We on a run like Logan
So here is another chapter in my attempt to understand the cosmic anomaly known as Lil Wayne aka Weezy F Baby (I like that name much better).
Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper’s daddy came out and said Weezy was gonna be bigger than not only Hot Hov, but also Frank White, and Tupac. Even you 30 something supporters (you know who you are) must agree they need to pump the brakes now. I am convinced they don’t even believe this sh*t. It’s whatever is in those Styrofoam cups, but it makes us loser bloggers write about him even when we think he is trash. Effective marketing, I must admit.
Here are my latest thoughts on your boy:
-The claim of greatest rapper alive will never stick with me. However, after listening to ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ and ‘Brooklyn 2.0’ I think Weezy does a better job as the 2007 Ja Rule. Off key rapper singing catchy hooks. That ‘Brooklyn 2.0’ joint off of ‘American Gangster’ is hot. Besides the Beasties sample, Weezy on the hook was a great choice. And his verse is tolerable. As a side note, I love how Hov can look past all beef to make a hot song. This, the ‘Get Money’ remix. Is a Dip Set collabo soon come?
-Speaking of that ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ song. Let me get this straight Weezy has been rhyming since he was what? 14? At one point did he become familiar with this crack hustle that is so erroneously lauded? You realize that with Baby as his daddy Wayne is the equivalent of a Hip-Hop trust fund baby. Just like Romeo. He has spent most of his young life far from poverty and certainly far from the corner or duffle bags. It’s fiction folks. Just want to make sure you all remember that.
If any of these dudes are still hustling they are 1) stupid and locked up (Spigg Nice, Steady B) , 2) will be the victim of a Federal probe (Irv Gotti), or 3) desperately trying to beat the charge by claiming they are not that stupid (T.I.)
-he’s still wack, lol
-this is not related but I saw Sway interviewing Cassidy who is going after my fellow old fart, the S Dot. He made a statement that ‘Hov was like 40!’ My question is does that mean you have to stop rhyming at a certain age. Is Hip-Hop like Logan’s Run? (Google it. Wiki it. IMDB it). I am now closer to 40 than not. You, Cassidy and Weez, are closer to 30. Just as it is unwise to think 16 year olds will bang Slick Rick or the JB’s, it equally foolish to think I want to hear about duffle bags and Patron all day. Just as I need to stop forcing you young’uns to tighten up on the classics stop expecting me to recognize these teenagers at the GOAT.
You do you and live out your suburban fantasies of romantic drug dealing and AK 47’s.
I will sit on my ass after the kids are sleep and listen to ’30 is the new 20’, ‘The Moment I feared’, and Common vs. Lily Allen.
And I will see you at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival.
Labels: cassidy, hip hop, jay z, Lil Wayne, old school hip hop
posted by Wes at 10:20 AM
6 Comments:
Wes, I can't believe you're still perplexed by/thinking about the Lil Wayne phenomenon. Seems like his star has only gotten bigger since the last time this debate reared its head on these pages, no?
It's largely irrelevant whether you or I or anyone else think he's hot, talented or not. Momentum and buzz are on his side so this is going to be a largely self-fulfilling propehcy unless he REALLY f-cks up and I don't think that's gonna happem.
Your point about when did he get exposed to the crack trade may be a valid one though and one someone else ironically raised to me this morning although I'm not so sure his life from 1-13 was so idyllic (?) or that he wasn't still connected to the streets via friends and acquaintances. It's whatever though, man: the Playaz Circle album is amazing and so is the Jay album. That's what I'm thinking about hip hop-wise right now.
November 05, 2007 7:07 PM
Wayne is garbage. Nowadays hype/buzz is the sole basis that artists are judged on, which explains why he exists. You can no longer separate the music from the corporate machine. Older MCs are really the only artists that have any kind of musical intergrity left.
November 06, 2007 10:42 AM
Logan's Run is a great example of today's hip hop generation. It's the job of the older and mature hip hop generation to carry on tradition, and maintain our legacy. It is our responsibility to protect "our" sound. Traditional hip hop shouldn't die with the times, or be phased out because it's no longer "relevant."
November 06, 2007 11:01 AM
I am still perplexed because I cannot remember so devoid of talent being so universally lauded
I am not concerned about his buzz or sales. That is, what it is and a seperate issue.
I don't care about what he saw when hew as 11 or 12. the reality is that for most of his life he has lived in the 99th percentile. A fact that most people like you gloss over. Equally perplexing to me
November 06, 2007 2:17 PM
This is new to me...So are you saying that he came from a privileged background at one point?
November 07, 2007 9:32 AM
^ No, Wes is saying since he went from rags to riches when he signed with Cash Money, that he has no right or basis to talk about any experiences with the rags side of life he had from age 0-14.
And universally lauded? You must mean by Little Brother, Kanye and Jay-Z who all had Weezy on their recent albums. Other than that, I haven't seen an artist in recent memory who more evenly divided opinion.
November 09, 2007 7:16 PM
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