The Evolution of Lil Wayne

I am writing this post today in an effort to provide an in-depth look at one of the most significant and controversial rap stars of our generation; I am talking of none other than Lil Wayne. Few rappers in recent memory have polarized audiences as Wayne has in recent years; many see him as one of the greatest of all time, while others see him as a washed-up sellout who embodies everything wrong with hip-hop today. Regardless of how you may feel about him personally, there is no doubt that Lil Wayne remains relevant in the game. From musing on the struggles of street life to playing the guitar and wearing Ugg boots, Wayne's evolution, I feel, is one worth examining.

The Early Years

As many of you know, Weezy got his start as a member of the Hot Boys. It was during this time that Wayne released his first album, Tha Block is Hot. 

20th century album covers were photoshop nightmares. 

Tha Block is Hot saw teenage Wayne spitting on issues such as violence, illegal activity, and family issues. You really can't help but admire Wayne's abilities on this album; here is a high school-aged kid painting vivid pictures of hood life and doing so with a surprising amount of insight and maturity. The track "F*ck the World" in particular remains one of my favorite Wayne songs to this day. If you have not heard this song, stop reading and click here. Right now.  Wayne's next two albums Lights Out and 500 Degreez kept Wayne relevant during this time. Neither was anything special or launched him to superstardom; that will come later.

Style: Before he was Weezy, Wayne's style was relatively minimal. He rocked bandanas, t-shirts, and struggle braids. When he felt like it, he would slap on a gold grill to show fools his talk won't cheap.

Lyrical Sample: Wayne's hunger was all-too-real during this period. His subject matter focused heavily on street business and watching your back when the cops are around. My favorite Wayne tracks from this era would have to be the aforementioned "F*ck tha world" from Tha Block is Hot and "Get off the Corner," from Lights Out.

Lyrics from "Get off the Corner" (Lights Out):

I'm a young dog, wild and ecstatic, violent when passin

Hem gangstas doin time in a parishment, role models 

And keep ya cup, we drink whole bottles, and cuss at niggas 

Like f*ck that nigga, I let my pump subtract niggas

Moving on....

The new Millennium 

Oh boy. Ok as many of you know, Lil Wayne dropped his fourth solo album Tha Carter in 2004 and the rest, as they say, is history. 

 After Tha Carter's release, Wayne's mainstream popularity increased tenfold. This album escalated him from a run-of-the-mill rapper to a respected hip-hop heavyweight. However, if Tha Carter catapulted Wayne into the mainstream, then Tha Carter II, released in 2005, marks the point where he BLEW ALL THE WAY UP. For pretty much the rest of the 2000s, Wayne saturated the airwaves--if not on his own songs, then as a feature on someone else's. This list of all his guest spots from '97 to 2012 speaks to his immense popularity following the release of both Carters. Say what you will, but numbers don't lie. Adding more fuel to Wayne's ever-blazing fire was the release of a slew of mixtapes between 2006 and 2009, most notably the wildly popular Da Drought 3, released in April of 2007.

You cannot call yourself a hip-hop fan and be unfamiliar with this tape. It is simply impossible. This tape represents everything that made Wayne such a brutal force of hip-hop during this period; he rapped over several random beats...and actually made BETTER songs out of them than the original artists. He first introduced this tried-and-true technique in The Dedication, but it was on Da Drought 3 that he PERFECTED it. On an unrelated note, it was also around this time that this damning photograph surfaced of Wayne and Birdman doing what no two grown men should ever do. But hey, at least he owned up to it.

Look at old dude in the back though hahahahaa

Following Da Drought 3 were 2008's Dedication 3 and No Ceilings in 2009. In 2008, he released Tha Carter III, which sold over a million units in its first week--a truly impressive feat for an era in which Gold is the new Platinum.

 STILL funny. 

Style: The new millennium saw Weezy growing out his trademark dreads. Aside from that, the one brand I can distinctly remember identifying with Wayne during this period was BAPE.

...until his enormous popularity gained him a few white friends, at which point his style became a bit more varied.

Pictured: Your modern-day Grammy Awards outfit

Lyrical sample: Seeing as how this period saw Wayne's popularity skyrocket, his subject matter varied widely; however, after the release of Tha Carter II, his subject matter gradually began to gravitate from his life and the street hustle to money, women, and his extravagant lifestyle.

