LIL UZI VERT

I stopped thinking; I just go out, and everything is in the moment. I just stop thinking and start moving - you just gotta be you.

I played the coronet first, and then I upgraded to the trumpet. First song I learned on there was 'Hot Cross Buns.'

I don't know... Philly's a little different. It's a little bit more competitive. Everybody's got something to prove. In Atlanta, you see stars every day walking down the street; it's normal.

In my elementary days, I took a liking to rock & roll music. I dabbed into Marilyn Manson, which became my favorite.

I remember, when I first rapped, I was writing raps. I don't write raps at all; I stopped early. I don't know - it seems like every day I find something a little bit easier.

I really didn't want to rap; I was just a regular kid.

Wherever you're from, you adapt to your environment. It definitely made my music a little bit more explicit. Because I really was in North Philly, I listened to State Property and stuff. Everything my dad listened to, I listened to.

I'm already popular in my city. I was just trying to get rich. Man, I'm not gonna lie to you; I didn't really want to go back to school. I mean, my family was mad about that. Because, you know, you tell your family you want to rap, and they look at you like you're crazy.

Atlanta is down south, the club. So the most thing played down there is club music. Everybody wants a hit.

Everybody really don't rock with each other in Philly - that's a problem. 'Cause me being in Atlanta now, I stay in Atlanta, and I get to see everybody work with everybody no matter what.

There's enough money for everybody. See, I can't do what Yachty does. But then again, Yachty can't do what I do.

If I'm talking about girls and stuff, it's usually the truth. So now, you know, if you hear my songs, you are gonna appreciate it differently because usually, it's the truth.

I enjoy 'down South' music.

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

I like a lot of ratchet, trap music. Definitely 21 Savage. We need some music like that. ManMan Savage. A lot of the Atlanta scene. But Philly, too.

I got a lot of influences. I got relevant influences today. I got influences that you wouldn't even think of. I'm very influenced by Marilyn Manson. His style is ridiculous. Like, honestly, if you want me to keep it 100, Marilyn Manson has as much style as Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

You can't say I look like this person or sound like this person exactly because I made it my own. I'm pretty, pretty influenced by myself right now.

One thing rap and rock have in common, a lot of it is focused on negativity. I like dark stuff.

I never wanted to be no rapper.

I saw Marilyn Manson. He had, like, the platinum grills, and that's when I got my first ones. And honestly, I didn't even buy them. My grandma bought those. I paid her back right away, though.

If you're you, it doesn't matter if you're the most boring person in the world: someone will like you. You're not trying to be anyone else.

I like to look cool and dress nice. Lil Uzi is a rock star. Just know that.

Don't get me wrong: school is good and all, but school is way too slow for me. Like, super slow. So I didn't want to go. I wanted to learn on my own with real life experiences.

I'm a real big Marilyn Manson fan. I get a lot of my styles from him. Not even musically - living-wise, too. Marilyn Manson definitely shows me you shouldn't care what nobody say. I watched a bunch of his interviews, and he's not just an artist; he's one of the most intelligent people I ever saw in my life.

My first CD that I had was the Ying Yang Twinz, and my grandma bought it for me. Honestly, I think my grandma got it from a thrift store or something. She just got it for me. It was in downtown Philadelphia. And I would listen to it. I liked it. None of my friends did, though, but I liked it.