Did Lil Wayne Fall Off? | Complex
The discussion surrounding Weezy has changed considerably since his prolific output of yesteryear. Has the YMCMB star gone from "best rapper alive" to one of the worst?
Written by Brad Wete (@BradWete)
Lil Wayne is not the same. The rapper, for a long time joyfully vicious on his songs and others, has lost his bite, his appetite even. Its been a quiet conversation among rap heads for a good while now: Did Lil Wayne fall off? Its discussed the same way ESPN analysts talk about New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeterclearly on the other side of dopeness, but still capable of a great run.
This fa99ot...I swear you are the biggest lame on this board ...Jesus christ you can't stand the fact that your hero is finished.....pitiful
Wayne hasnt been great since his 2008-09 season, the one that saw him drop two projectsone acclaimed massively and the other by his core audience. In 2008, there was Tha Carter III, a beloved set for its combination of hard-hitting raps and pop luster. His frenetic, Bangladesh-produced monster A Milli was evenly matched by the quirky Auto-Tuned croak croons of Lollipop. The effort went platinum in a week. And rightfully so.
Then in 2009 came his remarkable No Ceilings mixtape, where he commandeered Dorroughs "Ice Cream Paint Job," Jay-Z's "D.O.A., and Gucci Manes Wasted instrumentals and hawked wads of searing bars on them, only pausing to spark blunts in the vocal booth.
What followed that, really, was nothing good. Wayne began dabbling with rock music. The result was 2010s mess, Rebirth, an effort many wished had been aborted upon conception. Next to strike out was I Am Not a Human Being, a batch of tired cuts to satiate fans that needed to satisfy their Wayne fix while the prolific rhymer served a brief sentence at Rikers Island after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon the year prior.
It should be noted that both efforts were commercially successful. But as far as quality is concerned, his once well-cheffed raps were reduced to freezer-burned Hot Pockets. Being able to pedal such poor product is a luxury afforded to only those who were once truly great. Lil Wayne was a name you could trust. So fans bought and bought.
Oh, and the fails kept coming. Last summer, a drug-free (a condition of his parole) Weezy dropped Sorry 4 the Wait, a mixtape for those holding on for Tha Carter IV. It was bad. As was IV, which was not worth the wait and featured a lead single ("6 Foot 7 Foot") that was basically an A Mill replica. Sure, there were a few gems among the rubble, but for the first time it was evident that Lil Wayne had lost it, whatever that special thing is that fueled his artistic splendor.
Last week, Lil Wayne revealed that its interest that hes lost. I got bored, Wayne said of hip-hop in a radio interview with DJ Drama. It does get pretty boring when it comes to the rapping and all that kind of stuff. Ive been doing it since I was eight. Im about to be 30 in September and Im still rapping.
kind of feel like Im getting old.
By no means does making it through the first trimester of life call for Wayne to pull out the walking cane. Though his flow sounds as uninspired as a wealthy senior peering out of his mansion windows, Weezys actually very much alive and excited about something outside of hip-hop: skateboarding.
Its kind of putting rap on the back-burner, Wayne said of his new love, like its no big deal. Thats all. I kind of feel like I deserve that. I kind of feel like the fans deserve that. I kind of feel like the fans deserve a little no Wayne. Maybe hes using skate ramps like Michael Jordan used ballparks back in 1994.
Coming off three consecutive championship wins in the NBA, an uninspired Mike retired to play baseball for the minor leagues Birmingham Barons. Though the move was initially a head-scratcher, in the end it somehow recharged his basketball battery and powered another triple crown dip in the NBA.
Time will tell if the same will go for Lil Wayne musically. Theres a chance. In that same DJ Drama chat, Wayne talked about his forthcoming Dedication 4 mixtape, gleefully saying, I just did that [Ca$h Out song] Cashin Out. Its over, bro. I did [Chief Keefs] I Dont Like and I did [Meek Mills] 'Burn.'
Like he said what seems to be an eternity ago on A Milli, Wayne used to be a goblin. Heres to hoping that he scares again.
YM SHIP SUNK --- BADA-BOOM!
nikka you embarrassed yourself with your goofy, non english speaking, out of touch, downlow homosexual, insecure ugly fat broke, broken sentence having, LMAO LOL'ing, 40 year old ass
i never even heard of you, secret admirer ass queer
@ the Bizzy Bone and Brotha Lynch Hung chapters...
