claimed they would be deleting all of their music on an Instagram story, later turning out to be false:

I wanna take the time out to say I think each and every one of my [supporters] but I’m done with music I deleted everything I wanna be normal. I wanna wake up in 2013

On March 25, 2019, Complex confirmed that Lil Uzi Vert was being managed by Roc Nation, even amidst long-term conflicts with Uzi’s label, Generation Now, and they returned to music with the single “Free Uzi” three days later.

On March 6, 2020, after over a two-year delay and releasing a majority of singles in 2019, the rapper dropped their highly anticipated second studio album, Eternal Atake. It features their highest charting Billboard Hot 100 single, “Futsal Shuffle 2020” and “That Way” with a classic pinch of Backstreet Boys' 1999 smash hit, “I Want It That Way”.

Only a week later on March 13, 2020, Uzi released the deluxe version of Eternal Atake titled “Eternal Atake (Deluxe) – LUV vs. The World 2” which also serves as the sequel to their 2016 mixtape Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World. It features many highly anticipated songs such as “Lotus,” “Bean (Kobe),” and more. Other artists, such as 21 Savage and Young Thug also make appearances.

On July 22, 2022, Uzi released the EP RED & WHITE as a precursor to their then-upcoming third studio album, Pink Tape—red mixed with white creates pink. The songs were released one by one through Uzi’s SoundCloud between July 16 and July 22, before the project was made available on streaming services. The EP featured fan favorite snippets, including “I KNOW,” “FOR FUN,” and “BELIEVE ME,” among others.

On June 30, 2023, Uzi released their long-awaited third studio album, Pink Tape. The album features twenty-six tracks, including Uzi’s October 2022 hit single “Just Wanna Rock” and two of their most beloved leaks from 2018: “Of Course” and “Zoom.” The album contains guest appearances from Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Bring Me The Horizon, Don Toliver, and BABYMETAL.