i kinda agree with this post but i think it has more to do with your taste in music then lil wayne. i mean i think he is actually really creative and really gifted. i feel he worked hard on his craft an is definantly one of the most talented rappers actually doin shit in the "mainstreme". he is very visual with his rhymes an finds creative ways to say what he says even better then alot of "hardcore underground" "here to save hiphop" rappers. i jus dont like what he has to say and that makes me not buy his albums or get all happy about his new songs.

also, every teenage girl is obsessed with him. its mad annoying. they are like "omg i love him hes so sexy".. not trying to hate but i think he looks like a cockroach.

the only reason people say wayne is the best is because he freestyles ALL of his songs, he doesn't write one thing down, he just simply goes into the studio and just raps...

I don't care what battles lil wayne might have participated in b4 he hit main stream, he is not an underground artist! It takes a vocabulary of more than just (pill-popper), (G), and (i'm the best) to create the lyrical imagery and twisted metaphors of underground artist today! Plus how are you gonna consider him or t-pain underground when they will ride as many dicks as it takes to get on the next "Got Milk Commercial". C'mon, the music that i listen to, such as, cool calm pete, busdriver, aesop, all the def jux guys, makes the listener think and experiment with the metaphorical word play and spark interest to read between the lines.
As a visual artist myself, i believe that music is a form of art and/or expression, not a way for some "gangsta" to get a million off talking about his cars and his bitches ass. I'm absolutely sick of guys like lil'wayne goin around saying that they are the best new artist. because they are not artist at all, just dance music makers for the mindless corporate followers. Peace to the open-minded!

I don't care what battles lil wayne might have participated in b4 he hit main stream, he is not an underground artist! It takes a vocabulary of more than just (pill-popper), (G), and (i'm the best) to create the lyrical imagery and twisted metaphors of underground artist today! Plus how are you gonna consider him or t-pain underground when they will ride as many dicks as it takes to get on the next "Got Milk Commercial". C'mon, the music that i listen to, such as, cool calm pete, busdriver, aesop, all the def jux guys, makes the listener think and experiment with the metaphorical word play and spark interest to read between the lines.
As a visual artist myself, i believe that music is a form of art and/or expression, not a way for some "gangsta" to get a million off talking about his cars and his bitches ass. I'm absolutely sick of guys like lil'wayne goin around saying that they are the best new artist. because they are not artist at all, just dance music makers for the mindless corporate followers. Peace to the open-minded!

I'm commenting on this post a bit late, but there is one thing that I'd like to get off my chest: the attention to haters ratio. I am in agreement with Blockhead in the sense that I recognize Lil' Wayne as a talented artist, but as one that hasn't merited the hype and fawning masses that currently surround him.

Inevitably, our media will pile hype upon particular artists within any genre - it's a necessary function for them, even though a vast swath of the population realizes that it's bullshit. Sometimes these artists will merit the attention lavished upon them; oftentimes they won't. I remember an individual that mentioned DMX as an example for the undeservedly hyped-up MC who received accolades within a short period of time, but who fell rapidly from the public conscience after it was realized (even among the mainstream heads) that he just wasn't that good of a rapper.

Basically, what I'm saying is that Lil Wayne is talented in some respects (as many MCs are). But the level of praise that's been leveled upon him in recent times is ridiculous. For example, a few hip-hop heads (for some reason) talk up Lil Wayne as some sort of a savior - then, a few people take this message in and spread it to others. Or, more annoyingly, Pitchfork gives Lil Wayne a glowing review, and a bunch of hipster fuckfaces go around proclaiming his status as a savior when they are in reality a bunch of privileged assholes who are far too detached from reality to even think about providing commentary on such a gritty art form as hip-hop.

Ok, this is getting too long and verbose. The past three paragraphs, in case you scrolled down and didn't want to listen to my crazy ass is: Lil Wayne does not completely suck, but he is criminally overrated. If this was the mid-90s and Pac and Big were still alive, there would be no place for Lil Waybe. He wouldn't have a fucking sliver of a chance.

I agree 1000% percent if that were possible. Wayne is EMPTY on lyrical substance but FuLL of syrup! Also, If we can only get New York artist to stop making trashy music as well. Make real Hip Hop underground or commercial that people like! This Ron Browz crap is the worst! It sickens me. Busta Stop man! You fucking up your legacy now. Don't do like Micheal Jordan.

