"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