I am a few days behind on this piece, but as someone who has occasionally posted NYT pieces on rap here, I find this dissection of their attitude towards rappers names interesting, but somewhat unnecessary.

For what it's worth, I think the Time reporting on rap is not held back by their bizarre policy towards names, but rather what that policy reflects--that even if the report is a head, or someone who has at least listened to a rap album, the editors are not. That ultimately hip-hop reporting is being stunted at the times because those in charge of assigning stories still see it as somewhat under the radar, or something new and faddish--not a viable culture that has been around for 30 or so years, not a genre of music that has had some of the best-selling records of the last decade.

Take, for example, this Lil Mama piece--the fact that there is cross-over between rap and pop is treated as newsworthy, rather than something that is fairly par for the course. By framing the story about how wacky it is that Lil Mama is cross-over, they fail at the inherent appeal of the story, which is the fact that she's an awesome spitta, despite her more commercial stuff.

The NYT does it's best, but as the name conundrum shows, the more it tries to report, the more out of its element it reveals itself to be.

I dug this song on the album, but this video makes me want two things--to go shopping with Lil Mama and to steal T-Pain's hat.

But seriously, I love Lil Mama and this video just looks like fun:

Mark your calendars. The third week in June will prove to be a pivotal one for the future of the music business. And even if yours is a mental mark, you can bet the major labels and their execs took plenty of time to assess and analyze, scrutinize and process just what took place. So what’s all the fuss?

This week, for the first time since 50 Cent’s The Massacre in 2005, Lil Wayne’s The Carter III moved a million copies in seven days—a phenomenal achievement. We’re not talking just about hip-hop album sales but sales for any and all genres. Before 50, it took Lil John’s grandiose grill to take Usher over the mil mark in 2004 with Confessions. In a diverse, rapidly changing and splintered musical environment, Wayne’s feat is both a testament to his popularity and a refutation of traditional methods of album distribution. His incredible ubiquity and productivity (as has been the case for the past several years, but is now even more vivid) stands in direct contrast to the command and control, scarcity-oriented approach used by major labels. Or, for that matter, the calculated approach of Jay-Z. He’s built anticipation through the mixtape. Leaks of The Carter III two weeks early were an aid, not a hindrance. He’s feeding the machine and it’s the very machine that the record companies—until now—have failed to understand. So now it’s Universal Motown answering to both Wayne and consumer preferences, not the other way around. A pretty nifty revolution when one stops to ponder. Universal promoted his new release through ad partnerships with MySpace, Yahoo and AOL and even iTunes jumped on board. “Lollipop” is the best-selling ringtone of 2008 and Universal takes those sales right to the bank. Of course, a new approach is not the sole reason for a million a week. Wayne has worked hard to nurture his fan base and consistently churns out quality music. In fact, Carter III sales came chiefly from record stores and chains. Digital sales accounted for only 10%. Nevertheless, the industry has been firmly flipped upside down and now, unequivocally, has displayed the capacity to comprehend and adjust their tactics.

June’s third week was also a smashing success for Brit-rockers Coldplay. Their latest effort Viva La Vida, released on EMI records, sold 316,000 copies on Tuesday in the U.S. alone and 125,000 in its U.K. debut. If Vida gets to 700,000 sales this week, it will mark the first time since ’05 that albums with sales over 700,000 topped charts in consecutive weeks. But Coldplay, unlike Wayne’s sales, have been significantly boosted through online purchases. Viva la Vida broke Jack Johnson’s (hooray!) record for most iTunes downloads in a single day. Thanks in no small degree to a catchy TV commercial that spurned my girlfriend—the stingiest of record shoppers—to make a pilgrimage to BestBuy for a $9.99 copy. Online sales helped the hit single “Viva la Vida” top the Billboard Hot 100 this week. It’s been 11 years since a group from across the pond pulled that feat when Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh and Sporty Spice proved more that just mere “Wannabes.” When Guy Hands, the controversial EMI CEO checks in for work tomorrow morning he’ll at least be able to mitigate the near daily pant-shitting.

Just what does all this mean? After all, sales are ephemeral and, when compared to 5 years ago, still down on the whole. Still, this week the major labels affirmed something. They approached the new media and distribution environment as an ally not a foe—and it paid off. They melded with major online players like iTunes, MySpace and AOL. Sure, EMI, Universal, Sony, BMG and Warner have had this approach in place. But this week, as witnessed through digital and store bought sales, their change in strategy resonated with consumers. They, it would seem, finally got off of their high horse and answered to demands they had failed to appreciate. This is a great thing to witness. Not simply because labels are catching on, but because two schools are merging. Artists whose work is revered by fans, like Lil Wayne and Coldplay, deserve compensation. Labels are learning how to maximize this compensation by finally adapting to the new ecosystem. This week in June, in the music business, old school and new school finally got fully acquainted.

I like Wale. I like his flow a lot. He always sounds happy. People say birds of the feather flock together, surrounding yourself with happy people leads to your own happiness. I say listening is part of that. And I sure do feel surrounded by Wale when I hear him in stereo--in my left ear, and in my right ear. Listening to Wale rap makes me happy in a way Nas, Weezy, and Jay rarely can. Add his uplifting flow to the Care Bear bumping beat of "Mr. Carter" and I am feeling it too much not to blog about "Hey Mr. Carter."

Wale - "Hey Mr. Carter"

Wale is different than most rappers. You won't find any shots at the Bigs in "Hey Mr. Carter," far from it actually, as Wale pays homage and respect, gives thanks and compliments to Sean and Dwayne Carter in his version of Tha Carter III's hit "Mr. Carter." Both verses open with a line of tribute directed at each Mr. Carter, first for Dwayne:

A million fifty, god damn Wayne you killed em,
good lookin' with the "Nike Boots", it boosted me a little

Then for Sean:

A hundred fifty mill, god damn Jay you killed it,
Roc Nation could be the artist new formula to get rich

And since we're on the Roc topic, I have to mention this. The hand-made diamond Jay-z throws up, you know the one, well I always thought it looked like a triangle more than a diamond, and I guess this is directed at DDP as well. So that diamond that looks like a triangle, well apparently Wale feels the same way.

Somtimes I wish it was '03,
OG Roc-a-fella throwin up the isosceles,
and I ain't ridin' I'm just payin' homage.
If I ain't strive to be Sean, I'd end up like Ki-Jana
But fuck that, I ain't no Bengal, I'm a Lion
Out my mind, Patrick Bateman with the rhymin'!

Hit the rewind. Did he just say "out my mind, Patrick Bateman with the rhymin?" What a line. Wale is talking about how Jay And Wayne killed it, but damn Wale, you're the one who killed this beat. Both verses are great and Wale takes advantage of the intermission between the two to let us know that to succeed you "gotta think like Sean and not end up like Ki-Jana, like, fuck it, Wikipedia Ki-Jana Carter if you stuck." Here's a summary: "After being selected as the number one overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Bengals, he tore his ACL on his third carry of his first preseason NFL game of his rookie year." My sympathy to Mr. Carter. No one wants to be remembered like that.

With the amount of music in the form of mix-tapes Wale has put out this year, and his European tour last year, it's obvious he is striving to be like Sean because it's too often a guy has some serious talent and ends up a bust or doesn't ever hone his skills and ends up fading away with his albums into the discount rack at the used record store. And Wale isn't about to let that happen.

In a lot of ways, The Carter III felt like both the culmination of Lil Wayne's career in rap, and the end of it. Somehow, through all of the hype, the fact that Weezy would continue to rap after his big release was lost. The Carter III is an album of almost mythical proportions, and felt more like a bookend for some legendary era of rap music than just another day at the office. It was easy to forget that there would be Lil Wayne beyond C3. The truth is, nothing has changed: when all is said and done, Weezy is going to be more prolific than Willie Nelson (check his discography).

Witness Wayne's latest exercise in beat wrecking. "A Millie" has been done by everyone in the game, and Wayne has even recorded on it more than once. But today, a week after The Carter III upset some prognosticators, Wayne released "The Freemix," a four-minute flow that redefines "A Milli." His opening words pretty much say it all: "Yeah. I'm back. As a matter of fact, I ain't go nowhere." Other rappers should be fucking petrified.

A million sold first day I went gold
How do I celebrate? Work on the Carter IV

Try and understand that in the context of what Wayne just did. In two-years he went from the fringe of rap to its pinnacle. He sold more albums than Kanye, and on "Mr. Carter," Jay-Z hands over the crown. Is anyone really pretending that we aren't witnessing an awesome moment in the history of American music?

