Slang Editorial :: Never Underestimate The Value Of A Holla'

Friday, November 27, 2009
His Name Is...

A few things Wayne for you all.

First: above is the trailer for the upcoming Lil' Wayne documentary, the exact details of which (including release date) I'm not very familiar, but which I was able view in its entirety last weekend.

I'm not sure that anyone right now is arguing the need for such a film, but I was surprised how compelling it was and how much I wasn't ready for it to be over when it ended. The number one thing about the man, above and beyond, is that he's no dope who lucked into fame by brashness and circumstance--Wayne is, without doubt, a truly creative spirit with the kind of ever-burbling brain from which ideas constantly spring out. I'm a person who generally dislikes docu-bios and biopics as concepts, for the sake of my frustration at the idea of summarizing hours, days or years into 90-120 minutes, and as such I'm inherently dismissive of any ideas posited on characters displayed in such ventures.... but all of which is to say that the Wayne of the World here is one who anyone should be able to see and take interest in. I won't give much away, but he certainly comes off not as a rapper but as a wordgenius whose life has collided with the world of rap. And if that ain't interesting to you, then it ain't.

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On possibly a more exciting Wayne front though, the Lil' Master has finally released a mixtape worthy of the cream of his "tween-Carter" 2007-08 tapes Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3: and he calls it No Ceilings and you can get it here.

Many of you have already heard and rejoiced in this tape, and I'll join you there, as it's for sure a "return to form". I do have to offer a little skepticism and say that I don't think i'd call No Ceilings amazing, but it's definitely good, and refreshing to know that he hasn't bought too much yet into the "Prom Queen" crossover shit he put out earlier this year.

But speaking of crossover appeal, one track on No Ceilings that has sort of stuck in my craw in an embarrassing way is the late addition not-titular cut "I Got No Ceilings", a feel-good pop hit that takes the instrumental from--seriously--the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". I knew the moment my ears took in this track that I would probably feel guilty once I found out the source, but it didn't stop me from experiencing an immediate swell of, "Wow!" as I for the first time heard Lil' Wayne delivering on the potentiality of candy pop-rap in a way I'd never quite imagined... which, when combined with his ability to go big in a more or less non-trad rap way with the emo-darkness "Shoot Me Down", makes me believe that it is entirely possible that he's got a quality post-rap record in him providing that he works with the right folks (ie, people with taste and a sense for true hooks).

On some level, this is the same point emphasized by the striking power of his best mixtapes when compared to his released efforts: that Wayne goes from Rapping to Killing Shit when his generally-fantastic words are combined at last with truly A-level (ie, non-Mannie Fresh) beats. It kills me a little that "Lollipop" is the biggest hit Wayne has had yet as it simply emphasizes the dearth of quality pop-worthy beats he's had on his officially released output. Here's to the future though...

LISTEN:

Lil Wayne - "I Got No Ceilings", from No Ceilings mixtape

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Finally, I've been hard at work on putting together a Wayne "best of" compilation for a friend, and in that spirit, below are my five favorite Weezy tracks, in no particular order. There are obviously way more than five great hits, but these I think are the ones that I'll put on if I have time to just put on one song before leaving the house, to tie my shoes, to go into a business meeting, etc. Stand alone and unfuckwithable.

Jeffrey Beaumont's Five Favorite Lil' Wayne Tracks (in no actual order):

1. "I'm Me", from The Leak EP

2. "Off The Docks", from Lil Weezy Ana mixtape

3. "You Ain't Got Nuthin' On Me", from Tha Carter III

4. "My Name Is...", unreleased

5. "Shoot Me Down", from Tha Carter III

Labels: Lil Wayne, loved sounds, mp3, music, random lists, rap

posted by Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything at 11/27/2009 02:05:00 AM 1 comments

1 Comments:

E-BAD said...: OH SHIT; 11/28/2009 11:26:00 PM