Lil Wayne: The Greatest Rapper Alive? NO NO NO

What are the qualities of a great hip hop artist?  Is it longevity?  Is it lyrical content?  Is it the number of albums released by an artist?  Is it the number of classic songs released by the artist?  I do not believe any one of the previously mentioned attributes standing alone can define a great hip hop artist.  If we only looked at longevity, one could make the argument that L.L. Cool J is the greatest rapper alive.  If we examined lyrics only, the greatest rapper alive could be Common or Black Thought of the Roots.  I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion and that each person’s opinion should be respected.  At the same time, however, I do believe any statement made should be open to critique and subject to good hearted debate.  With that being said, I grow frustrated with people who believe Lil Wayne is the greatest rapper alive.  I will discuss why I feel this way throughout the remainder of this article based of the previously mentioned criterion.

In the area of longevity, I must give Lil Wayne his respect.  He has been a staple in the hip hop community since the mid 1990’s and he has continued to remain relevant.  He began his career with the Hot Boys and at that time, he was not the stand out artist he is today.  His later music is a reflection of the hard work he has put in on his craft, or is a testament to him having a great ghostwriter.  Either way, his popularity seems to continue to grow and I don’t foresee him being irrelevant anytime soon.  He has been able to withstand questionable moments like the infamous kiss with Baby or most recently, he was able to wear the tightest pants known to man on the recent MTV Video Music Awards and people still like him and respect his music. 

In my opinion, Lil Wayne embodies many characteristics of a great mixtape emcee.  He usually has great production and he has witty punch lines.  In fact, I would go so far as saying that some of his mixtapes are better than his studio albums.  I must admit that I appreciate his mixtapes and the trend he has when he picks the beats from songs released by other artists and makes a better freestyle than the person who released the actual song.  I think his “Sorry for The Wait” mixtape is better than Tha Carter IV.  His ability to produce quality music on a mixtape should not be confused with the ability to have great lyrical content.  Lil Wayne has good rhyme schemes and has good production, but to me, he rarely, if ever says anything profound or thought provoking.  He has never excelled at the art of storytelling and I think that is a skill a great emcee must possess.  I do not consider him to be a great lyricist.

Lil Wayne has released a total of six solo albums.  His first album, The Block Is Hot, was released in 1999 and sold over a million copies.  He released Lights Out, 500 Degreez, Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, Tha Carter III and Tha Carter IV.  Of the six albums he released, I’m not sure he has a bonafide classic album.  Some may consider Tha Carter to be a classic album but I’m not certain this is a view held by the masses. His latest project, Tha Carter 4, features him doing a lot of singing and rhyming about weird subjects.  I definitely believe Tha Carter III is a  much better album and that Wayne has taken a step back, which is never a good sign for a recording artist.  I tried to listen to the album with an open mind, but ultimately, I skipped many tracks because the music is subpar.  Obviously, he has some good tracks on the album, but this album is a far cry from being considered a “classic.”  To be considered a great emcee, an artist must produce classic albums over the course of a career.  Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, and Tupac all produced multiple classic albums.  In order to tread in the same waters as these great emcees, Wayne has a lot of work to do and I am not convinced that he is capable of doing so.  

The other day I had a conversation with a friend and he posed this question: “can you name one classic Lil Wayne song”?  I thought about it for a minute and said, “no, I cannot think of a classic song.”  What “great” emcee can you name that you cannot immediately name a classic song they recorded.  Off the top of my head, I can name many classic Jay-Z songs such as, “Politics as Usual,” “Allure,” “Takeover,” “Streets is Watchin” and many more.  Nas has “New York State of Mind,” “Nas is Like,” “If I Ruled the World,” “One Mic,” “Rewind” and many more.  Biggie has “Big Poppa,” “10 Crack Commandments,” “Juicy,” “Warning” and the list goes on and on.  Tupac has “Pour out a Little Liquor,” “Dear Mama,” “Only God Can Judge Me,” “Pain”and many more.  In my mind, the fact that I could not think of one “classic” song recorded by Lil Wayne speaks volumes about his place in the hip hop hierarchy.

I believe Lil Wayne is a very talented emcee, but I do not believe he is the best artist now nor do I believe he is an all time great emcee.  He is one of the best rappers of the current day, but what does that really mean?  This is an era of music where the likes of Soulja Boy, Gucci Mane, and Waka Flakka are considered, by some, as credible emcees.  What are your thoughts?   

Peace