Good Hip Hop right here!

http://www.zshare.net/download/53288430ddf073d2/

thank you jesus someone finally brought this up the thing that pisses me off the most is that if lil wayne died tomorrow everybody would be on his dick like he was tupac and since it was brought up i got to say i hate when them stupid ass "hipsters" say they like old school hip hop if ur a little stupid ass white skater loookin kid in some tight ass jeans that ur trying to sag in and a pink t shirt dont tell me u like old school rap and i say white cuz most of them are and it makes the rest of us white people look stupid now i like old school rap but ive been listening to it for most of my life (and i like some of the new stuff too) but you just started listening to the shit last week and they all listen to the same shit its always some late 80's new york rap like public enemy or a tribe called quest or something and the only new stuff they listen to is garbage like n.e.r.d. or gym class heros or some shit like that

little wayne constantly does brilliant stuff, sure its sorta subtle, much like jay-z. and it's wayne who is being ironic most of the time, dipshit, not the uber geniuses listening to him. in fact if you got out your ivory tower to see how BAD hip hop was getting raped right around the time wayne blew up you'd maybe respect how all this is in the context of the era subsequent to the one where all your arguments would apply? and oh yeah i love your "mediocre" stuff wrt talent whatever. you ever heard that one song, on the carter, that is like 7 minutes long or something and he just goes off? he's as innately talented as a rapper as anyone i've ever heard in my life, unfortunate he makes a lot of pop shit. but uhhh yeah. EVERYONE who listens to hip hop was a bit surprised when they guy from the "bling bling" song turned out to be a genius, but you should probably just sorta get used to the fact like everyone else did!

and BTW, anyone who was lame enough to listen to "the clipse" at any point in their lives, please disregard everything *I* just said and let this dim-witted fellow tell you what's what...

Damn.
Couldn't agree more.

Coming from a "hipster,"the reason I listen to Wayne (only his mixtapes and tha carter II) is exactly because he is so shitty and ridiculous. I guess it's part of some wierd ironic process, where it is cool to listen to bad rappers/ rappers who flow about nothing important.
I also listen to concious hip hop like Zion I and Blue Scholars, and appreciate their message much more than wayne's, but I think I am satisfying a freudian desire to listen to the trashiest rap by playing lil wayne, an Eros/Thanatos type of deal.

Lil Wayne is simply music to consume and nothing more.
Im surprised he lived on after cash money but thats main stream music for you picked out by record company's and packaged to sell. Think about who is buying Lil Waynes music? Not hardcore hip hop fans imho.
im kinda a snob when it comes to MC Like Cage Or Rugged man they set the bar high when it comes to rhyming and neither had big marketing teams or big record labels.

he's a rapper. thats all. his job is to make music that a lot of people like enough to buy his album so he and his record label can make money. he does that very well. reading into it any deeper than that is a waste of time. comparing lil wayne to rakim is retarded. if he bites jay-z who gives a shit? jay is the greatest rapper alive, and he took a lot of his style from biggie. and it made him great. nothin wrong with lil wayne doin it as well. im not a wayne fan, and im not a wayne hater. what i do hate is when people try to make themselves look smart by dropping a bunch of random facts that really have nothing to do with a particular subject and stretch their minds as far as they can to tie the 2 things together. half of the people that read this probably have never heard of crash test dummies, and family guy is a hilarious show. if you cant find humor in family guy then it makes sense why you wouldn't like a lil wayne song....i mean come on......why so serious? the fact of the matter is that hip hop is dying...i say dying because i hate to admit that its already dead. but the thing that keeps it alive are the artists that dare to go against whats popular by trying to keep themselves unique from the mainstream. lil wayne has yet to come out with a dance...just like luda, ti, jay, outkast, mos def and a handful of others that are trying to keep hip hop alive. hip hop is hip hop because those innovators like run dmc, rakim, ll, cube, krs one and those cats dared to be different. whats so different now? im not sayin that lil wayne is the savior of hip hop by any means. i'm just saying that it was the rappers that werent like the rest that made hip hop what we fell in love with back in the day. holla

Lil is not a played out adjective in hip hop aliasing yet is it?

