Lil Uzi Vert Gave the Eagles the Soundtrack to Their Season

PHOENIX — Like all N.F.L. groups, the Eagles make use of many exceptionally giant males. But as they left their locker room forward of the N.F.C. championship sport in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers, they had been led by a musician who stands simply 5-foot-4.

The artist, clad in a midnight-green No. 16 Eagles jersey and diamond chains, was the rapper Lil Uzi Vert, who ran out with the group as “Just Wanna Rock” blared by means of the stadium. Uzi’s music, which has a viral hip-shaking dance to go together with it, has develop into the soundtrack for the Eagles’ season.

“That song got the city and the world buzzing,” Eagles linebacker Kyzir White mentioned. “That feel like our anthem right now.”

Uzi, who makes use of they/they pronouns, mentioned in a current interview that the response to the monitor “was like a dream come true.”

The rapper, a local of Philadelphia, famous that it was gratifying to uncover their fan base is “actually bigger than what I think,” including, “I didn’t think that they really listened to me.”

The up-tempo “Just Wanna Rock,” impressed by Jersey membership music, doesn’t characteristic many lyrics. But its dance exploded on TikTok, and has advanced to embrace totally different variations. At its core, dancers shake their hips and transfer their arms whereas a digicam with a stoic facial features.

When operating again Miles Sanders scored the Eagles’ first landing in the N.F.C. championship sport, he celebrated with the dance; he was joined by middle Jason Kelce, who regarded extra like he was attempting to shake an insect off his again. “They still got some learning to do,” Uzi mentioned, laughing.

“That was the first time releasing that,” Kelce mentioned with a smile. “I just felt it in the moment.”

The music performs usually in the Eagles’ locker room, White mentioned. Often at the middle of the dance circle is defensive lineman Jordan Davis, who stands at an imposing 6-foot-6 and 335 kilos. His strikes at all times shock his teammates due to his dimension.

“He wants to dance all day,” White mentioned. “Weight room, locker room, it don’t matter, he always hitting that.”

Even Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, recognized for his love for old-school R&B tunes, has gotten behind “Just Wanna Rock.” When Uzi met Hurts in the locker room forward of the N.F.C. championship sport, the rapper remembers Hurts saying that the music was “crazy” — in a great way. Uzi mentioned Hurts’s stamp of approval meant that rather more as a result of the music is so totally different from the participant’s commonplace playlist. (After the Eagles ran out with Uzi earlier than their sport in opposition to the 49ers, Hurts’s favourite artist, Anita Baker, sang the nationwide anthem.)

During the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl-winning season, the group leaned on the music “Dreams and Nightmares” by the rapper Meek Mill. Eagles gamers danced and rapped the music phrase for phrase earlier than blowing out the Vikings in the N.F.C. championship sport. Players mentioned that monitor continues to be in heavy rotation, and Mill carried out it forward of the Eagles’ sport in opposition to the Cowboys in Week 6.

“Dreams and Nightmares” has lengthy been thought-about one thing of a metropolis anthem, however the reputation of “Just Wanna Rock” has sparked a debate inside the Eagles’ locker room.

“I like the ‘Just Wanna Rock’ dance, but I like ‘Dreams and Nightmares’ more,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay mentioned. “I like both of ’em, but the new generation now moved from jumping around. Now they want to dance.”

Uzi is hoping the Eagles can assist the music lead to change of their metropolis, which has handled a current improve in violent crime. While the dancing is all for enjoyable, Uzi recommended that maybe individuals in Philadelphia watching fashionable Eagles gamers busting out strikes will encourage them to search optimistic retailers for his or her power.

“We from a rough area, and the only thing that gets praised is negative things, and this is a positive thing,” Uzi mentioned, including: “You would rather be in the house perfecting the dance and doing videos instead of going outside doing something that’s not positive. Why not just keep doing it to make sure that everyone’s safe?”

The Eagles haven’t but requested Uzi to run out with them on Sunday, the musician mentioned. But the rapper can be at the sport, and it’s nearly sure that gamers can be shaking their hips in celebrations.