"Wokeuplikethis" (stylized as "wokeuplikethis*" is a song by American rapper Playboi Carti, featuring fellow American rapper Lil Uzi Vert. Written alongside producer Pi'erre Bourne, it was originally released on March 11, 2017 to SoundCloud before being official released on April 7, 2017, as the second single from Carti's eponymous debut commercial mixtape. The song samples the 2004 single "White Tee".
"Wokeuplikethis" is a trap song. Carti's verses have been described as "spilling out unfinished ideas, but there's a charm to the way he dawdles through verses, as if rap is merely an afterthought."[3] The lyrics of the song depict Carti’s and Lil Uzi’s rise to fame and criticises smaller artists for allegedly copying their style.[4] The intro consists of Lil Uzi repeating the phrase “I’m a rockstar” in a reference to him and Carti’s fame.[5]
Music video
The song's official music video premiered exclusively on Tidal and was then later released on YouTube on August 9, 2017, with 94 million views as of April 2024. The video was directed by James “JMP” Pereira, who has directed videos such as "Look At Me" and "Moonlight" for XXXTentacion.[6][7]
Synopsis
The video takes place in a prison, with the opening shot showing Carti getting a haircut shirtless by a woman in a red dress while lip syncing the lyrics on a rotary dial telephone. The rest of the video switches between shots of an exercise yard and a hallway with other prisoners imitating him.[8]
