“Wokeuplikethis” by Playboi Carti (ft. Lil Uzi Vert)
The title of this song (“Wokeuplikethis”) is actually based on Playboi Carti and his cohort coming to the conclusion that other rappers are biting their style. Such is more or less a commonly-expressed sentiment amongst influential artists from all eras of rap music. And at the time this song did come out yes, both Carti and Uzi were amongst the most definitive hip-hop artists and still can be considered so, to some extent, as of the writing of this post.
But that said, the actual lyrics of the verses do not appear to be really focused on imitators in any way, shape or form. Instead the homeys use the opportunity primarily for two purposes. First and foremost, of course, is to brag, not only about wealth but also being associated with that street life. And second, honestly there are quite a few references to drugs and most notably lean. That’s not to say that homeys are actually advocating purple drank, “xans, percs [and] molly”. But it is established that such are activities they regularly engage in.
Facts about “Wokeuplikethis”
James Pereira, who goes by the industry name of JMP, directed the music video to “Wokeuplikethis”, a song whose title is officially spelled “wokeuplikethis*”. The storyline from the video is said to be connected to that of “Magnolia”, the single that came after this one from the Playboi Carti mixtape.
When said music video came out, it was released exclusively on Tidal.
This song – as deemed by Interscope, UMG and AWGE – was the second single from Playboi Carti’s self-titled 2017 mixtape. More specifically, the track itself was released on March 10th of that year.
Carti is a rapper from the A-T-L whose second studio album, “Whole Lotta Red” (2020), topped the Billboard 200. But the aforenoted Playboi Carti mixtape has actually sold better, having achieved platinum status compared to the studio album’s gold certificate.
Vert is a rapper from the same generation as Carti, though tracing his origins to Philly. He and Playboi were regular collaborators around the time this track came out. The first song they officially appeared on together appears to be a 2016 Uzi Vert-led outing called “Left Right”.
The writing of this song is officially credited to Carti, Uzi Vert and Pi’erre Bourne. Bourne, a musician from South Carolina though based in Queen, also produced “Wokeuplikethis”.
According to Carti, it was Pi’erre who originated the track. And Bourne, to his recollection, ‘just cooked it up’ while he was in an Uber.
“Wokeuplikethis” appeared on a handful of Billboard charts, not performing overly well in any of those cases. However, it still went on to achieve double-platinum status in the United States as of 2019.
The “Playboi Carti” Mixtape
“Playboi Carti” is a self-titled mixtape by Carti. It was officially launched on April the 14th of 2017. It holds the distinction of being Carti’s first mixtape.
“Playboi Carti” was released through the following record labels:
- AWGE Label
- Interscope Records
The mixtape could be said to be generally successful as it peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. It received a Gold certification in January of 2018 from the RIAA for selling 500,000 units in the US and has since sold over 1,000,000 units, earning it a Platinum certification from the same organization.
It was placed at No. 8 on Rolling Stone’s list of “40 Best Rap Albums of 2017”. Pitchfork placed “Playboi Carti” at No. 35 and No, 150 on their “The 50 Best Albums of 2017” and “The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s” lists respectively.
