Rap superstar Lil Uzi Vert has changed their pronouns to they/them on Instagram.
The North Philadelphia-born rapper — known for their chart-topping hits, their love for fashion, and their gender-nonconforming style — quietly made the changes on the social media platform over the weekend, but made no announcements about their gender identity.
The Grammy-nominated performer, real name Symere Bysil Woods, didn’t elaborate on the subtle change. Early on Sunday, however, fellow rapper and frequent collaborator Yeat tweeted “Yo they,” to which Uzi responded, “Yo yeat.”
The move led to speculations about whether Uzi now identifies as nonbinary, which is a term used to refer to those whose gender identity or expression is neither male or female.
Often, nonbinary individuals use gender-neutral pronouns, but that doesn’t mean that when a person changes their pronouns to they/them they necessarily identify as nonbinary.
In May 2021, for example, American pop star Demi Lovato revealed in a podcast episode that they were nonbinary and that their pronouns were they/them. British singer Sam Smith, on the other hand, first said that they didn’t identify as either male or female in March 2019. Only six months later they wrote on Instagram that “I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to they/them.”
According to Wren Sanders, an editor for Them.us, “pronouns describe one’s identity — they don’t define it,” as they wrote in 2019.
Uzi’s announcement comes as the 26-year-old chart-topper released new music — for the first time in nearly a year.
In the coming days, they have plans to release a new EP titled “Red & White.” On Sunday, Uzi released the track “Space Cadet” on Soundcloud. Monday he dropped another track, “I Know,” also on the audio distribution platform.
Both of Uzi’s solo studio albums — “Luv Is Rage 2″ and “Eternal Atake” — reached the top of the U.S. charts in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
A highly anticipated third album — “The Pink Tape” — is expected later this year.
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