If you haven't heard it yet, grab "The Freemix" and see what I'm talking about. I could honestly listen to 70 minutes of "A Millie" if Wayne would just flow the whole time--the thing is, he could do it if he wanted to.

During "The Freemix," Wayne reaffirms his commitment to producing five Carter albums, a fact that got lost during much of the publicity for The Carter III. There is no vacation for Weezy, and I doubt he would want it any other way.

Well, if not the best mixtape of 2008, Asher Roth's The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1 is certainly sporting the best cover art this side of The Carter III. I first heard Asher Roth via a press release, and though lukewarm, I thought the kid had potential and gave him a post--the thing that really stuck out to me was his planned mixtape with DJ Drama and Don Cannon. That mixtape has finally dropped, and I'm blown away. It's just what the rap game needs right now.

The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1 finds a young Asher Roth with both a flow and a philosophy unlike anything out there right now. From what I can tell, he's somewhere between 2Live Crew and a 10-year-old, but with lyrical skills that are just obscenely good. He's a suburban kid who understands the rap game for what it is. He likes weed and women and all of the extravagance. Most importantly, he reps where he's from--finally, a white kid not afraid of spitting the truth. Asher Roth feels authentic and qualitatively different than a lot of his predecessors. He's also really fucking funny.

The things he does to some of these beats is absolutely nuts. I was convinced that the Re-Up Gang had put down the best verse on Shawty Lo's "Dey Know," but then I heard Asher Roth--he may not beat the Clipse & Co., but his verse is unforgettable. Where Pusha starts, "Pusha ton, but you can call me zip lock," Asher begins: "Riddle me this yo, I spit... Like a little kid." Yeah, he's not the hardest rapper ever, but then you never really doubt for a second that he could massacre most MCs in the game. It's not only "Dey Know" that Asher destroys. In an unbelievable act, he manages to resurrect "Cannon," a track that's been beat up by pretty much every MC out there. He makes it sound fresh.

Asher has a highly active libido that combines with his childish sense of humor to great effect: it's like an elementary aged Spank Rock, a little kid with a nasty mouth. Everything about his music feels a bit twisted, which is good. The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1 may not be the best mixtape so far this year, but it's something different--uncharted territory in hip-hop (forget all the Eminem comparisons, Asher sounds nothing like Marshall and their themes are entirely different). If Asher Roth really wants to succeed, he's going to need to find his voice more fully and count on a lot of help from SRC. With those two pieces, kid could see major success--he's already been approved by everyone from Jay-Z to 3 Stacks, and he just did a mix with DJ Drama. It's his game to lose.

If you haven't yet, head over to The Daily Kush and download The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1.

In the late-80s and early-90s, hip-hop began it's slow transition from boasting an exclusively urban fanbase to something much more suburban. By the end of the millennium, rap music was playing in the bedrooms of white kids who had never seen a corner or held a gun. Though some in this new audience adopted the musical lifestyle they adored, a large majority of these fans remained highly dissimilar from the stars of their favorite genre. From the outside it's perplexing: the top consumer of music ostensibly recorded for and about black urban men is actually caucasians from the 'burbs.

There are sundry explanations for this phenomenon. The kids are simply rebelling; they enjoy the fantasy of it; rap is simply another story, etc. The truth is none of these. In fact, these listeners are bumping rap music because though many of them cannot identify with the theme, they can still relate. It's all in the metaphor.

It's impossible to say for certain, but some listeners enjoy the aesthetics of the music so much, they can get beyond the fact that their lives barely resemble the stories rap music depicts. How many of these kids know misogynist rhymes word-for-word but treat the women surrounding them with tremendous deference? What does it mean when someone listens to 50 Cent but is pro-gun control? Certainly there are complex feelings that go with any attachment--enjoyment of a certain type of music doesn't preclude any behavior or mandate specific lifestyle conditions--and yet, it seems that those who can't identify with the lyrics can make them work with symbolism and metaphor.

Viewed in this way, "They just talkin' bout it, I'm on the streets with it," changes from a rhyme about putting in work on the corner to putting in work on pretty much anything, drug-related or not. Suddenly, a lot of juxtapositions between listener and musician start to make sense--pretty much anyone listening to the Clipse starts to make sense. Sorry, even a lot of urban blacks can't relate to cocaine sales.

This isn't an insult. It's not intended to suggest that there is a monolithic, ideal rap listener out there. I don't presume to know who every MC is making music for. This is just how the audience looks to me sometimes. After people are drawn in by the beauty of the music, many of them have to deal with the fact that the words don't resemble their personal experience whatsoever--and yet something is speaking to them. These fans are relating, but it just looks a little weird.

Life has been hectic as fuck lately, between partying in the No-Coast and arranging my return West, I've had little time for blogging--and that's not to mention the whole Carter III project we are fresh off. But now I'm in Los Angeles with some time on my hands, and that means you get a long overdue roundup.

First, let's just do the Wayne rounds. Pitchfork reviewed The Carter III, giving it an 8.7 out of 10--a fair rating coming from their elite hipster camp. Shake at 2dopeboyz has news that Weezy's off the final cut of "Out Here Grindin" but on a new Boyz N Da Hood track. "Mask On" sports a gutter beat and plenty of great gun samples--wish I could say that the verses were all great, too. Finally, there's an alternate version of "Mr. Carter" floating around, which contains a new Weezy verse. As if the original wasn't good enough.

Asher Roth (who we've posted about before has dropped his Drama co-signed mixtape, The Greenhouse Effect. I've been anticipating this one for a while, basically because I wanted to see if all the hype is real. I can tell you after a quick spin that shit's legit. Burn one. (Also, this could be the best mixtape cover of the year.)

Snoop and Willie Nelson team up for "My Medicine." This is where the mainstream bloggers say, "Snoop you crazy for this one!" and pretend they are still commenting on hip-hop music. Heh, this is straight-up pop-country. I love it. The truth is, you gotta stay different to stay relevant.

After 6 years R. Kelly has been acquitted of all charges. Does this mean we have to stop masturbating to his sex tape? (Just kidding.)

There's a new RZA track out featuring David Banner. "Straight Up The Block" has got some dope production, and the RZA-recta absolutely slays it on the unorthodox tip. I'm hyped for Digi Snax, which has the potential to be the sleeper album of the year--no joke.

A-Trak has a new mix out. Unfortunately it's sponsored by Nike. He's still a great DJ, though.

Royca Da 5'9" went over "I'm Me" to great effect. Royce knows how to rip it, but this shit doesn't even compare to what Wayne did with this beat.

FADER is all over Young Chris' dick. I'm lukewarm about the new video, but "Never Die" does have a classic feel to it.

Probably the biggest news in rap today is that 3 Stacks jumped on a new track. Yes, that's right, the Prince of the south (think Purple Rain rather than castles and moats) teamed up with John Legend for "Green Light". It's aieet.

The track I'm feeling the most this week is GLC's "Ridin By Yourself", mainly because I've been doing a shitload of that lately. Not the most economical way to travel, but then again I can bump jams like this and keep my shit real.

We'll end with a laugh: check out this behind the scenes footage from the "Out Here Grindin" video. God it's great to see Khaled running around on a treadmill in front of a green screen. This guy is such a schmuck, and yet, like Lil Boosie said, "W-E-T-H-E-B-E-S-T!" Say it with me! Anyone? OK. Sorry.

Just got an Immortal Technique update dropped into my inbox. Looks like there's a new tracklisting for The 3rd World, which drops next week. I've been deliberately avoiding leaks for this thing, though I suspect some might be out. Nothing like some new revolutionary rap to fill the tremendous void left since dead prez stopped making records. Judging by the lineup, the disc should be dope, so be sure and cop it one way or another. Peep the jump for the tracklist.

Continue reading Immortal Technique - 3rd World Tracklist.

If there’s two things I want regular readers of this blog to know about me, it’s that I’m female and I’m white. Those aren’t terribly important or interesting facts, but they certainly affect how I read and view hop-hop and they should be known. I’m a white girl from a Midwestern city—the lens through which I see all this stuff is not really unique, given how this music is marketed these days, but it’s crucial.

I think it’s easy for many fans to say that gender and race shouldn’t matter in the context of what music they listen to. That people will listen to what they like and that’s what’s important. And I don’t disagree. But hip-hop comes from such a racialized and gendered history and context that, I think, to not examine these issues and try and place yourself within them as you listen is, well, uncritical.

