I Love Lil Wayne
Truly.
Making me laugh will make me a fan of your art. That's the reason I love E40 so much. I know it's a silly metric but that preference is obviously personal. I assess other styles and variations for different purposes. And, of course, it depends on what I'm in the mood for.
Lil Wayne is a comedian. First off, his voice is nasally, high, and raspy at the same time. He just sounds funny. He is a wordsmith who delivers vivid analogies. He is a master at genre bending, collaborating with an array of artists from Willie Nelson to Adam Levine.
But let's step back into 2010 for a second to discuss Lil Wayne's feature on Nicki Minaj's "Roman's Revenge" remix, which should be played with volume UP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FBEdoxBF4I
"I'm Tune/Salt in the wound
I'm up in this bitch /pardon the goons (flex)
Throw dirt on the floor/get caught in the broom ("what goes around comes around")
I like a big wet pussy wit a fork & a spoon (pretty clear)
Each of these rhyming couplets are so powerful, and then followed by something nonsensical like
"[I got] a woman in the shower. She don't want nothin' but my Johnson - Howard!"
What?! That is such an unexpected and hilarious twist of a punchline. Later, he says:
"If you scared go to church
read a bible -- HEHH!"
That genuine chuckle at the end took me out for multiple reasons. First, hearing the very real fear he was apparently feeling from spitting so hard on his verse (or going to church), and then how heartily he giggled at the joke.
This verse encapsulates everything I love about Lil Wayne's style. From his cadence, to the rhyme scheme, and to the genius of his comedy. When compared to current projects like "Funeral" which dropped in January of 2020, Wayne receives criticism.
It is said he lacks development and his music has not kept pace with the evolving genre. Or, he needs to be more reflective in his raps. I whole-heartedly disagree.
He created this entire era of Lil' Whatever's with half-bleached heads, several of which he has collaborated with. So, it can't be said his music is not aging with the audience. If his audience and influence is getting younger, he is cementing his status as an icon.
Based on his demeanor and the tone of his newer music, it is clear Wayne has gone through a lot personally in the last decade. The beats he chooses today sound darker, slower, and more melodic. But the style has not changed. His rhyming schemes are still impeccably complex, and his quips are delivered so effortlessly it's nearly impossible to catch them all.
In the title track of his latest album, "Funeral", he says:
Damn. As if I didn't feel poor enough already. He said our life stories went straight to cable. And he's not wrong! Vicious lines like these fly off his tongue, reminding us his barbs are relentless and his bars go hard every time.
I would agree that Wayne does not often open up directly about his personal life. His mood and persona on a song give clues to things he is going through. He has never been afraid to sing and continues to serenade us in that raspy downtempo we have grown used to. Although, there seems to be more pain behind his words in recent years.
"Bastard (Satan's Child)" is one of those rare occurrences where Wayne is completely transparent.
"Daddy used to look at me like, 'Who the fuck this baby is?'
Uncle used to say, "Your daddy just too young to raise a kid
Daddy used to treat my mama like they never made a kid
I'm Satan's kid, I'm Satan's kid, I'm Satan's kid (I'm Satan's kid)"
That's not to say Lil Wayne doesn't still have fun in the studio and grace us with a club tune occasionally. "Wayne's World" is a fun jam whose chorus from the 1990's film I could easily see being chanted by crowds.
I would love to see some advancement in Lil Wayne's messaging in relation to drug use given the amount of young rappers dying. But Wayne has never been secretive about his recreational habits. He has never apologized for who he is, and has never pretended to be anything other than himself. For that, I cannot fault him. I can only cherish the records he creates as long as we are here to enjoy them.
*Honorable Mentions*
"If these walls could talk, they probably won't shut up.
I need some wallpaper before they start to fuss."
"Safe to say I lost my way, but I never lost the lead."
"We went from Boys to Menace"
"Richer than a bitch but I can't buy tomorrow"
"And I go down South. Lil Weezyanna."
