Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III
The Best Rapper Alive?
Let's put aside a few things for a second. Lil Wayne is known to be annoyingly arrogant in interviews, high most of the time, and is somewhat in denial about his addiction to the substance in his ever present cup. But let's forget all of that. Lil Wayne is at this top of his game right now (he would dismiss that statement by saying he is at the top of THE game). Of all of the Cash Money artists, who would have thought Wayne would be the one to blow up, especially at the speed in which it all happened? In recent months he has appeared on a dizzying amount of singles, remixes, mixtapes, and magazine covers, prepping for the release of June's "The Carter III", his third major album release. The Best Rapper Alive? Well...
Wayne is violently intense on the first track, "3 Peat". His passion is audible as he rants in the beginning, "I'll run up in a nigga house and shoot his grandmother up/I don't give a muthafuck/get yo baby kidnapped and yo baby motha fucked". Perhaps not something to be passionate about, but he is. This by the way is the FIRST track on the album, which is something of a warning that there is no room for the light-hearted. His second single, "A Milli" is a testament to his metaphorical talent (a milli as in a million dollars, or as in "I'm ill"). The production, provided by Shondrae "Mr. Bangladesh" Crawford is simple yet genious with little more than an 808 and a drum beat with the "A Milli" looped in the backround. Wayne shows versatility throughout the track, flowing from fast to slow to somewhere in the middle. Wayne makes the claim that many great rappers have made; "I don't write shit cause I ain't got time", sounds like a monster with, "Tell them coppers ha-ha-ha-ha/you can't catch em you can't stop em", raises questions with "Ok you're a goon/but what's a goon to a goblin?" (was that a shot at Plies?), and is even slightly comical with, "You like a bitch wit no ass/you ain't got shit." Good, but not awe inspiring. He responds to Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" with "Comfortable" featuring, of all people Babyface. THAT is awe inspiring. He's clever; "To the left to the left/if you wanna leave be my guest you can step... i'll put you out on your bday" and again pulls out the metaphors like they are in is backpocket "I got game like EA/but I wanna let you play", but here again, there is nothing history making about the lyrics. It's just good. Yet he claims to be the savior on "Dr. Carter". The track mimicks a hospital scene, nurse and all; "Good morning Dr. Carter/Hey sweetie." Wayne is the doctor on site to "save" rappers who don't have confidence, respect for the game, or swagger. He "loses" the first two patients, then saves the third. The track, produced by Swizz Beats is actually very Jay-Z-esque with it's soft horns and jazzy sound-- to the point where it seems Jay is actually going to break out of nowhere with a verse. This makes it easy to see that though Wayne calls himself the best, he clearly looks up to someone other than himself. He makes a weird statement though when he says "...kids do watch/gotta watch what we say..." He obviously does not heed his own advice (remember that part about the grandmother in 3 Peat? Pretty sure the kids were listening). Kayne West provides some ear orgasmic production with "Let The Beat Build". The beat starts out with just voices and a piano, and then "builds" throughout, adding a part with almost each stanza leadding to a full sound and bassline. Metaphor check- Wayne loves them; "I pay my dues/you keep the difference" and the clever and laughable at the same time; "I told the tool box/bitch it's hammertime", as if the tool box had forgotten. His crossover hit "Lollipop" is one of the most creatively produced tracks so far this year thanks to Jim Jonsin for Rebel Rock Productions, but lyrically there's not much going on other than the fact that Wayne is trying something new with a half rapping/half singing flow.
What makes the "Best Rapper Alive?" Passion, creativity, thoughtfulness, versatility; and honestly, Wayne has all of that. The album is good, really. The production is topnotch; this album would be great even if it was just an instrumental, especially the track "La La" produced by David Banner. But does all of this make him the best rapper alive? Not by far. This album does not have a "Best Rapper Alive" feel-- it's just a really exciting, or at least fast paced, album. Is he really doing or saying anything new? Nope. Jay-Z was all over the rock and roll thing before Wayne even picked up a guitar. Great metaphors does not make one the greatest rapper alive-- it just makes a great writer or a creative thinker. Wayne says he does not think though. Nevermind. However, what about Jay-Z, what about Phonte from the group Little Brother, what about Eminem?-- these kats and many others are just as skilled and thought provoking as Wayne. Wayne himself has even been quoted as saying that Kayne West and Jay-Z are better (of course Wayne may retract those statements depending on the depth or, well the height of his high because he has also said that if Pac and Big were to come back, he would still be the greatest.) He can't really make up his mind it seems. Plus, Wayne raps at his audience, distancing himself from everyone with word play that is more self-centered and condecending than it is "Best Rapper Alive" worthy. His arrogance and disregard for fans (check the track on the bonus CD "I'm Me" where he boasts "I'm me, who are you?") can make him uninviting. He's rich and he knows it and constantly tells listeners that they could never be him, will never have the money he has, ect.; at times listening to him brag can be infuriating. Does "The Greatest Rapper Alive" have to be so damn arrogant?" If compared, Jay-Z flows in a manner that is engaging; listening to J is like listening to an old friend on the front porch. Sure, Jay brags, but he is not as dismissive, at least not on wax. Wayne also rants in some instances to the point of being incoherent (check "Let The Beat Build"). His "talk" with Al Sharpton, including statements that are not totally untrue, is random, and does not reveal anything people have not already began to say. Wayne's "Greatest Rapper Alive" talk is just a nice marketing scheme. He says he's the greatest. Let's get the album and see if he really has the game on lock. T.I. did it with the "King Of The South" claim, even LL Cool J graced himself with the G.O.A.T. title. Marketing isn't about truth, it's about selling albums, especially now in an industry where an artist is lucky to even go gold. Wanye could make the claim to be "The Hardest Working Rapper Alive" because he evidently is a hustler when it comes to hard work but even that claim could be disputed with the multi-million dollar deal Jay-Z just signed with Live Nation.
The "Best Rapper Alive" dispute will always be heated and filled with many contenders, and if nothing else, Wayne will go down as being in the debate, mostly because he put himself there. Don't buy "The Carter III" looking for the title to be fulfilled by Wayne though. There is a disconnect with Wayne and well, himself. He claims to be the greatest, but all of those claims raises the question of who he is trying to convince. Sometimes being the best means letting it be known without having to say it "a milli-ion" times. It gets old after the first few tracks. Wayne should probably consider the fact that he is important not because of his lyrical prowess (or what some may consider to be a lack there of) but more so because of the excitement he has generated around what Hip-Hop is. He sold over a million units his first week out, and for Hip-Hop, that is important. Maybe he's the most important rapper alive. At least for this quarter. The album will not disappoint by any means, and Wayne is talented without a doubt, but the search for the greatest has in no way ended...
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
-Nfared