“the best rapper alive?”

By Matt Fiore

Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne. It is near impossible to listen to the radio or watch TV for more than half an hour without hearing him in a song or seeing him in a commercial. Many young adults, both male and female, view him as the most talented artist out and can’t wait for his new album or commercial to be released. Sure he’s very popular, but I question if his popularity is justified.

I am not ashamed in saying that I am a suburban white kid whose favorite genre of music is rap. Although I cannot relate to Biggie’s crack sales or Krs-One’s time spent homeless, I have always greatly respected their ability to tell their story in coherent rhymes that flow from one line to the next over an attractive beat. Some of my favorite artists growing up in the 90’s were Naughty by Nature, Biggie, Slick Rick, DMX, Nas and Jay-Z. As I have matured, I have become a huge fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, Krs-One, Rakim, Jadakiss and Gang Starr. Lil Wayne did not make the cut for either list. I have learned to rate rappers based on their lyrics, flow, beat and gimmick, which I listed from most to least valuable. These criteria must all be closely tied together, in my mind at least, to declare them a great artist. I define a rapper’s flow as his ability to make his lyrics and beat sound in sync with each other as it guides you through the song from beginning to end. An artist’s gimmick is their unique features that separate them from one another. For example, Wu-Tang Clan’s gimmick is that they are samurai ninjas and Slick Rick is the ruler (of what I don’t know).

That brings us to an analysis of Lil Wayne. I was very impressed and became an instant fan of his after listening to one of his mixtapes in the winter of 2007. He had a very unique sound and recorded over a wide variety of songs, such as Sam Cooke’s 1964 “A change is gonna come.” I listened to the mixtape for about 2-3 weeks and then never played it again. Soon after, I bought “Tha Carter II” and was also initially impressed. However, I again listened to the CD for less than a month and would now care less if I ever heard any of the songs again. From that point on, I tried to figure out what it was about him that made me lose interest in his material so quickly. Why was it that I can listen to “Ready to Die” by Notorious B.I.G or “Enter the Wu Tang” by the Wu-Tang Clan over and over again, but Lil Wayne gets old in no time at all?

It wasn’t long before I realized that his mixtapes and albums were pretty much the same, which was why his songs were so short lived. The songs were different, but they were engineered the same way. Produce a very attractive beat and then ramble over them with rhymes about one topic in one line and then something completely different the next. It may sound good, but it leaves you wondering, “What can I take from this?”

Over the past couple years, I have asked his biggest fans: What is your favorite Lil Wayne song? I have asked about 10 people this question and have yet to receive a response. Well, how could it be that their beloved favorite rapper hasn’t made a song that even sticks out in their mind? I’ll tell you why. He is no more than a solid mixtape rapper. His unique voice sounds good over an already recorded song and this combination sounds good on a 20 second ringtone. So perhaps, he is no more than a solid mixtape-ringtone rapper. People’s short attention spans are drawn to his catchy beats and can’t get enough of his simple rhymes that go from one idea to another in a matter of a couple lines.

In closing, I ask Lil Wayne supporters the following questions: Are his lyrics carefully pieced together to tell his story or are they just a collection of rhymes from different mixtapes to underplay the catchy beat? Is his gimmick unique or is flaunting money, jewelry and women no different than any other below average rapper, such as Soulja Boy or 50 Cent? And finally, can you honestly match up any one of Lil Wayne’s songs to any of the artists I stated as some of my favorites? The answers to these questions are pretty obvious, which is why I am convinced that Lil Wayne is incredibly overrated. He has exploited hip-hop and has undone the foundation laid by the great rappers before him. He has become a product of careful marketing to attract the most fans possible for his superficial qualities, instead of for his unique abilities and ideas. Finally, I leave you with these lines from Lil Wayne songs….

“told her to back it up like erp erp and make that ass jump like jerp jerp

and thats when she licked like a lollipop” -from “Lollipop”

“And, then I leave blood in a boot, I leave a blood bath,

Sorry there’s a tub in the boot, now where the drugs at?” – from “Gossip”

“Cuz I don’t write shit cuz I ain’t got time

Cuz my seconds, minutes, hours go to the all mighty dollar

And the all mighty power of dat chit cha cha chopper” -from “A Milli”