you fucking tell them blockhead!
one of my ethnic studies classes is the "evolution of hip hop" and almost everyone in there is on waynes nuts...i myself, not on his nuts, but give him props for doing something different- whether its garbage or not, its different from young-jeezy-cent-diddy(what does he call himself nowadays?)-west MTV crapshit..although give it a few months and well have about 20 more waynes on our hands and thus the lemming cycle continues

Whatup Blocky? You made some great points and lyrically, most of what Wayne spits is garbage (check his new song with T-Pain). From what I understand, most of it is word associated, however. Which makes sense because I'm just about as bad when I'm pulling shit out of thin air after smoking a blunt or drinking some cough syrup. However, there are a few songs that I would say are good, if not legit. For example, check his appearance on Bun B's newer Trilla 2 cd ("Damn I'm Cold" is the title). I also like "The Block is Hot" and that wheezy phone home joint is catchy in the strangest way. It's grown on me. Now, do I appreciate him as an artist like, say, RA or Public Enemy? Not at all. But a couple of songs on my hard drive to throw on playlists when I'm hanging out with people who like him suffice. (which of us doesn't know one person into the Wayne?)

Either way, don't sweat it. We all know you're the goods.

When I listen to the radio I listen to rock. My responsible old man honda accord is equipped with a pioneer avic d3 deck feeding two jbl amplifiers that power six jbl speakers, all of wich i personally installed so cost stayed down under three grand total. 371 def jux songs make my car sound like it's falling apart thanks to my ipod run by touch screen. Lil wayne doesn't touch my car. I'm not a fucking hipster but i have hipster aquaintances and none of them like lil wayne. maybe LA is different. i don't like my mindless rap talking about throwing money at women. i personally have thrown money at women for pussy and even lied to them and i felt like a total douchebag for it. they were some good looking women though, but being from LA i should have known better. I'm white and i also do hear the metal kids say they're favorite rap group is nwa, but they broke boundaries. kids are dumb, i liked vanilla ice and mc hammer when they first broke. i was 13 and old people talked about how music had gone to shit and de la and tribe had no talent. they just recycled old groove and soul joints from the 70's and talked for three minutes. three minutes of tip and fife talked my whole lifetime and i was a little confused as to why sorry ass dr dre made more money than the native tongues. i was 15 when the chronic came out and i didn't understand how an artist who blew me away with 187 on an undercover made such shitty music about gin and juice. and then i started smoking weed and drinking vodka and it suddenly became apparent, but i never considered that skill like with 187. then i heard dr dre tell snoop that he smoked too much crack when they hosted yo mtv raps. then i actually met snoop. briefly, but he seemed pretty cool. nostalgia now, still don't really like him. jeru's first album. mass appeal. 36 chambers. inner city griots. latyrix the song. melodica black. no need for alarm. box car sessions. all balls. no need for alarm ( cause three or four months of my life were spent with a $20 walkman with the door ripped off so i could flip that tape in my pocket). blockhead... you make some dope beats and you need to tell itunes to put uncle tonys out in it's entirety, but man, mainstream is mainstream for a reason. i don't want people i don't respect bumping your shit or rapping el p lyrics cause it cheapens it for me. scenario was my favorite track off low end theory untill the dumb fuck tag banger kid who wouldn't fight me one on one sung "here we go yo". I am a nerd. i've worn the same size dickies since i was thirteen, only now they actually fit me right. I'm 31 years old now and i've listened to hip hop longer than the majority of lil waynes fan base has been alive. i got used to the idea of being out dated a long time ago and still don't give a fuck. not too many people will read this blog if yall post it but if you feel me, lil wayne's popularity is a testament to his mediocrity. after juicy i dont like biggie (so i spell it correctly) and i didn't like jay z. when i first heard jay z i thought my friend was talking about saafir's beat maker for boxcar, so i was sour from the jump. i like his beats and appreciate his efforts now but i never will be a fan. ice cube is still my favorite member of nwa and i should listen to his new album, after all he's still del's cousin. 93 till infinity. they want efx. chip fu. soul clap. next level (nyte time mix). strictly business. good lifer. i moved away from rap on the radio ever since kday went off air in 91. they replaced it with some real estate talk show stuff, fucking wierd. i thought it was a commercial and ended up listening to it for like twenty or thirty minutes until i was like "what the fuck did they do to my station". power 106 took over and played a lot of garbage. nwa was off the radio. ice cube didn't do st ides commercials no more. it's 1am in Shitty San diego and i gotta be to work at 7. i hope maybe you can relate to this rant, you make good music and def jux s hands down my current favorite label, but i am fickle.