- Lil Wayne
Making me laugh will make me a fan of your art. That's the reason I love E40 so much. I know it's a silly metric but that preference is obviously personal. I assess other styles and variations for different purposes. And, of course, it depends on what I'm in the mood for.
Lil Wayne is a comedian. First off, his voice is nasally, high, and raspy at the same time. He just sounds funny. He is a wordsmith who delivers vivid analogies. He is a master at genre bending, collaborating with an array of artists from Willie Nelson to Adam Levine.
But let's step back into 2010 for a second to discuss Lil Wayne's feature on Nicki Minaj's "Roman's Revenge" remix, which should be played with volume UP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FBEdoxBF4I
"I'm Tune/Salt in the wound
I'm up in this bitch /pardon the goons (flex)
Throw dirt on the floor/get caught in the broom ("what goes around comes around")
I like a big wet pussy wit a fork & a spoon (pretty clear)
Each of these rhyming couplets are so powerful, and then followed by something nonsensical like
"[I got] a woman in the shower. She don't want nothin' but my Johnson - Howard!"
What?! That is such an unexpected and hilarious twist of a punchline. Later, he says:
"If you scared go to church
read a bible -- HEHH!"
That genuine chuckle at the end took me out for multiple reasons. First, hearing the very real fear he was apparently feeling from spitting so hard on his verse (or going to church), and then how heartily he giggled at the joke.
This verse encapsulates everything I love about Lil Wayne's style. From his cadence, to the rhyme scheme, and to the genius of his comedy. When compared to current projects like "Funeral" which dropped in January of 2020, Wayne receives criticism.
It is said he lacks development and his music has not kept pace with the evolving genre. Or, he needs to be more reflective in his raps. I whole-heartedly disagree.
He created this entire era of Lil' Whatever's with half-bleached heads, several of which he has collaborated with. So, it can't be said his music is not aging with the audience. If his audience and influence is getting younger, he is cementing his status as an icon.
Based on his demeanor and the tone of his newer music, it is clear Wayne has gone through a lot personally in the last decade. The beats he chooses today sound darker, slower, and more melodic. But the style has not changed. His rhyming schemes are still impeccably complex, and his quips are delivered so effortlessly it's nearly impossible to catch them all.
In the title track of his latest album, "Funeral", he says:
"Life is a movie and it's in the-aters.
Some of y'alls already went to cable."
Damn. As if I didn't feel poor enough already. He said our life stories went straight to cable. And he's not wrong! Vicious lines like these fly off his tongue, reminding us his barbs are relentless and his bars go hard every time.
I would agree that Wayne does not often open up directly about his personal life. His mood and persona on a song give clues to things he is going through. He has never been afraid to sing and continues to serenade us in that raspy downtempo we have grown used to. Although, there seems to be more pain behind his words in recent years.
"Bastard (Satan's Child)" is one of those rare occurrences where Wayne is completely transparent.
"Daddy used to look at me like, 'Who the fuck this baby is?'
Uncle used to say, "Your daddy just too young to raise a kid
Daddy used to treat my mama like they never made a kid
I'm Satan's kid, I'm Satan's kid, I'm Satan's kid (I'm Satan's kid)"
That's not to say Lil Wayne doesn't still have fun in the studio and grace us with a club tune occasionally. "Wayne's World" is a fun jam whose chorus from the 1990's film I could easily see being chanted by crowds.
I would love to see some advancement in Lil Wayne's messaging in relation to drug use given the amount of young rappers dying. But Wayne has never been secretive about his recreational habits. He has never apologized for who he is, and has never pretended to be anything other than himself. For that, I cannot fault him. I can only cherish the records he creates as long as we are here to enjoy them.
*Honorable Mentions*
"If these walls could talk, they probably won't shut up.
I need some wallpaper before they start to fuss."
"Safe to say I lost my way, but I never lost the lead."
"We went from Boys to Menace"
"Richer than a bitch but I can't buy tomorrow"
"And I go down South. Lil Weezyanna."
- Lil Wayne
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