Now, obviously I don’t tend to use this blog as a mouthpiece for feminist and anti-racist action—though I might, someday, get the balls to do just that—but after spending several weeks praising Lil’ Wayne, I want to take some time and say: yo, this dude has issues as well.

I’m not talking about musicianship. I’m not talking about the fact that everyone likes calling him gay. I want to talk about the fact that sometimes, as a woman, listening to Lil’ Wayne makes me uncomfortable.

As a fan of gangster, hustler, crack, etc, etc rap I have to deal with a certain amount of misogyny every time I listen to music. And most of the time this doesn’t bother me, because, honestly, as a lady? We learn to deal with these things. And I can remove myself from that and enjoy the song for what it is.

But that removal is never possible all of the time. And so while I can enjoy a song 99% of the time, I can also say that sometimes I don’t really need to hear Wayne say “Shut up bitch, gargle.” Sometimes my built-in sexism blocker just doesn’t work.

So, after all this time talking about songs that I really do like, I want to say this—I wish Wayne wasn’t such a damned misogynist. I wish a guy who I can recognize as incredibly talented choose not to demean women so much.

And this bothers me on two levels—one, as a feminist who wishes, in general, that music wasn’t such a hot-bed of sexism and misogyny and, two, as a white person who cares about racism. Because, well, I am allowed the privilege of that blocker I talked about above. I have the benefit of living in a nice, safe, mostly white neighborhood where chances are people hearing Wayne or Snoop or whoever will not associate it with me. I have the benefit of not being a black woman; the color of women associated with those lyrics. The color of women who will have to fight those conceptions—from white guys, from black guys, from white women—for the rest of their life.

I am posting because I want to say this: as much as I hope you enjoy what we do here, and as good as I think it is, none of us at Whatever's Good are black women and only one of us is a black man. Mostly we don’t have to deal with a lot of the fallout that comes from hip-hop, both what it puts forward and what people choose to read into it. And so, I urge every reader here to not just read us, but take some time and peruse Racialicious (which just had a great podcast discussion on this issue) and What About Our Daughters—particularly the latter. I may not always see eye-to-eye with What About Our Daughters in regards to hip-hop, but I think it’s damned important that I take the time to examine it from the perspective of black women. And I hope you do the same.

The Best of Lil Wayne Part 7 (10 - 1)

"Whatever's Good, Weezy's Better: The C2C3 Countdown" is a list of the top 80 tracks that Lil Wayne released between The Carter II and The Carter III. Each week, we've posted some of Wayne's best tracks to drop over the past few years, and now we're dropping the top 10. This is it, the definition of Lil Wayne--bar for bar the best of the best. If you aren't convinced, look back over the past 5 weeks and take the same journey that we have. In the end you'll recognize the importance of today's release, Lil Wayne's The Carter III. June 10th, just another day in rap history.

Though only one track can hold the top spot on our list, the selection shouldn't necessarily be thought of as Wayne's "best" track per se: each song is just one part of a massive body of work, assembled over two years by the greatest mind in music. Years from now, music historians will look back on Wayne's career and wonder at both Dwayne Carter's impetus and poetic genius. Those of us who have been following this shit clearly understand that we are watching a legend during a legendary time.

Previously:
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 80 - 71
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 70 - 61
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 60 - 51
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 50 - 41
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 40 - 31
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 30 - 21
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 20 - 11

Download Links: If you'd like to hook up all 80 songs, grab them in zipped packs: Part 1 (80 - 71), Part 2 (70 - 61), Part 3 (60 - 51), Part 4 (50 - 41), Part 5 (40 - 31), Part 6 (30 - 21), Part 7 (20 - 11), Part 8 (10 - 1). Grab them all and proceed to bump.

Hope you enjoyed this, everyone. It was a lot more work than it appeared (you just try and review 80 songs by the same artist). The challenge of compiling this list, however, is just another testament to Lil Wayne and his music. Thanks to everyone who participated: zolmes, logic JESS!CA and myself.

10. "Georgia... Bush"
Heard on Dedication 2 | Download

What hasn't been said about this song? I'm not going to beat a dead horse--if you haven't heard this song then you probably shouldn't even be reading this countdown. Wayne's analysis of Katrina and its aftermath is poignant and palpable: from the mouth of the N.O. comes an indictment of government that plays like Jimi Hendrix on the national anthem. Wayne's plainspoken style resonates deeply with the listener. In a hip-hop world that's all about credibility, there's little that surpasses "Georgia... Bush." It feels real because it is.


Beyond his political fervor, there is a wonderful bit at the end where Weezy spits over 2Pac's "Ambitionz as a Rider" to great success. Some would probably argue that this "freestyle" is the best section of the song. Certainly, when considered as part of "Georgie... Bush," Wayne's lyrical exercise only adds to the track.

This song, though a bit stale by now, is important enough to merit a spot in the top 10. -bw

If you haven't heard Georgia…Bush off of Lil Wayne and DJ Drama's Dedication 2, I'm pretty sure you have to check your cultural literacy pass at the door as far as I'm concerned. For those of you looking for the total auteur package this countdown, you can now indisputably cross off both a complicated relationship with home and a sense of socio-political alienation on your rubrics.

Plenty of Weezy tracks are prefaced by the same kind of spontaneous, candid, intimate banter—"Thank God I'm a millionaire!"—characteristic of countless New Orleans blues artists. This track though is introduced with a direct address: "This song right here is dedicated to the president of the United States of America. Y'all might know him as George Bush, but where I come from, the lost city of New Orleans, we call him this…" as the first eight counts of the chorus to Ray Charles' Georgia on My Mind loop endlessly, "that's right, you know who you are." If you thought Luda vs. O'Reilly was beef this is the whole cow and a great deal more was lost than a contract with Pepsi.

If there's one thing that defines Lil Wayne's style it's his talent for flawlessly crafting a singular sense of direct communication into his writing despite hugely varied contexts, his ability to navigate a narrative voice that—like the French notion of a film director's mise en scene—through delivery remains essentially his own despite infinitely diverse territory. In this musically tense, percussive song Wayne drops nasally choruses not unlike the scrappy adolescent whine Wayne began with in his Hot Boys days, but where Wayne excels is, unsurprisingly, in the verses between brazen croaky hooks. -JESS!CA

9. "Famous"
Heard on Lil Weezy Ana 1 | Download

I can still remember sitting in my old apartment with a small group of friends, listening to "Famous" on repeat. It was a nearly religious experience, as Wayne is basically using this song to affirm that he has no stylistic boundaries whatsoever. "Famous" is unlike anything else you've ever heard in rap music. Perhaps Aesop Rock fans might identify with the off-beat flow and idiosyncratic rhyme schemes, but this ain't no Bazooka Tooth, this is Wayne at his finest.


Personally, I can say that "Famous" is the track that did it for me. Before "Famous," I was on the fence. After it, I finally came to stand behind Wayne's claim to being the best rapper alive. No one has come close since. -bw

8. "Gossip"
Heard on Various | Download

This track, said to have been written in 2006, can be found in a relatively mastered version but what you need is the live version from Wayne's performance on BET's 2007 Hip Hop Awards. Having seen the man live twice myself, I'm not sure a live version of any Wayne track wouldn't better convey his enthusiasm and dedication than anything in the studio, but that could just be fangirl bias.


On Gossip, Wayne's lyrical pyrotechnics power an epic beef track firing on all cylinders:

"Don't believe in me. Don't believe me.
I graduated from hungry and made it to greedy.
My flow is like pasta, take it and eat it,
but I'ma need cheese if I'm bakin a ziti!"

His consistent refusal to single out any particular rivals in his tracks demonstrates Wayne's commitment to exorcising his me-versus-the-world chip on his shoulder through artistic expression affirming the superiority of his skill instead of emphasizing his opponents' alleged unworthiness—a cheap and easy technique found in the great majority of beef tracks as well as in…well…everything from political reporting to advertising to grades K through 12.

