Lil Uzi Vert’s “Chop Suey” Cover Sure is a Song

Lil Uzi Vert‘s latest mix tape, Pink Tape, covers “Chop Suey”… sort of, and not everyone is into it.

For scores of metalheads on the internet, it’s not that someone from the rap/trap world is covering metal, but rather it’s because the expectation in metal is that a cover will at least try to do the song some justice. Maybe take some time in the song to embellish or show off the artists’ individual flair, or show what it looks like when their particular sound takes on that of one of their influences. Take T-Pain’s “War Pigs” cover for example — that song kicks ass and it’s undeniably his version.

Hip hop and trap artists don’t really “cover” things in the same way. The song is technically called “CS,” but anyone with even a passing familiarity with the classic System of a Down song will recognize the beat. Lil Uzi Vert uses the familiar beat and melody and pair them with his own vocals to create something new. So no, as covers go, this isn’t a true-to-life rendition, but it is a strong homage.

Elsewhere on the album, Lil Uzi Vert collaborates with Bring Me The Horizon and Babymetal for tracks “Werewolf” and “The End,” making his love for metal and alternative rock clear with this release.