Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert are two cornerstones of what has pejoratively been called “mumble rap,” but in reality, they are basically on opposite ends of the SoundCloud spectrum: Carti is impulse-driven, often in an appealing “no fucks given” way, and Uzi is adrenalized and tune-powered, highly choreographed and remarkably polished. In all of their team-ups, including “woke up like this*,” Uzi takes the lead and Carti fills the requisite space. The clash of their conflicting oddball styles makes for some unconventional hip-hop. Their latest collaboration, “Shoota,” from Carti’s surprise album, Die Lit, is no different, but the gap between them is shrinking. This is the closest they’ve ever come to being on the same page. Even so, “Shoota” is still a pleasantly weird little track that defies traditional song-making logic.

For Carti, “Shoota” is just that: a shoot-’em-up, an ode to his gun and his crew of gunmen. For Uzi, it’s about upgrading to iced-out watches and bust downs. Produced by longtime Uzi collaborator Maaly Raw, the song’s cascading keys stand out among the buzzing, hi-hat-centered Pi’erre Bourne productions that dominate Die Lit. The beat never drops during the Uzi verse, creating a fascinating sort of tension; instead, he burrows into the synth bed with his melodic flows, generating his own rhythms. When the drums finally do kick in, Carti springs to life, brandishing weapons and matching Uzi’s Auto-Tune. Carti’s greatest gift is being interesting without doing much of anything, and here he’s at his minimalistic best. “Woke up with my toolie, what it do?/Meet me in the ally with the troops,” he sings, firing off grunted ad-libs into the dead air. His verse barely registers as one, functioning more as a bridge between two hooks. “Shoota” feels like a two-act play with Uzi’s monologue the prologue for a Carti romp; in their collabs, even a shootout becomes a fun-filled escapade. Their eccentricities collide for maximum impact, optimizing an enduring bond.