It's a lot harder to prove a claim than disprove one but Wayne's never been one to take it easy. On Gossip he applies equal parts young gun bravado with earnest confessional inquiry in the sincere and imaginative, engaging, personal fashion that defines Lil Wayne's classic style. In this recording of Wayne performing for, speaking to an audience of his predescessors, contemporaries, buisiness associates, friends, detractors, and competitors Wayne's breathless athleticism and impeccable sense of timing, of rhythm, augment Gossip's driving beat—a metronome's beep and rock solid drums—with it's dramatic strings, piano, and perfectly cut and accelerated sample. If he hasn't made a Carter believer of you by the time he concludes his performance, you may be doomed to a life of disabling skepticism.

"Cut the motherfuckin cameras. Cut the check. Cut your props. I am hip hop! (And I ain't dead I'm alive)."

Stop analyzin' and criticizin' and realize what this guy means to rap right now. And start epitomizing, already. -JESS!CA

7. "Prostitute Flange"
Heard on Carter III Sessions | Download

The smokey crooner version of himself Wayne channels in the music video for Like Father Like Son's You Ain't Know comes to fruition here as Lil Wayne establishes himself as a rapper who inspires discussion without even rapping and, perhaps more signifigantly, as an artist who begins one song with "I got a lotta loot and I ain't lookin for a lady" just as convincingly as he can with "I wouldn't care if you were a prostitute and hit every man that you ever knew." Haters call this hypocrisy but this kind of range and artistic self-awareness shows up in everybody from Tupac to Hendrix, John Lee Hooker to Johnny Cash—who incidentally could deliver himself in one song as a man who "took a shot of cocaine and shot my woman down," and as one who can "walk the line because you're mine" in another. Sound familiar?


As a song about, essentially the kind of love more often in singer-songwriter or blues tracks than in hip hop, Wayne addresses a glaring sexist double standard—as Christina Aguilera once put it in her 2002 track with Lil Kim, Can't Hold Us Down, " The guy gets all the glory the more he can score while the girl can do the same and you call her a whore." Approaching the subject matter with conviction and soul Wayne brings his own depth as a performer and a person into the spotlight without missing the mark.

Musically this has never been one of my favorite Weezy tracks. But I do think it stands out as a formative song in his career both in its content and in its execution. Essential listening for any Weezy devotee, this is the only track in the history of the rapper's experimentation as a singer that matters more than Lollipop. Prostitute remains, in my opinion, Wayne's first and most relevant success as an artist rather than further proof of formal mastery as a rapper. -JESS!CA

6. "The Bad Side" with Juelz Santana
Heard on New Orleans Nightmare Vol. 4 | Download

The highly anticipated I Can't Feel my Face collaboration from Lil wayne and Juelz Santana still hasn't seen the fire hydrant on my corner, no airplay whatsoever, and at this point I've pretty much given up on this one ever coming out. It's rare for Weezy to skip out on a project he talked about, so I'll say there's still a small chance we'll see this album out sometime this year. Either way, we know "The Bad Side" was the first single and there hasn't been a high quality cut of it released yet so just maybe...


Quick history lesson, this song leaked when a video popped up on YouTube of Wayne in his bus bumpin it. He's doin' his Wayne and singing along, mouthing the Juelz verse, and if you listen to most of the versions that are out you can hear the two girls on the bus in the background. My favorite part: when Juelz spits that 'two girls make a dime anytime' line and Wayne gives the camera a little grin and points to the hoes. Haha, keep laughing girl.

I'm not the biggest fan of Santana, but Juelz is at his best on "The Bad Side" even though he stills whips out some of his signature one-liners that leave you wondering, did this guy really just say that? Like "They want beef I give 'em a cow" or "I leave 'em with no neck like fat guys." Oh and I almost forgot "You don't wanna see me act mean, so don't watch me I'm not a flat screen!" Act mean? Chuckle at that one. But you gotta love him. These two together > the father-son combo.

Lets Go!

Hard body, I can't even bend
nor fold I'm cold like the wind
or Northpole I froze all my limbs
too much ice I'm a walkin' bezzle

Damn he's cold. Wayne sets it off with his familiar hard-body intro before getting caught up in his Uzi clip for a few bars, excuse me, he is that Uzi.

Now after that there comes a smell
then after that Welcome to Hell

Murder death kill! Both of these guys spit some Demolition Man shit in "The Bad Side." But I'm particularly leery of trusting Juelz when it comes to making due on the threat of making "'em Chinese food, another cat fried." I'm not sure that's a very widespread practice Juelz, but we get the point--especially when he flips his occupation from cook to, yup, "they actin' like bad pets and yes I am a Veterinarian."

Weezy switches it up after his Uzi preoccupation, moving right along to the subject of substance-abuse, err, umm, you know what I mean:

And I don't mean David when I say it, when it comes to marijuana I'll cop-a -field

And the money shot:

And you don't wanna see my bad side
you would want to be my ally
And I believe that I can fly
not like R Kelly, he a damn lie
Weezy
Write it in the sand, I hope the wind doesn't blow for eternity

I haven't felt a breeze in some time now.-logic

5. "Swizzy - Remix"
Heard on Da Drought 3 | Download

This song is a fucking takeover. Sorry Swizz, but Wayne absolutely exposed you. Then again, isn't that what happens every time goes over someone else's beat? Indeed, "Swizzy - Remix" is just more fun for Wayne at another MC's expense. The beat is hot, and Wayne's take on it might be a clue to Swizzy that he should stick to producing.


Short and sweet, "Swizzy - Remix" is absolutely bursting with a series of jaw-dropping name references unlike anything I've ever heard on wax (Kevin Costner, Buffalo Bill, Emmitt Till, Johnny Gill, Stephen Hill, Seal, Pam Grier and more). The best comes at the end when Wayne uses basketball as a metaphor for his position in the rap game, simultaneously referencing one of the best players in the game, and one of the worst.

I'm ballin' you just Eric Dampier, dawg
I'm dirty I get my Bill Laimbeer on!

There's a point when Wayne pauses briefly to catch his breath, quickly resuming the verse, saying: "Fuck it Swizz, I'm still going!" It seems, though, like Weezy isn't just talking about the track, he's addressing every MC in the game--something like an advance warning. Weezy the best, indeed. - bw

4. "Git Busy" with Fam-Lay
Heard on None Higher | Download

I've always been a huge fan of this song, and though I wanted it in first place, "Git Busy" clocks in fourth--not bad at all.


A deconstruction of this song could take days, but I'll try to keep things manageable. This track plays like an unending aural assault--upon first listen it is nearly impossible to wrap one's mind around what Wayne is doing with the beat. He goes on for 2-plus minutes, no chorus, stringing together tongue-twister after tongue twister while word-associating and lacing the song with metaphors; one can listen to "Git Busy" on repeat for days and never get bored. Like putting together a puzzle, there is always something new revealed: listening to Wayne at his best is like a treasure hunt. On "Git Busy" his depth is astounding, as if there is always another level of complexity to be discovered.

Yeah, I lay back I'm comfortable
Weezy baby boy, lazy boy
I did my service in the Navy
Now I'm just a veteran
They forever pay me
Dig me like a shovel
Mama I'm a rebel
I come from under that rock and turn into a pebble
Baby I'm trouble
So turn up the treble
You say it's clever
I call it whatever

And that is the essence of Weezy. Effortless rhyming that is infinitely listenable and always offers something new. Ultimately, this is just what Wayne does, and we had better get used to it. Fuck analyzing it, just enjoy it. For example, check this little tidbidt:

I'm a man in every sense I got cents
Since I got rich I got tints on every Bent
Since I knew attention, come out them like vents
I vent, and show no relent; money well spent
I'm a hell-raiser, blaze a L right in front of the law
I'm tougher than ya'lls

It's almost a shame to post the lyrics here, because half of the pleasure in Wayne is that discovery, the a-ha! moment that comes with nearly every track. -bw

Who the fuck is Fam-Lay? What the fuck is he doing in the rap game? Because Wayne murks him so bad on this track I gasped out loud the first time I heard it. There's absolutely no comparison, there's no anything. This is Wayne busting the hell out of a beat because he can, because the original is so fucking slow, so fucking wrong for this track that listening to it must have pissed him off. This right here, this is a song. This is clever, this is whatever, and this is what rap should be--everyone giving it all on tracks, because fuck letting Fam-Lay exist. -zolmes

3. "We Takin Over (Remix)"
Heard on Da Drought 3 | Download

This might be Wayne's best verse ever, but it's tough to call. The pundits over at Vibe gave Weezy's original verse on this beat the top spot in their countdown--an absolute tragedy that exposed a dearth of understanding about Wayne. The remix, featured on Da Drought 3 is a jaw-dropping song, a starburst of lyricism that sounds like nothing you've ever heard before.


