People are losing their minds over Lil Uzi Vert's bizarre cover of System Of A Down's Chop Suey

By ( Metal Hammer ) published

Featuring collaborations with Babymetal and Bring Me The Horizon, rapper Lil Uzi Vert's new album is indulging their love of rock music - but their cover of Chop Suey is something else

Lil Uzi Vert and Serj Tankian
(Image credit: Uzi: Prince Williams/WireImage. Tankian: YouTube)

When you've got the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Cradle Of Filth collaborating with Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus covering Metallica and Rina Sawayama casually dropping nu metal references in her sets, it's safe to say that metal has been making big waves in the pop world in recent years.

Given their open love of heavy music (they have spoken at length on how Marilyn Manson, Paramore and My Chemical Romance were amongst their most formative artists as a teenager), it should be of no surprise that rap megastar Lil Uzi Vert has indulged their passion for rock on latest album Pink Tape. Released on Friday (June 30), the LP includes collaborations with Bring Me The Horizon and Babymetal - but it's one track in particular that has Metal Twitter losing its mind.

Titled CS, the song heavily samples hallmark System Of A Down anthem Chop Suey!, abridging the chorus and layering it with auto-tuned vocals courtesy of Uzi themselves. While we applaud the attempt at updating a metal classic for a new generation, it's certainly an, ah, interesting way of doing it, and it hasn't exactly delighted longtime System fans, with social media awash with outrage, despair and confusion.

"That Uzi cover of Chop Suey is genuinely one of the worst songs I have ever heard," says one Twitter user bluntly. "i could honestly pick apart so much shit as to why lil uzi’s chop suey cover was so shit but honestly i don’t want to because it’ll ruin my day," laments another. "Uzi just ruined chop suey man," claims another dramatically.

"WHY IS LIL UZI VERT COVERING CHOP SUEY AND WHY DID SOAD ALLOW THIS," rages one grumpy System fan, while even Uzi fans seeming to generally concur, with one stating: "uzi i love u but we did not need a chop suey cover."

There do seem to be some positive reactions hidden amongst all the pain. "I do not understand the hate for Lil Uzi Vert’s Chop Suey cover" offers one listener. Another acknowledges Uzi attempting to pay homage to one of his favourite metal artists, gushing: "Uzi covering Chop Suey and showing love to System of A Down. You really love to see it."

As for System themselves? Well, bassist Shavo Odadjian seems to approve, sharing it on his personal Instagram page. Sadly, most of his followers apparently don't appear to be very impressed. Shavo's bandmates are yet to publicly comment on the cover.

See some of those reactions and listen to CS to decide for yourself below.

Merlin Alderslade
Merlin Alderslade
Executive Editor, Louder

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.