I have never listened to any Lil Wayne songs, but I do remember some Del lyrics in the song, "Don't forget the bass" on the Future Development album. He says that "there's a place for everything including Hieroglyphics" Ever since hearing that song I had a new respect for Hip-Hop artists regardless if they were mainstream or underground. Artists reflect Hip-Hop in different ways, and I accept those differences.

Somebody has to say it. I mean I used to watch mtv when I was a kid, and wounder what the hell underground hip-hop consisted of whenever the term was used. I definatley think that the majority of people are just too lazy/dumb to find the good shit that they can really realate to on a personal level.
As music and progress goes I think its rediculouse how people say that hip-hop is dead when all they hear is the shit on the radio you know? I guess that part of hip is bullshit though, therefor it is dead. Man I wounder what my kid will think of rap when he gets older. I mean hopefully it will teach him instead of get in his way.

Somebody has to say it. I mean I used to watch mtv when I was a kid, and wounder what the hell underground hip-hop consisted of whenever the term was used. I definatley think that the majority of people are just too lazy/dumb to find the good shit that they can really realate to on a personal level.
As music and progress goes I think its rediculouse how people say that hip-hop is dead when all they hear is the shit on the radio you know? I guess that part of hip is bullshit though, therefor it is dead. Man I wounder what my kid will think of rap when he gets older.

He is part of the machine...on the real we shouldn't even discuss this dude as we would never get an discourse on El-P on most of hte the mags he is in.....Anyone who really thinks he is dope listen to an accapela then get at your boy.

All art is entertaining but not all entertainment can be considered art. I think Lil Wayne is clearly an entertainer and if you were to try and apply the same standards of critique against him that you would against Nas and Jay Z or Aesop, he would def be lacking.

I don't own a Lil Wayne CD but I wouldn't go as far as to say he isn't legit. This cat has put in years and his early work was heartfelt but I think he is learning to adapt and put out more of what people are responding to instead of what he feels. At the end of the day these guys are about making money instead of putting out meaningful artwork.

I think a lot of these guys out today that are major players are just new versions of Vanilla Ice. They are ore freakshow than artist merit.

blockhead... i would have written this thing first if i could have found the words that embody my feelings for mainstream hip hop. but you pretty much said it exactly how i feel. my lifes work is complete, even though someone else took care of it. anyway, thanks a lot for expressing that. all the real djx fans will attest to how you feel. big ups man.

oh, and about the sample clearance thing... you dont need any samples. you got it

I love black people!