"We Takin Ova" (the REMIX) is one of Wayne's best--everything about it is astounding, from his opening, immortal words ("Feed Me! Feed Me! Feed Me!) to his lyrical defense of the infamous kiss between he and Birdman to 30-seconds of mind-numbing word association. What has your favorite rapper done lately? -bw

Writing about one of your favorite musicians it's easy to get hyperbolic. I'm sure the words great, amazing, awesome and all their synonyms have been used more times than good music criticism should allow in my parts of the countdown. But part of what's been great about this whole thing is being able to listen to some of my favorite songs again.Because you know how it goes--you get distracted, you get new albums, you move and you forget that this song right here? This is one of the best things you have ever heard.

And like I said, I've probably been saying that about everything I've written about here. But this here? This is a notch above the rest. This is Wayne's...I don't even know a track to compare it to. This is just musicianship at it's finest. There's the part right around 1:45 where Wayne switches from his normal flow to free-association poetry and that's the part where, if your human, your mind has been blown and your bar for what makes a good rap song has been raised forever. -zolmes

2. "I'm Me" aka "1000 Degrees"
Heard on The Carter III Sessions | Download

I don't know which moment I like more in this song--the beginning, with a collection of greatest hits from Wayne or the first time he says "I'm me!" Because there's some things that need to be screamed, to be shouted out loud with thousands at a concert, and that's one of them. And that moment works because it's not as if Wayne is bragging, it's not as if you should feel bad for being "not me", it's more that Wayne just really, really loves who he is. And in that moment he gives you that love as well. Not just for him, but for yourself as well. For a truly selfish line, there's little as that's as affirming as it, little else that makes me feel like I can kick the world's ass. I'm not Wayne, and it's not fair, but when he challenges us with "who you?" he's not telling you to suck--he's telling you find your own way, you're own over-confidence. Wayne's egotistical, but he's not selfish and he wants everyone to feel the love for themselves the way he does. This song isn't just about him, it's about you, and how could you not want to shout that to the heavens? It's impossible not to. -zolmes

1. "Seat Down Low"
Heard on Da Drought 3 | Download

This song is an absolute triumph for hip-hop music, a balls-out, 3-minute roller-coaster ride that finds Lil Wayne with the accelerator pushed completely to the floor. "Seat Down Low" is Weezy without mercy. He's on the battlefield and taking no prisoners. When Wayne starts off saying: "I guess I'll go head on and show these rappers what to do with one of the beats, man," he's not kidding. This is how you fucking rap. Take notes.


Beyond borrowing T.I.'s beat, Wayne takes the Atlanta native's rhyme scheme, and--in the grand tradition of rap remixes--re-engineers it into something far better than the original. Every line is a delight, and though it takes more than a few listens to grasp the entire thing, "Seat Down Low" is as good of a sing-a-long as any rap classic. As with most of the tracks on Da Drougth 3, Wayne has become immortal with these words.

Perhaps the greatest moment in "Seat Down Low" comes toward the end, when Wayne drops the following gem:

Candy arm candy nigga grippin' the grain
See I am the only fire that can live in the rain
I am so, so New Orleans
Like 1825 Tulane

It all comes back to Weezy's refusal to pander: here is the most cryptic of all rap lines, sure to perplex most any listener, and yet Wayne refuses to compromise. 1825 Tulane? Yeah, 1825 Tulane. As Wayne says, "You gotta be from New Orleans to know what the fuck I'm talkin' bout." (Well, not exactly, now that there's a little thing called the Internet). But this is his essence, and as he notes at the end, his greatest strength: "I say what I want." -bw

I'm not really sure why Wayne spends so much of the beginning of this track talking about/to T.I., but like BW's love of DJ Drama's presence on tracks, it's something that helps makes the whole thing for me. Rather than sort of normal studio chatter you get where Hay-Z constantly needs his headphone volume adjusted, Wayne just wants to talk about his friend and made a supremely lame .com joke. And then he goes on to murder the whole thing, his voice almost getting near singing, almost getting to the point where he might stumble over his works, like he's cadence might go on to eat itself. And then he ends it with something that really is a song, a shout-out to his city, an insiders note, just like whatever the thing with T.I. is. Wayne doesn't care if you know what's he on about, because what matters more is that you desperately want to know. -zolmes

The Best of Lil Wayne Part 7 (20 - 11)

"Whatever's Good, Weezy's Better: The C2C3 Countdown" is a list of the top 80 tracks that Lil Wayne released between The Carter II and The Carter III. Each week, we'll post between 10 and 15 tracks--with mp3s and reviews--and on the Monday before C3 drops, we'll drop the top 10.

Previously:
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 80 - 71
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 70 - 61
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 60 - 51
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 50 - 41
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 40 - 31
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 30 - 21

20. "Beat Without Bass"
Heard on The Best Rapper Alive Vol. 3 | Download

Yeah, none of this song matters at all except for the part that disses Jay-Z so hard I yelled "oh snap!" the first time I heard it. Seriously, as strong as this track is, that is some cold, deadly, awesome shit right there. And, well, true. Hats off Wayne. -zolmes


Wayne's verse here is sickening--I can barely believe that he was allowed to spit for so long. This is a verse that ranks up there with "Ether." Weezy is cogent, angry and on some crazy numbers shit. We're loving every second of it, but pressing skip when his spot is done. -bw

19. "Sky is the Limit" aka "Ride 4 My Niggaz"
Heard on Da Drought 3 | Download

Wayne loves you, he really does. He loves himself as well, but he loves you for loving him. This is clear to anyone who's ever been to one of his shows, but it's also clear on tracks like these. Because Wayne understands that rap is no longer confined to a small group of regional fans, but that a large majority of his audience are people like me--white kids from white cities. And so his chorus here isn't just a proclamation of his love for his friends and his city, though that's true, but that it extends beyond that, to everyone who listens.


No, maybe I'm just trying to make everything about me, but I don't think Wayne is limiting the sky to only N.O. citizens. He's riding for his city, sure, but that city is global now, that city has been taken around the world, and all of us who work, who believe possibilities--those are who should know the sky is limit.

But enough about half-baked theories--how epic is this track? I love it. I love that it's a movie soundtrack waiting to happen, the four horseman of the apocalypse upon us, and Wayne takes the time to name-drop the Gremlins. -zolmes

18. "It's Time to Give Me Mine"
Heard on The Drought is Over Pt. 4 | Download

Here again we have a track that was destined for C3 and the love of fans everywhere. Leaks, however, are a bitch.


On "It's Time to Give Me Mine," Wayne is at his finest. Every lyric on this track is brilliant. For three verses he tears the beat apart and affirms his position at the top of the game. The subject of the track makes it clear that Wayne had intended it as a major statement for The Carter 3, and the song probably would have showed up early on the disc. It's a reflection of his hard work in rap music, the dues he's paid and the respect he's owed.

The best part of "It's Time to Give Me Mine" comes at the end. Wayne starts with two flawless verses, but then switches his style for the third, delivering one immaculate minute of music that no one can hope to compare to.

Come and get it, anyone can get it
But since I'm the president I'd be a little more politic
I'm chillin' in the clinic
Cuz that's how many nurses I got workin' on my dizick
Snakes in the grass, rats, lizards
But round here snitches don't exist like wizards
Ho this ain't punch, I'm sippin on some syzzurp
I roll a fat junt and do my fingers like scissors

This verse--which continues--is really a thing of beauty. By the end, Wayne sums up the trajectory of his career in music, bringing the song full circle: "So say whatchu wanna say, I need to throw a cup of water in my face: FIRST PLACE!" This song is a fucking celebration. -bw

17. "I Feel Like Dying"
Heard on The Carter III Sessions | Download

Is this track intentional poignant? Sure we're suppose to love getting high during it, but the chorus hits me every time, this unexpected bitterness surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Maybe it's because I original misheard it as "hold my close/the drugs are done/I feel like dying/I feel like dying", but to me it allows for some complications in what otherwise whole-heartedly supports the consumption of as many drugs as possible.


And I'm not hating on drugs by any means, but that nuance is something that I love about this track. Drugs are great, but they aren't without their risks and heartbreak. As enthusiastic as Wayne is for them, he's aware of that as well.

