Sasha "Sashaveli" Roman
Lil Wayne has been the center of controversy over the past few weeks due to his on stage Miami Heat rant, and insensitive Emmett Till bar; which has according to The Huffington Post pissed off the likes of Stevie Wonder and Uncle Luke. This left me stunned and wondering: is using the shock factor approach rather than lyrical content? Besides his smash “Love Me” on constant rotation on every radio station, I have to wonder; is Lil Wayne running out of things to say and what will he do next?
Coming into the rap game as a teenager under the wing of his daddy Birdman, Lil Wayne seemed to be a creative genius, dubbing phrases like “drop it like it’s hot” and “bling bling.” Fast-forward to 2004, Weezy starts the beginning of his Drought series, with some of his best freestyles like “Upgrade You” and “Put Some Keys On That.” Relying not only on a flow, but lyrical content as well. Creating a crazy buzz, for what would become a Grammy nominated album Carter III, He seemed somewhat unstoppable. Then he became a part of the “Incarcerated Rapper” club. Somewhere between jail and money, the Young Money head honcho lost his spark.
Since Sorry 4 The Wait, Weezy’s lyrics have been questionable to say the least. His status in the industry, banging beats, and great flow seem to mask the lack luster lyrics. Lately his lyrical content glorifies his obsession with pleasing women orally and drugs. Let’s not forget most importantly his offensive one-liners, like “No Frank Ocean/I’m Straight” and “Beat that p*ssy up/like Emmett Till.” Lyrics like that resonate in our minds because of shock factor, not creativeness. Could it be now that the hunger is gone so is the content, or maybe coming into the game so young has limited what experiences he even has to share with us. I just want to let Mr. Carter know as the release date for I Am Not A Human Being II approaches, I hope the lyrical content approaches as well; especially from an artist that describes himself as “The Best Rapper Alive.”