For one reason or another I felt compelled to comment on this subject again. It might be an off-topic topic, but it seems that even though Blockhead posted this specifically in reference to Lil’ Wayne, I can’t help but believe the topic is a small facet of a larger issue with which we are all grappling. And that is the current state of hip hop music and culture as we know it. Where it has been, and where it is going (and, if you like, whether it is dead, lingering in limbo, or full of life).
I don’t know everything about hip hop. I won’t even claim to know a lot about hip hop, and I’m not a hip hop head by any means. But I do enjoy hip hop and always have, along with a wide variety of other music genres. I don’t think anyone can disagree that hip hop manifests itself in many ways, along many avenues. The core foundation of hip hop, it seems, is built on concepts of “hip-ness” meaning “in the now/in the know” “fresh” “different”, etc. and a connection with youth, society, culture, and community. No doubt hip hop has transformed and transitioned into new movements and modes over the past 30 years, bringing about new sounds, new audiences, new schools of thought, what have you. And I think that was a goal. It's in a constant state of metamorphosis, and hip hop culture involves all types of people and ideas from all corners of the globe in this day and age.
So who is to say what real hip hop is, exactly? No one can pin point that, but we all know what we’re personally feeling at the moment, and what we’re not. It can’t be defined by one period in time, past or present. However, I think anyone who enjoys hip hop, whether it’s mainstream or underground, feels a connection to it and feels protective of it in a way, feels like it’s the best or what it’s all about.
Obviously, the leader (by popular vote) of mainstream hip hop right now is Lil’ Wayne , and his sound is THE sound of this particular mode. The majority of people feel the same way apparently. I don’t begrudge anyone who is doing their thing, making their money; and Lil’ Wayne is definitely doing his. I think a good point to mention is the fact that Lil’ Wayne , as someone mentioned before, is a sort of icon in popular culture. He is no doubt a good performer: he sells millions, makes millions, he’s everywhere all the time, and in essence he entertains. And that’s what the “majority” of people want right now: Entertainment. Whether or not he is a great, or dare I say THE GREATEST, emcee or rapper in the world is up for debate alongside each and every person’s own preferences and self-proclaimed knowledge of “good” music.
I refuse to believe that people are brainwashed. Though a scary thought, it’s just not the case. People may be stupid, but they know what they are doing with their disposable (or not-so-disposable) income. They may perhaps be oblivious to the overall picture, and maybe they don’t care, but they know what they want. And right now, in mainstream hip hop, folks just want to be “entertained”. Lil’ Wayne does that. And he obviously does it well. All the while proclaiming his greatness and garnering an expansive fan base that feels the same. Kudos to him, though I find it kind of strange.
I think the frustrating part for me is that I’m looking for something more from hip hop than a shiny entertaining package. A great deal of the time I find that "something else" in underground artists and sometimes I don’t. But many people just want something to nod their head to and shake their ass to in the car, in the club, and wherever else they see fit. So perhaps this new sound, this mode, this time in hip hop (at least in mainstream hip hop) is not exactly my vibe.
I take issue with rap artists perpetuating the same, repetitive, sound, and the same, repetitive lyrics boisterously pointing out the accolades of fame, fortune, and an endless buffet of drugs, pussy and bling. I know these concepts aren't anything new to hip hop. They’ve always been somewhere in there. I’m just baffled, or rather, bewildered that so many people don’t view this as tired, played out, old, and boring. YAWNNN. I guess if that’s what tickles your fancy. Yes, Lil’ Wayne may perhaps toss in a lyric or two that strays from the aforementioned. And yes, it’s danceable, it’s catchy, and doesn’t it have energy?! And perhaps ALL of his music doesn’t sound like it’s being played with a broken repeat button ALL of the time.
...But it does just enough of the time to warrant that kind of broken record imagery and that overwhelming lull that permeates the music of so many commercial artists today.
Clearly it’s not just him. It’s a good majority of the mainstream rap world. And when it all gets played OVER and OVER and OVER on your local radio station everyday, and the videos get played OVER and OVER and OVER to mtv and bet viewers and young people who feel the need to jump on a bandwagon, I don’t know, I don’t really consider that hot, new, or fresh. I just call that making money. Frankly, if I was Lil’ Wayne , I wouldn’t change a damn thing either. Actually, that’s not true, I would. But if it ain’t broke…why the hell fix it, right? When he cranks out a song that doesn’t really differ too terribly much from a previous one and people STILL lose their minds like it’s tears from God, I’m sure he, too, is slightly shocked, but quickly gets over that, rolls in the money, and says “well if you liked that one, here’s yet another!!” This is just my humble opinion. But maybe you do feel like he’s the only one out there really doing it, bringing something to the table. That’s cool. It’s just lost on me. Maybe my ears are broken. Maybe I’m just not hip enough to realize.
Also, because so many dichotomies exist within hip hop dividing and pigeon-holing people into groups (such as underground v. mainstream, us v. them mentality) it’s kind of challenging to pin point from what angle people are coming with their arguments. Some people see hip hop with a more ethical/moral/progressive/ “conscious” point of view, and if the music isn’t talking about something relevant, real, relatable to ordinary folk, then it’s not real hip hop, or it’s hip hop without a purpose, hip hop without direction, without individuality. Some people see hip hop as the bastion of what’s hot and what’s not, like trends in and out, and the newest biggest artist is the definition of hip hop greatness, giving the people what they want to hear, whether it has a message or just an ass pop-able beat. The former view is no more valid or significant than the latter. I just see them as facets of hip hop in its entirety, right now at this very moment. The cool thing about hip hop is that it can be everything all at once.
Like many of you, I just turn off the television or the radio if something comes on that I don’t particularly like. That’s life. However, I can’t go so far as to say I don’t give a shit. My life is definitely not all about hip hop, but I do care about what is going on because, like I said, I want to see/hear certain things from hip hop too and I think hip hop as a culture is very powerful, and can be very powerful. However, nothing will be phased out unless the majority of people want it phased out. And as for Lil’ Wayne, the icon, and Lil’ Wayne’s sound, well right now it’s here to stay because this is where people want mainstream hip hop to reside. I guess it’s just not my party train to ride at the moment…
But I’m glad you brought this up Blockhead. Even though I may not agree with absolutely everything you said, I feel where you’re coming from with this.

