As fans of Hip-Hop, we pretty much fall into two categories when it comes to Lil Wayne. There are those who have been keeping faith that the ‘Old Wayne’ from the mid to late 00s will magically reappear and take over the game once again and then there are those who believe that his time passed years ago and retirement is long overdue. Back in December, Wayne left most speechless (sans Pusha T) when he announced that he felt like his creativity was imprisoned by Cash Money Records and that he no longer wanted anything to do with the label or its people. Although even many fans had admitted a dip in the quality of his music over the years, no one expected the reason to be, well, his own family.
Since the tweets that shook up the culture, a new spark and flame have shown in Wayne releases – he sounds like he wants to dominate Rap again. On the second installment of his Sorry 4 The Wait series which we heard in January, Tune showed relentlessness towards doubters and friends turned foes, demanding to be given what he had earned in terms of both money and respect. Months later during a nightclub performance, he also officially cut off ties with Young Thug who, in many ways up until then, was viewed as Lil Wayne’s protégé (or clone, depending on how you look at it).
Although the focus has primarily been on Thugger, Wayne has no shortage of rappers who he’s clearly influenced; Future, Rich Homie Quan, A$AP Rocky and Nicki Minaj all fall into that category and although it seems trivial to some now, let’s not forget that in 2009 Kendrick Lamar dropped a mixtape called C4 where he rapped over beats from Tha Carter III. So for the most part, Wayne still has bragging rights to being a figure in Hip-Hop who can see himself in the company of legends like Eminem and Jay Z. Knowing this, you might have found it interesting when he recently announced that he had “signed a deal with (his) m*therfucking idol, Jay Z”.
The deal ended up being a TIDAL agreement rather than the more intriguing Roc Nation signing that many had been dreaming of as early as a decade ago. Back in 2005, rumors circulated the industry of Wayne signing to Jigga but nothing ever came into fruition, a large part of the reason apparently being Birdman and Jay’s good relationship and ultimately, Wayne’s loyalty. Despite that, a business partnership between moguls like these two is still powerful beyond belief and has us optimistic for the future.
The Free Weezy Album is due July 4th and acts as another apology to fans for the inevitable delay of Tha Carter V. Recent leaks like ‘Glory‘ and ‘Hot Boy‘ should serve as appropriate justification as to why you should pay attention on the big day. The rate at which we’ve been getting new music is nostalgia for the time before C3 where arguably what is Wayne’s best material was leaking left, right and centre. Not to mention the fact that Young Thug and London On Da Track just announced that they’ll be releasing their collaboration mixtape on the same day. If that’s not motivation to play your best hand, I’m not sure what is.
The last time Wayne was put under pressure like this was around five years ago. After dropping Tha Carter III, he began to record a Rock/Hip-Hop/all round confusing project called Rebirth. Whereas the album would have gems scattered throughout it (see the Rap verse on ‘Paradise’), the records which began leaking before its release had people sure that a downfall was imminent. How did Wayne respond to his critics? “No Ceilings, motherf*cker“.
Needless to say, the forthcoming months are an especially significant and stimulating time in Weezy’s long career. For a lot of us he’s run out of ‘last chances’ and the curtains are nearing a grand closing but take a look at the career which spans over two decades and it’s clear that he comes out on top in these testing moments. This time should be no different.
– by Akaash Sharma