More Reasons Why Being Deaf Sucks/Rocks – Weekend With Weezy, Pt II

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So, last time we met, I’d confessed to finally seeing the light about Lil Wayne—the guy is talented. I’m not ready to put any sort of crown on his head, but he’s certainly worthy of his fans.

I’d also mentioned that, through no act on my part, both of the mixes I had co-workers make for me couldn’t be more different, as one was album-song-centric and the other was focused on mixtape material. Unfortunately, I listened to the mixtape one first.

Again, with no track listing, I managed to figure out that the songs on the album-song mix came from 500 Degreez, both Tha Carters and Like Father, Like Son.

Did I mention that Lil Wayne is on Cash Money Records? Because he does. On every song. Numerous times. This is the Lil Wayne that I knew and loathed. This is the Lil Wayne that I thought of anytime someone said “Lil Wayne’s my favorite rapper.”

To be fair, a lot of what makes this mix cringe-inducing is that he rhymes over a lot of Mannie Fresh beats. It sounds like Cash Money because it is Cash Money. And it sounds dreadful. Wayne doesn’t really switch up his flow, which results in the most monotonous 70 minutes of my life. I’ve heard Guru emote more.

Even when Fresh isn’t manning the boards, things tend to drone on. Maybe it’s my East Coast Bias, but the beats did nothing for me. But then again, they weren’t supposed to.

Y’see, albums are for playing it safe; albums are for catering to your audience, while mixtapes are for showing off. Mixtapes are about freedom for trying new things, and in Lil Wayne’s case, switching up your flow. Hearing Jay-Z on an album is nice, but hearing him flow on a mixtape (having fun) is thrilling. Mixtapes are to show what you’re capable of, and that’s why I appreciate Lil Wayne’s mixtape stuff much more than his album material; it’s catered more to my tastes.

So after listening to this album, I learned that Lil Wayne is also known as Weezy F. Baby, Birdman Jr., and that he’s affiliated with Cash Money Records. Yup, I was completely right about Lil Wayne.

For those of you keeping score, after spending my weekend listening to Lil Wayne, I’ve done a complete 180. And then I did another 180.

I guess basically I gained some respect for Lil Wayne, while having my preconceived notions reinforced. So while I’ll likely never purchase a Lil Wayne album, I won’t look down my nose at someone who says they like him as an emcee. Probably.