***Apologies for the length:)

More artists need to speak their mind on issues like this, everyone happy to say how fucked up hip hop is but few ever name names. Wayne's popularity is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. However as things go in cycles and Wayne pushes himself wider and wider (pause e.g. country awards) their is ultimately going to be a mass backlash.

How dare you steel the thoughts directly out of MY head and post them as your own blog... But man I do feel better now that I got all that off my chest though. Thanks Block!!

Also... I find it laughable how some L.W. fans are responing as if they are going to convince anyone, not to mention the author of the blog, that this sack of no talent is good for one reason or another. HA!

Thanks to Blockhead and Jux for giving us some real shit to listen to in a world where hip hop, in many cases, has become a watered down, over-marketed monster.

"The rhyme sucks...
The delivery sucks...
This fucking move, terrible, very old...
Look at me I'm going to dance for you now, look...
Dance to the rhythm and rhyme of CoFlow..."

Peace...

Hey Everyone,

I have been responsible for the photos going into Blockhead's blogs since we started. Because it was something that sort of happened organically I had not made a point of putting a credit or a note to that effect.

However, as some of you have accurately pointed out, it is probably something that should not be attributed to Blockhead and accredited to the party responsible.

Thank you for your thoughtful commentary, we are always appreciative of your responses.

-The Editor

Someone on here made a good point about LW. It can't be helped how weak he is. The real problem isn't even the record companies in LW's case...seriously, the problem is that the fans are buying into the bullsh*t and hype! What happened to their garbage filters a.k.a. ears? The younger generation, and sadly, even some of us older cats are caught up in this materialistic, repetitive nonsense that LW is highly representative of. As Immortal Technique said, "f*ck the records you sold
'cause if you go platinum, it's got nothing to do with luck
it just means that a million people are stupid as f*ck." Well said, and absolutely truthful. Peace, ya'll.

people need to get a life. who cares who's popular? who cares why they're popular? who cares if they're good enough to be popular? this IS AN ISSUE OF POPULAR MUSIC, despite the disclaimer at the top. Li'l Wayne is really popular, and some think he doesn't deserve it, due to his bad lyrics, bad style, bad flow... etc! no one would write this if Li'l Wayne was just some street battler, but he's got a load of shit to back him up!

whatever the case, who the fuck cares? i definitely don't. if i don't like music, i don't listen to it. if i like it, i do. i don't care at all, what anyone else thinks, if i think something is good. i don't care at all, what anyone else thinks, if i think something is bad. arguments about whether an artist is good or bad are useless, because they're all biased from the start. i'm into music to listen to what is good. what i think is good IS GOOD. yea, i'm biased as well, because: fuck whatever you might say.

...someone calls out Family Guy for the weak ass one note shit that it is. It ain't just hip hop, or music - pop culture is dead.

I agree that the hipster infatuation with it all is racist. Supporting any of these fake gangbangers is completly racist. Its kinda like the old vaudville guys with the paited face acts. Like we get a kick out of them completely humilitaing themselves. And at the same time its keeping the black youth stuck in the ghetto because they now belive the only thing to do in life is guns and diamonds.

I mean tell me 50 cent and Wayne don't look in the mirror and say question if all this money they are making is worth looking and acting like clowns.

Here is where I have issues with some of the comments posted:

1. Why does how much money Lil' Wayne makes off of his "music" some how give him credibility as an artist? Hillary Duff, Linsey Lohan, Aaron Carter ect., ect., all make/have made a shit-ton of money from their "music." Does that automatically make them great artists? No! It is just an indication of the industry, in which those lacking talent or creativity can make a bunch of money from people to stupid to know better or those who have yet to be exposed/understand what real music, with real depth, is.

2. "Dont take advice from a rapper that claims hes the best rapper alive, no one likes a bragger." What the fuck does that have to do with anything? That is nonsense and would neither add nor take away from one's ability as an artist, only their character. Idiot.

