Philly native Symere Woods, better known in the music world as Lil Uzi Vert (for the rapid style rapping of his early songs), has had a quick rise from obscurity to number one album sales between 2015 and the present. He began releasing "mix-tapes" (not actual tapes - these are now essentially any release of a record without a record label) in 2015 and 2016. He was discovered online by hip-hop producer Don Cannon, who was able to introduce Woods to a number of well known producers, DJs, and rap artists. With each successive "mix-tape", Woods began to work with more and more well known collaborators, such as Future, Young Thug, and Wiz Kalifa. By mid-2016, he was being lauded by music critics as one of the most important artists to watch in 2016.

It turns out that the critics were correct. Woods' big break came in October of 2016 when he collaborated on a single ("Bad and Boujee") with the Atlanta hip-hop group Migos, whose stars were on the rise and whose forthcoming album was highly anticipated. It turns out that for both Migos and Woods, the single "Bad and Boujee" was a game-changer for their careers, catapulting them both into super-stardom with the hottest single of early 2017. Woods rode the momentum directly into his first full length album, Luv is Rage 2, which went to number one on the charts immediately after its release in in August. It includes guest appearances by huge stars like Pharrell Williams and The Weeknd.

Woods is one of a number of a new generation of young rappers who have faced heavy criticism from older rappers who claim that these new stars have no reverance for classic hip-hop and therefore shouldn't be viewed as members of the community. The bitterness has been met with a high-road mentality by the youngsters, who have shrugged it off and kept doing their thing. Artists like Woods, Lil Yachty, and the recently deceased Lil Peep have been called "emo-rap" by the media, referring to the punky hair and goofy looks that don't fit with traditional hip-hop uniforms, along with lyrics where you'll be more likely to hear references to Snapchat than memories of growing up with gun violence. Woods himself has said that he considers himself a rock star rather than rapper, citing goth rocker Marilyn Manson and Paramore's punky frontwoman Hayley Williams as his biggest influences. It'll be interesting to see how the popularity of artists like Woods will influence the rap scene in the next few years. Where will the Drakes of the world be? It might be time for a change of the guard.