Lil Uzi Vert Praises Sobriety, Made Friends Choose Best of 680 Songs

Lil Uzi Vert is seeing clearer than ever ahead of his "The Pink Tape" album release and tells us he owes the 20/20 vision to his decision to go sober.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Uzi in Bev Hills and he popped the lid off his creative process for the project ... telling us he made his close group of friends sift through the 680 songs he recorded for the album!!!

The remaining pile of songs will be donated to rappers in a drought. The game needs saving, eh Melle Mel???

Fans will also hear a different side of Uzi on the album -- his sober side, as he's flushed all illicit substances from his system.

Uzi doubted he could make great music without drugs steering the ship, but he says the results came out even better ... his skin is better, he's no longer slurring his words and now he's making songs with more focused subject matter!!!

One of those songs is already getting buzz -- Uzi premiered a rager record at Rolling Loud California that spurned a public outcry for its lyrics, "I make a City Girl believe in Satan."

Uzi assured us he doesn't even believe in the devil and it was just a metaphor.