Worth The Hype?

Prove It…

written by KT

First and foremost, I want to start by saying that I am not what you would call a Lil Wayne “fan.” There are some who live and die, swear, by that man’s word. I’m not one of those people. There are some who would have you believe that he is the best rapper in the game right now and for the next 10 years. I am not one of those people. I am a realist and I know what is presented to me. I know that, for the past four or five years, Dwayne Carter has been one of the most talked about artists under 30 that hip-hop has spawned in a VERY long time. With countless mixtape credits, copious YouTube hits and a mythical album with Harlem’s own Mr. Wild Card, Juelz Santana, it’s hard not to see why people can’t stop bringing this dude’s name up in conversation.

Don’t be fooled, this won’t be one of those posts where I am going to be overtly praising him for any of his musical talents or cutting him down for his shortcomings, I’m just presenting to you what’s been presented to me. In 2004, when The Carter dropped, Weezy was still a somewhat obscure artist by many people’s standards (raise your had if you can think of 5 people who owned “500 Degreez” or “Lights Out.”). And, in many ways, this was the album that brought him out to the forefront, but more specifically, the track “Go DJ,” which was produced by Mannie Fresh.

The Carter II came out a year later and, even though it was 22 tracks strong, was well received by most critics. The tracks “Hustler Muzik,” “Fireman,” “Fly In,” and “Money on My Mind” come to mind as standouts. This was another album that did well to elevate Weezy’s status even further.

In my eyes, however, he remains an enigma.

I told you that I was not a Weezy fan, but that is not to say that I don’t like or respect the dude for what he’s done. I’ll be totally frank, I felt as if the production value on the first two “Carter’s” was lacking (with the exceptions of the songs I just mentioned). Yet, here is a man who has used his vast lyrical ability and an insane work ethic (either that or the drugs just keep him awake) to pump out guest spot after mixtape after guest spot after mixtape.

As I said, I wasn’t a huge fan of the “Carter” albums. I say that because I don’t think I will be a fan of “The Carter III” when it finally hits stores May 13th. Because while this is a dude who can come up with lines like “all my kicks fly/like Liu Kang,” and spit out songs like the classic “Tha Block is Hot,” he has regressed somewhat because a lot of his best stuff has been pimped out to DJ’s and other rappers. Let us remember that Dedication 2, in my opinion the best album of his during the “Carter” era, wasn’t even supposed to be a commercially released LP. And now, “The Drought” series stands as some of his best work to date. Can we really say with confidence that the highly anticipated “The Carter III” will live up to the expectations that these mixtapes did?

Unfortunately, I doubt it.

The first single off the album, “Lollipop,” is a dope song…if you happen to be at Magic City in Atlanta or Scores in New York. The beat is infectious and regardless of whether you agree with me or not, I know that every now and then, you will find yourself humming “shawty wanna thuuuuggggg….” (R.I.P. Stat Major). But it’s not the type of song that garners heavy buzz. I happen to really like that song and I don’t care who knows it, but one can’t help but long for more from this man. Is he overrated? Nah, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that. It’s not as if he’s not one to deliver some classic verses (check the “Party Like A Rockstar,” “Crying Out For Me,” and “Dey Know” remixes if you need help understanding that: “We are not the same/I am a martian/it’s young Weezy F. baby/ no abortion – “Party Like A Rockstar remix), but at this point a lot of us are just left wondering…

“Best rapper alive? Will you even be the best rapper this summer?”