Without the soap-boxing, the dreamlike state of this song is perfect. Wayne may be far too drugged out at times (including, ahem, recent interviews), but the sense of this track may be the perfect soundtrack to being high, the perfect sense of what it's like, of what, perhaps, Wayne is like. -zolmes

"I Feel Like Dying" was Wayne's first true foray into the realm of drug-music. It's unabashed fascination with death and depression opens the audience up to an entirely new side of Weezy. That's what made it so compelling upon first listen. Imagine your favorite rapper dropping something so revealing as this: the title seems weak, and yet by showing us so much Wayne is at his strongest. He's reflective, unapologetic and speaking for an entire generation of kids confronting similar feelings. -bw

16. "Oh Yeah" f. Juelz Santana
Heard on None Higher | Download

"Half a brick strapped to a baby" is an image that always causes me to smile. It's so ridiculous, so perfect. It's gangster, sure, maybe, but it's a note that maybe this gangster thing, maybe it's not something that has to be so much effort. Maybe it's something that can be fun. -zolmes


Wayne has always been a master of setting shit off, and the story is no different here. From the moment his voice drops it's apparent that shit is going to flow. This is one of the most listenable Wayne songs, but beyond simply being smooth, there are a couple unforgettable lines, such as:

Yes, and I be wit Midwest Chubbie
But I'm from the dirty keep it dirty like I'm playin rugby
Bitch ride me like an old-school Huffy
Lemme see you work your mouth like a fuckin' guppie.

Rugby, Huffy's and guppies. Fuck your favorite rapper. -bw

15. "We Come and See About It"
Heard on The Drought is Over Pt. 4 | Download

This song plays like an anthem for the life of a baller. No matter what your hustle, it's not hard to identify with Wayne's endlessly repeated mantra: "They just talkin' bout it, and I'm on the streets wit it!" This is truly a song for get-shit-done people: because where Weezy comes from, you gotta be about it. The verses are almost entirely exercises in self-aggrandizement, slammed in between a chorus that replays Wayne's history while rehashing his philosophy. The second verse finds Weezy at his best, completely controlling the opening bars:

There's been a murder!
Bitch I make a killing
Insurance papers in the safe
Money in the ceiling
I got a pillowcase full of pistols Come thru a nigga house and aim at the pillows

This was clearly a track intended for The Carter III, but unfortunately or not, it leaked to the net months in advance. Bad for Wayne, but great for the listeners. This gem is buried in the Wayne vaults, forgotten among so many other, more popular treasures, like Da Drought 3, for example. Perhaps the biggest tragedy of Wayne's career is that songs like "We Come and See About It" get next to no critical commentary due to the way they were released: lacking a coherent, definitive mixtape, songs like this tend to float in the hip-hop ether, ultimately to be forgotten and ignored.

If a nigga play wit family for that matter
I'ma smoke so many niggas I'ma catch cancer
And if I step up out this Benzo
You know I'm comin' with a gun like a Nintendo
They soft; them niggaz fallin' when the wind blow
And I'm rollin' up my window

In the collective memory of Wayne fans everywhere, "We Come and See About It" rests in a special place, somewhere between The Carter 2 and The Carter 3--not on the cutting room floor, but in a spot reserved for could-have's and should-have's. It's an accidental step-child of a song, but we still love it. -bw

14. "In The Hood" f. Brisco
Heard on Greatest Rapper Alive Vol. 2 | Download

It's no secret that this beat is fire, but Wayne makes sure to keep it gutter, and with a few opening sentences, spells out exactly what's up: "I gets gratefully honored, every second, minute and hour. I am the man of that... Im back!" I always enjoy these little opening vignettes that aren't rap but rather brash boasting set to music--it really sets the tone, and somehow makes verses (like the following) have an even more extreme impact:

I'm butter on a bread like Parkay
And I am all about me like Do-Ray
I'm in the hood in the hood like dope, yay
Nappy ass hair like Buckwheat, "Oh-tay!"


The joy of listening to Wayne is discovering these lines for oneself, the first time. His words never seem to get old, and each verse seems to get better. The nuance is deep, the pop culture references endless and Wayne's hunger for beats implacable:

Hollygrove, Eagle Street be my damn hood
Where you can get murdered for free like canned goods
I got twelve Barbaros under the Lam' hood
I can bring Kentucky Derby to the damn hood

This is the brilliance of Wayne: he rarely panders to his audience, and like all great artists assumes the intelligence of his listeners--he knows that we're right there with him the whole way. His metaphors and references are often so complex that it would not be strange if someone released an annotated volume of his lyrics. I mean, honestly: Barbaro? It's genius, and it only gets better with each verse:

Man I'm so Hollygrove
Stand strong in the water like a Commodore
Black holes in your white tee, dominoes
Me and Brisco, Cash Money carnivores

In case you don't know, a Commodore is a type of commissioned naval officer--if you didn't know, then you probably thought that verse was trash. Seems to be the common-thread among Wayne haters: lack of a proper education in words. Can't really enjoy what you don't understand, now can you? But hey, educated rappers attract educated fans, even if they are "In The Hood." Wayne's flow is truly out of this world: Weezy, time to phone home.-bw

13. "David Banner"
Heard on Lil Weezy Ana 1 | Download

"David Banner" is a lyrical exercise for Weezy. It's one of those tracks that takes an active listener to disentangle--the complexity of the metaphors and references are mindboggling, but even more impressive is how long Wayne sustains it for. This has always been his forte: like a fuel-efficient vehicle, Wayne just never seems to run out of gas.

Chrome on the monster, leather intestines
With a top model, and the contestants
I'm a rotweiler, yes I'm a rock and roller
It's Weezy Fuckin' Baby, straight up out the stroller
I'm higher than the solar
System oughta twist em
I'm like MacAuly Calkin
I was rich when I was pissin
On myself I'm ballin; you niggaz hate-a-holics
I'm just the recipe, so you can save the garlic

It's really pointless to quote this track, because it goes on and on and on, and only gets better. Wait for the beat to switch, listen, then press rewind. -bw

12. "Pain"
Heard on Carter III Sessions | Download

Let's just all take a moment and pretend that Rick Ross had never done a remix of this song. Because that's all I have on my computer at the moment, and it makes me cringe every time. The first version I heard was just Wayne and it was just aamazing. Not that collaborations never add anything, but that more stripped down version was more driven, more intense, more heart-breaking.


Because this is a hell of a break-up song, and, at least in my estimation it's one of the most passionate ones I can think of. Not that rappers never let down their guards, but the emotions in this song are just so raw as to make one feel voyeuristic for hearing it.

Add that the great sample--a use of a sample rarely seen, where it interacts and builds on the song in a really clear and great way. It adds a bit of playfulness and creativity to an otherwise dense track. -zolmes

11. "Triggaman"
Heard on Lil Weezy Ana 1 | Download

I wish Curren$y was still on Cash Money, because he interacts with Wayne in such a great way. I can't think of a single song they've done together that wasn't a joy to listen to, Triggaman being a great example.

So here we have some great representing of the south, of New Orleans, and of bounce music. And we also have some great slow, a crazy sick beat, and Wayne just going off on everything. Tracks like these made him and while his later work has matured and built on these themes, there's no denying the fun of hearing an earlier track like this, no denying the energy, the musicianship, and the ease in which it all comes across.

And, damn, seriously. That beat. Wayne, for all his ongoing troubles with DJs can really pick a beat to go over. -zolmes

This track is the old and the new together. There's really nothing to say about it: you simply must listen. -bw

Grab all the tracks from this edition of the C2C3 countdown in one zip pack.

Check back in another two days for the end of our countdown--and more importantly--the release of Lil Wayne's The Carter III. It's an exciting time in rap music. The alien, Weezy F. Baby is set for takeover.

The Best of Lil Wayne Part 6 (30 - 21)

"Whatever's Good, Weezy's Better: The C2C3 Countdown" is a list of the top 80 tracks that Lil Wayne released between The Carter II and The Carter III. Each week, we'll post between 10 and 15 tracks--with mp3s and reviews--and on the Monday before C3 drops, we'll drop the top 10.

Previously:
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 80 - 71
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 70 - 61
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 60 - 51
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 50 - 41
C2C3 Countdown, tracks 40 - 31

30. "Live from the 504"
Heard on Da Drought 3 | Download

Apparently, according to a competing source, Wayne spit this as a freestyle in the booth of BET's Rap City. If that's true, then amazing, and if not, well the song still kicks ass. So keep leanin' Young Dro, cuz you can't stand straight with Wayne.