3. How is Blockhead jealous of Lil' Wayne in any way? It is the type of comment you hear from a mom when her kid is being picked on at school. Sorry, the cool kids are not jealous of your child because he has no personality (and he is so obviously trying to be a version of himself that he thinks people would like rather than what he himself likes), they are just pointing out the obvious, they are fat, they smell, and if their mom would stop being so over protective and stop giving the kid shitty advice, he would grow his own personality and maybe have some friends.

4. The comment titled, "LIl Waynes Work Ethic Vs. Def Juxs," in which the individual argues that Jux, doesn't come out with the same volume of content (only every 2-3 years does something come out according to the poster of the comment) as Lil' Wayne and it thus, makes people less enthused about the music. This is a ridiculous argument for so many reasons. First, volume of content does not equal quality of content. Furthermore, it waters down an artist. You are perceived by your audience and if you put out 100 songs with 50 of them being shitty, but hey, you put out 100, you are still going to be perceived as shitty 50% of the time. However, if you only put out the 50 good ones, obviously, you will have way more respect as an artist (in the same way you shouldn't say 100% of what comes to your head). Two, Lil' Wayne has at his disposal a crap load of producers pawing to work with him and all he has to do is spit a couple shitty bars and pay day (not the mention the crazy amount of features he does). Now I am not going to say I know exactly what happens in Jux land, and that the process is the same with each artist, but I am sure there is a mutual process in which a producer or an artist comes up with a concept and they hack away at it from there. If you can't tell simply by listening, Jux beats (from the artists I listen too) are way more complex and time consuming to make than the average Weezy beat and you have to consider that (from my experience/knowledge) there are only 1, maybe 2 producers on an album. Also, it is bullshit to say you only hear something from an artist every 2-3 years, if you are on the Jux mailing list, you are constantly connected to new music and I know in the case of Aesop, I hear a new song from him every couple months. Furthermore, from what I see, Def Jux artist are hard workers (with Aesop on tour 90% of the year and all and always pushing himself artistically), but they also know how to have a good time, that is what (I perceive) keeps it from being a full time job and allows it to be something they enjoy being a part of. Also, fuck you, if you could do exactly what you want in life and be successful, while working with your friends, why would you try to fuck that up by only looking at the bottom line rather than artistic quality? The point of Def Jux (again, I perceive) is to show that you can be successful without being corporate and that, rarely if ever, does corporate allow such creative freedom. I am fully jealous of those guys, because at the end of the day, I can guarantee that each and every one of us sad fucks that have bothered to take time out of our day to post a comment, will never have a job so fulfilling nor will we ever be so creative.

In conclusion, most of the factors cited for why Lil' Wayne is so awesome have nothing to do with what qualifies him as an artist, only as an icon. I know that no matter how big of a musical snob you may be, there will always be a song or artist that, despite how shitty they are, you dig. That is fine, we all have one, or several, but to argue that they are great artist because their shit is catchy, is wrong. Take your pride out of this, just because you like someone does not mean they are an all around great/talented artist. Lil' Wayne embodies this principal, as does most of today's popular music. I think it is safe to say that in most cases, true artistic talent transcends genres and even thought you may not 100% like the style, there are other factors you can respect regardless of "your type" of music. For example, you may not like classical music, but you can respect that Beethoven was a fucking musical genius. This flows into lyrics as well, I think lyrics is the base of every artist (the ones that sing and rap and such) and what can separate between fine and phenomenal. Unfortunately, Lil' Wayne misses the mark in almost every aspect that defines a truly great artist (NOT what defines an icon you fucking idiots), the only thing he has going for him in the musical sense is that his shit can be catchy, again, not an indication of talent, and it could also be argued that that is not a pro (in the same way the song that never ends is catchy). It is depressing to me that such ignorant comments are coming from people who are apart of a scene that should make them know better, this is a Def Jux site, not Def Jam.

lil wayne just like most hip hop/rap artists hit an miss, i agree at the rate he flood music it can get annoying but he does make some good music some of the time, and with him releasing so much music that some of the time is killing the work ethic of most emcees who drop a project a year an do a couple features. so i say quit hatin this guy listen or dont

Agreed,his music is super wack,flimsy drunk sounding bullshit.

best rapper in the world?...not when Mykah Nyne is still alive..no chance.

Agreed,his music is super wack,flimsy drunk sounding bullshit.

best rapper in the world?...not when Mykah Nyne is still alive..no chance.