Lyrics from "Aint That a B*tch" (Tha Carter):

I'm a muthaf*ckin man so respect me as one or the meet ya ass son

The tech heat ya ass son put ya f*ckin chest beneath ya ass son

Blooka blook blap bleep ya ass son 

Nigga tryin to see his grandson and we

Got niggas in the pen tryin to see me wit a Grammy

Lyrics from "Break Up" (No Ceilings):

Elevator in my crib cuz it's five floors. 

I'm not expecting you to have one inside yours. 

(F*ck you Wayne.)

I have way too many songs that I rocks with from this era, but if I had to pick a few, they would have to be "Aint that a B*tch" from Tha Carter, "Shooter" and "Feel Me" from Tha Carter II, "Upgrade U" from Da Drought 3, "Let the Beat Build" and "Comfortable" from Tha Carter III, and "No Ceilings" and "Sweet Dreams" from No Ceilings. 

Moving on.....

The Present: Experimentation

*Sigh..* Ok. Starting in 2010, Wayne decided that being a rap superstar wasn't trill enough and so decided to try his hand at rock and roll. His debut rock album Rebirth was released in early 2010 and received quite possibly the most hilarious Amazon reviews ever. 

Despite the initial mixed reception, Rebirth went on to go gold, effectively proving that Wayne's fans will support him even when he decides to sit on a stool and placidly play the guitar like Michael Cera in Juno. Wayne's next two albums I am not a Human Being and Tha Carter IV have achieved gold and platinum status, respectively; however, after Tha Carter III, people began to notice a decline in Wayne's ferocity and lyrical content. It seemed as though he had simply become bored with rap, which may explain why he's taken up such hobbies as skateboarding and fashion designing lately. Speaking of fashion design, Wayne launched his Trukfit clothing line a few years ago and seems to me to be the brand's biggest fan; I haven't seen many other people wear it, but the line is still in existence so someone somewhere must be buying it. 

Pictured: Who's buying it

Trukfit has become so important to Wayne, it influenced the cover art for his Dedication 4 mixtape. SPEAKING of mixtapes, Wayne dropped a tape called Sorry 4 the Wait in 2011. I don't know about you all, but I think it is a sad situation when you're a world-famous rapper and people throw your mixtape on to hear one song. For one verse. That's not even yours. 

WHOOOOOP!!!!!!

Style: A lot of dialogue has been had lately concerning Wayne's taste in fashion. Since the late 90s, Lil Wayne has gone from rocking bandanas, to BAPE, to rock star fedoras, to fluorescent shoes and animal print jeggings.

On a list of things that are NOT gangsta...this has to be top 3. 

Lyrical sample: I have a theory. I think that the immense amount of codeine syrup Wayne has consumed has slowed down his mind; this must be the case, because I know he can do a lot better than he has been doing lately. He has gone from the razor-sharp wordplay and liquid flows of the Drought 3 era to this. Wayne has beaten the "f*ck the world" metaphor to death and his flows lately are comparable to the simplest "AB" rhyme schemes one can think of. Don't believe me? 

Lyrics to "Rich as F*ck" (I Am Not a Human Being II):

Never talk to the cops, I don't speak Pig Latin (A)

I turned the penny to a motherf*ckin Janet Jackson (A)

Tell the b*tches that be hatin I aint got no worries (B)

I just wanna hit and run like I aint got insurance (B)

What's your name? What's your sign? Zodiac killer (C)

All rats gotta die, even Master Splinter (C)

 Now I am not necessarily down on Wayne's new direction; I have quite a few favorite songs from his recent projects. These include "Abortion" and the interludes from Tha Carter IV, the track "I am not a Human Being" from I am not a Human Being, "Gucci Gucci" and "Rolling in the Deep" from Sorry 4 the Wait, and "How to Love," "Prom Queen," and "On Fire" from Rebirth. 

In closing, Lil Wayne's ascension to hip-hop super stardom  has been an interesting one indeed. Regardless of how you may feel about him personally, he remains a relevant figure in rap. Not only has he released several pivotal albums during his career, he has launched the careers of both Drake and Nicki Minaj, both of whom have long and vibrant careers ahead of them. All I'm saying is, if Wayne were to retire today, his body of work would go down as one of the greatest in not only hip-hop, but possibly the entertainment industry in general. 

I aint got no worries.