Weezy goes for two minutes, no break, no pause, on "Live from the 504," acknowledges his own crazy flow--"jumpin' like a bungee no rope"--his hunger for money, and shuts down the beef with Gillie da Kid while scaring off any of those small fish in hip-hop that blow:

I'm a shark in the water
Yep I swim with the bigs
so I dont have time to deal with Willie tha Squid
Li-li-lilipad niggaz l-l-look at the monsta
You u u dont wanna crash like La-la-la Bamba

Combine all that with Wayne contorting his voice like every other line, eating up hip-hop, poppin' a skittle and fuckin' "for a hour wit dat," acknowliding drugs kill but when he's "on da drugs he dont have a prolem wit dat" and you have a loaded track that shows off Wayne's skills and brains on pills.-logic

29. "Rider"
Heard on Bad Ass Grasshopper | Download

Easily one of this feminist's favorite Lil Wayne tracks, this song is on nearly every mixtape I have made for my female friends. That said, what's unique about the way Lil Wayne populates the landscape of his music is that he consistently presents characters—narrators or subjects, speakers or audiences—in infinitely varying degrees of roundness. Unlike the satirical awareness Weezy demonstrates in Ask Them Hoes (and consequently the flatly stereotypical narrator and his droves of dimes), in Rider Wayne playes an uncontrollably confessional champion of someone else: like all the best songs about girls, our attention here is divided equally by the singer's equal descriptions of the rare depth of one particular lady and the rare depth of his love is for her because of same.

With more filled out instrumentation than Wayne's more percussive tracks, Rider is constructed of New Orleans synths (high and low pianos, violins,), good ol fashioned snares and chord progressions you can find all over Wayne's stuff circa the Lil Weezyana and Dedication 2 mixtapes. Except for Wayne's half-belted half-rapped bluesy verses and not overly AutoTuned choruses, Rider is musically quite familiar for fans.

Similarly familiar is Wayne's compulsively uninhibited delivery. Perhaps my favorite part of the song is the bridge where Wayne's rhyming becomes increasingly shorter and closer, affectively speeding up his narration:

Shorty say she want a rider
I can be that and much more like a provider
I can provide her
And if you lookin for me I'm prob'ly inside her
You only like her
I'm tryna wife her
See I'm polite to her
And she's my buyer
See we are tighter
Than gripped pliers.
She gets me higher,
Higher than my purp.
Shorty so bright
When you look at her make your eyes hurt
You need a visor

His urge to list this girl's virtues actually intensifies the song, drives it. His building and ultimately climactic restraint in singing her praises, like flawless pop songs thoughout history, paints the picture of an ideally suited pair. Rider is straight up a special song because while it fits all of these tropes it also fits all of these tropes together as one track, wrapping up hip hop's brand of bad bitch feminism, American pop music's definition of romantic love, and the passionately genuine lyrics of lasting songwriting. A perfect example of Dwayne Carter further establishing himself as an artist with a complex understanding not just of rapping or even hip hop at large, but of the nature of music. From the technical and structural aspects of individual songs to the cinematic imagery of lyricism, and on into the way music—as an art form—can create new conversations. -JESS!CA


I'm a little beyond upset right now because Tha Carter III dropped, good news right? Nah, my Ipod-killer won't charge or handle any file transfers right now so I'll have to listen to Tha Carter II, or Dedication 2, or Da Drought 3, or the first Carter III, or maybe some of that Bad Ass Grasshopper vocoder heat while I workout. Yeah, I won't deny it. It's time to hit up the jumpoff.




Okay I'm lookin for a redbone
And when I get her I'm goin tap it like a Fed phone

That pretty much sums up "Rider" right there. Besides Wayne bringing up marriage. I'm not sure where that comes from, but I can't be mad at Gizmo for getting emotional and providing for the ladies.



Let me take one knee
And I said baby will you marry me
Live ever after happily
Just the way it's supposed to be
Just you and me, just you and me

When I listen to the B.A.G. Introduction I have to remind myself of where this shit came from. Wayne came out of nowhere with this concept, mentioning a new group he created focusiong on Rap, Rock and R&B during an interview, and then during the same interview (he had to leanin' like a three-legged lion at the time, right?) he says they'll go ahead and put out a mixtape to show off what they're about. I was already calling bullshit before I put down the headphones, but I'll be damned if Wayne didn't deliver, again.

Praise the lord Thor for this one. -logic

28. "Walk it Out"
Heard on Da Drought 3 | Download

What is it about Kanye's ego that's irritating as hell, while I feel Wayne's might be large, but largely deserved. This here, this is a whole song about how Wayne is awesome. And really, what track of his isn't about that? And yet...Wayne is awesome. He has the talent to back his claims. Because this shit right here? This is probably something he busted out over a lunch break, for fun. Wayne doesn't so much make music as have it pour from his body and that was especially clear on the Drought 3, possibly one of my favorite albums of all time. So yea, Wayne can Walk It Out. He can find that married bitch. And, evem if you hate him, he's what we're talking about. -zolmes

27. "Pop Bottles"
Heard on 5 Star Stunna | Download

This is one of the few songs I associate with the music video, which makes me say this: Lil' Wayne should make a lot more music video. Everyone I can think of, he looks like he's having a hell of a good time--even if everyone else is involved, Lil' Wayne is just enjoying the hell out of life, making music fun, not a chore to work on. This enjoyment is a lot of what has gotten him to the point where people like us are willing to write so much about him--as BW noted the other day, he actually works. And more than that, he enjoys works.


So what is popping bottles? It's certainly a strong motif in Wayne's work, along with shitting/pissing on his competition. Popping bottles is, well, ejaculation. Celebration. Literally popping bottles. it's not a particularly elegant metaphor, but Wayne manages to make it fun. And when he apologizes to you (the You of any female), because he thought you were his other women? Even that's fun, an honest mistake, just another reason to sleep with him. And all this works best paired with the visuals. No one can smirk so coyly as Lil' Wayne, no one can make blowjobs so charismatic. No one else can outdo the other rappers looks bad just by standing next to them. -zolmes

"Pop Bottles" and the accompanying video may rank as one of the best party songs to drop in 2007. The off-beat chorus, delivered by Birdman is one that everybody in the club can sing, while Weezy's irreverent lines come one after the next:

If you can't swallow, shut up bitch, gargle
Straight up out that water with my Marc Jacob goggles


Hilarious imagery in the song combines with an equally ridiculous video to great effect. Picturing Wayne actually playing a fast-paced game of basketball is quite comedic, but when he lets his dreads hang after sinking the winning shot, it's clear that "Pop Bottles" is headed to classic status. -bw

26. "Ask Them Hoes"
Heard on The Drought is Over Pt. 4 | Download

Sometimes Wayne plays the cad like Bob Dylan, giving us a narrative in which he is a character about past romantic entanglements, giving us lyrical portraits of his subjects. This is not one of those times. And with some rappers this turns into trite chauvinistic self-aggrandizement with recycled imagery and rhymes my parents could come up with. For Wayne though objectification becomes a matter of wordplay and satire rather than actual sexism. He's still self-agrandizing, but it's more a matter of Weezy's construction of himself as an overwhelmingly confident narrator within his songs. Playing off the crisp production of Ask Them Hoes' claps, snares and half-speed drum fills, Wayne goes into annunciation mode and peppers his verses with the friction and rhythem of consonants:



I'm crack rock fresh baby I'm that boy

Now put me in the pot and watch I come back hard

Yeah put me on the block and watch I come back rich

She done put me in that pussy she ain't come back since.




And with his talent for infallibly hypnotic hooks this track gets signed sealed and delivered as another hilarious portrayal of a narrator so "married to the money, committed to the cash" that when he looks at the opposite sex all he sees is "pussy, titties and the ass" and when he looks in the mirror he sees a dollar sign. Lil Wayne is a master of the cult of personality and his lyrical commodification of identity parodies so many hip hop archetypes it's impossible not to laugh. Couple this kind of wit with a tightly constructed beat and sparse instrumentation and you've got an indestructibly entertaining rap standard. -name

25. "Bandana on the Right"
Heard on Purple Coedine Part 14 | Download

This is one of Weezy's best ever, the beat is utterly flawless and leaves Wayne in a situation to take absolutely no prisoners. Though he can be freehweeling and comedic at times, "Bandana on the Right" is Wayne with guns blazing for 2 minutes of straight-heat--in other words, it's reppin' time.

They talk a lotta shit but come and meet me boy,
Them niggaz scared, actin' like I'm a ouija board
Like "Lil' Weezy are you with me?"
One to your kidney,
comin' to your block, and neener will be with me

The grimy soundscape really sets everything up just right for Wayne to rip it proper: there's a piano loop, deep bass and a screwed-up chorus. This music could properly be described as a pre-driveby adrenaline rush. It's violent, brash and angry. Wayne gets gutter and it feels great.

Or at least put they ass up in the E.R.
Put that pump to they chest like CPR
We already got ours but we need ya'lls
I'm a beast and I hand with the Beastie Boys

Somehow I don't think he's talking about the Jewish trio from New York City--it's a safe bet that he's referencing a massive goon squad you don't want to see in a dark alley. -bw

24. "You Ain't Know"
Heard on Like Father Like Son | Download

What, you don't know Weezy's game yet? He's out for the paper, and on "You Ain't Know," he clears up any confusion about his intentions with a pair of verses that are straight fire. The airy, piano-backed beat doesn't hurt, either:

Put it on the hood, I'm Hollygrove to death
I'm already good, I'm open on my left
A jungle on my wrist, a circus on my neck
Don't forget the Baby, no don't forget the F


Wayne's flow is sweet here, and the video--while hardly high concept--has a nostalgic feel to it that suits the music perfectly. This is one of those songs I play in the car when on some solo shit--it just sounds like success. -bw

23. "Walk It Off"
Heard on Grand Closing | Download

As a gangster rap fan, I'm often called on by friends to defend my choice in music, and I often find myself at a loss to truly explain why I like something. But tracks like this give me no trouble whatsoever and Lil Wayne is a master of them. Tracks like these are, to me, gangster rap (or any rap) at it's finest--taking a somewhat absurd analogy and working the hell out of it. It's the way that hustling becomes something other than actually selling drugs, the way that is instead stands in for just rocking the hell out of life.


So right here Wayne's taking sports and applying it to everything else. And there's nothing particularly unique about that--hell, he already has a whole song about it--but, as I find myself saying a lot on this countdown, Wayne makes it work. And maybe I can't justify that with anything other than talent. Wayne is just a talented guy and he sells things that others can't. And that's usually the dividing line between genius and mediocrity and Wayne walks that line himself, but here it works completely. Wayne has always been a competitor and here he summarizes the effect of that on his whole life. It's biographical, in a way, but as in a lot of rap songs I like, it's also about you. It's universal.

Plus, how awesome is that David Koresh shout-out? Seriously, who the fuck else would do that?-zolmes

22. "We Takin Ova" (Original)
Heard on Greatest Rapper Alive II | Download

I considered just putting Wayne's entire verse here, because it's just so damn good. This song feels like it's from so long ago, from a time when Khaled wasn't a complete joke, a more humbler time of March of last year. And it's a good track, far less ridiculous than much of what Khaled is throwing out these days. But there's no doubt that Weezy owns this thing, taking just thirty seconds to show how completely he dominates the game. And the video emphasizes this, making Wayne larger than life, larger even than Rick Ross. Me? I just like that he throws some of his psychology degree in there. Just for kicks. Because this shit? This is nothing for him. -zolmes

21. "La La La"
Heard on The Carter III Sessions | Download

The first single off of the original Carter III, last year's Carter III, the feel-good joint of the year. Yet, this song didn't even make it onto the official Leak EP, which is apparently going to be a bonus disc for this year's Carter III, instead it was replaced by a couple of better but later-recorded tracks, "Gossip" and "Talkin about it." That's really unfortunate for those casual Lil Wayne fans out there who will miss out, and for Weezy too; where the cash at?


Wayne takes us back to his roots with "La La La" as he drops rhymes of childhood memories over the piano. He's told us before "And my hood love me, they tell me bring it home, that's why I holla Hollygrove on each and every song," and he doesn't disappoint:

I thank you New Orleans
Thank you Hollygrove
Thats been my hood since a snotty nose
I come through the hood suicidal doors
I used to come through the hood on the handle bars
Gat in my drawers
Money in my pocket
Crack in my jaws

And now I have to give some thanks to Dr. Carter. The man's lyrics stir up so many memories that I can truly listen to him spit it all day. Take this for example:

I used to have the Starter jacket with the logo
And the hat, me myself I had the N.O.

The Starter jacket with the logo! With the logo! Damn Weezy. For those who don't remember, or who are too young, there were two versions of the Starter jacket that kids wore. They were both the same; same colors, same logo on the back, same hood, same v-neck zipper. But the only difference, as far as I could tell, was seen when one kid with a 'cool' coat unzipped the v-neck and revealed a Starter logo while the other kids, with their lame jackets, were just sportin' plain black fabric (colors may vary by team).

Again, I'm disappointed this song doesn't make it onto any CD so download it now and make your own CD. Or, perhaps, we'll release the original Carter III CD at the end of this countdown. Then you can bump multiple Carter part 3's.-logic

I wish there could have been two Carter III's released--the original leaked version and the new leaked version. Because I would have bought the whole original album just for this track. It's sort of gangster, sort of adorable, sort of childish and all amazing. It reminds me of another track I love to bang--"Young Boy" by Clipse--because to me there's usually something wonderful about good rappers talking about their childhood, like finding out a friends favorite books from when they were a kid and suddenly understanding them on a whole different level.

Plus, this track, almost none of it having to do with the normal hood tropes, rep's New Orleans as well as more explicit songs in Wayne's catalog. It endears you to "the Zoo", makes it a place where a kid can grow up, have a skateboard, and be a lovebird. It expresses the great love that Wayne better than other tracks, not just proclaiming it, but showing you as well. It's hood as hell, despite the child's chorus. -zolmes

You can download all the files from this portion of the countdown in a zipped pack.

As some of you probably are aware, The Carter III leaked to the net this week. Whether or not it is a legit rip remains to be seen, but either way we will press on with the countdown which ends early next week, just before C3 hits stores on Tuesday! Expect a debut like you've never seen--Weezy's breathing new life into this thing.

I'm back in the Midwest and it's hot, humid and full of extreme fucking weather. California makes it easy to forget tornados and lightning, for real. Inclement skies aside, I'm busy as all hell and apologize for the lack of updates and decreasing post quality. Stick with me here though, I promise I'll provide.

The artwork and tracklisting for Busta Rhymes forthcoming album, Blessed is floating around and doesn't look too bad. Whether or not Busta will return to form remains to be seen, but it looks like this album is following the industry formula: there's a Cool & Dre track, a Dr. Dre beat, T-Pain collabo and of course some Neptunes production.

Oh, no, it must be Bobby! The first video off RZA's Digi Snax is out, and it ain't bad. "Can't Stop Me Now" is definitely getting me excited for what's next.

I swore that you wouldn't hear about dude again on this blog, but I'm reneging on that promise: Curren$y dropped a track off a forthcoming mix, and as Shake says, the coverart is too good not to mention. I'd also agree that the youngster is definitely following the formula Weezy laid down (a pattern I like to describe as "working.")

Hipster-hop hating continues with Mazzi responding to Mic Terror. Absolutely hilarious shit here. The publicity is great, the thug posturing ludicrous. This may be an indication that the genre (that is, rap) is losing all credibility, but I'm not certain.

Jean Grae is retiring, I guess. Meh, what have you done for me lately? A little known fact about Jean Grae: her best track was a hidden gem known as "The Blend" that appeared on a disc produced by The Herbaliser called "Blow Your Headphones." I highly recommend it if you're unfamiliar with her.

RIP Camu Tao.

Don't look now, but there's a video for W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.

9th Wonder talks about Lil Wayne, Pharrell makes Madonna cry, Bun B sheds some light on posthumous Pimp C releases and talks about teaching Weezy to spit, and Rick Ross talks tiger attack.

The most important news of the week is that Saigon has been released from Atlantic with full ownership of his masters. Maybe we'll actually get to see a fucking album. More than one track has already made its way to the net. Interview here.

Finally, Nas has bowed to corporate pressure and changed his album title. And so it goes, no more "Nigger." At least Al Sharpton approves. This situation deserves one big SMH. Seriously, was this just a publicity stunt? Do artists actually have any power to produce challenging material anymore? I was anticipating this album like nothing before, but now it seems that not only has it been "castrated" as eskay says, but the entire message, the entire symbolic point of the thing, has been completely blown. SMH again.