Finally someone has the balls to say it. I was starting to think I lived in a parallel universe where everyone seriously thought this guy was Rakim or KRS. Thank you so goddamn much for calling this guy on his bullshit.

Quick sidenote: While it's kind of chintzy for anyone to be like "if you hate 'em so much, why'd you spend so much time looking for his pictures?" it's not unreasonable for someone to think that the pictures within a blog posted under your name were posted by your hand. Since there's no credit mentioned for an editor or ghost-picture-poster, people are naturally going to assume that you posted it them.

Anyway, I'm not the biggest Lil Wayne fan, but I do enjoy a lot of his output. Whether in spite of or because of his lean-sipping habit, he's pretty charismatic and fun to listen to it.

Best rapper alive? No, but he's pretty entertaining, which I imagine is why people find him appealing.

You don't and that's fine, but it seems that you've glossed over the role of charisma, fun, and energy in rap (and then, titled your post "Sweeping Generalizations" -- that's probably more tongue-in-cheek than anything, but it also gives you an out if you need it).

If you scrutinize a lot of early hiphop (whatever might be definitively considered a classic) with respect to lyrics, it just doesn't hold up that well, if at all. What keeps it revered, though (despite just nostalgia), is the actual performance of the lyrics -- and that's where Weezy comes off. He's a pretty interesting dude even if you note that a lot of his outward uniqueness is Xeroxed.

While you cite Kool Keith more in regards to being actually, authentically weird, it was Keith who was giving props to the rise of No Limit and Cash Money in the mid-to-late 90s for bringing some new energy to the game.

It's funny that you brought up the Clipse. I was just listening to the new mixtape (Road ...) and was thinking that it was pretty dope. One thought that popped in my mind, though, was that the Clipse will probably not reach the point that Wayne has in terms of mainstream success. As fly as they are in flipping metaphors (about flipping birds), there's some invisible wall that will keep them as dark horses that Wayne either broke through or maybe has avoided all together in terms of being a compelling figure. (It's the same invsible wall, by the way, that keeps Black Thought -- who is undeniably dope -- as a critical and underground renown force but relatively unknown outside of those circles.)

You point a lot of ire towards hipsters - rightfully so, that loathsome lot! (Though, it's ironic considering your label and the publisher of your blog. Whether intended or not, the goods in the Def Jux are totally hipsterville.)

Yeah, I can kind of understand how it's kind of weird and almost subtly racist that hipsters have one rapper that they glom on to, almost as if to have an audio equivalent of the "some of my best friends are black" thing going on.

It can't be too far removed from the phenomenon of backpackers who deem the fans of mainstream or popular music / artists as simple-minded or dumb. As much as the South Bronx and New York is credited as the birthplace of hiphop, those same streets are probably not cranking Def Jux as much as they are Wayne, or anyone else that ultra-underground-heads might hate. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong since I don't live there and I only visit once a year for about a week.)

As far as biting, I'm still 50/50 on when it pops up. In principle, it shouldn't, I guess, but ... I remember when Snoop's "Lodi Dodi" came out. On one hand, it was somewhat blasphemous to straight up jack the classic Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh tune, but on the other hand, it was done as homage and it was a good take on the song.

I don't know. If you're gonna hound someone for breaking the time-honored traditions of the hiphop traveling pants or whatever, it would seem more in line with being a strict traditionalist to drop a Lil Wayne dis song than to scribe up a blog post about it.

It probably would've been more enjoyable in all regards, too.

yeah i started listening to hip hop roughly around 85 and i never thought it would get to this level i had a lemonade stand to buy licensed to ill and ive seen alot of shows and i saw the rise and fall of hip hop and the late 90s where fun right with the whole jiggy thing and master p and the hoody hoo stuff that made hip hop look even more intelligent and the only thing that was holding down hip hop was co.flow del and hiro rhymesayers and a few others but then came the hot boys and there whole bling bling crap even further perpatraiting the whole big whille lifestyle that jay z glamorizes in his horrible songs and the birdman makein a damn bird noise like a moron and other shit i saw them as a wanna be no limit records as if thats possible to have wack heros just like you i mean i would just compare wayne to the hip hop elvis m-n-m how you have all these supposed music experts like mtv rolling stone spin and the source and super fans going hes the greatest so it must be true right i mean its like george and his boys goin around sayin they got w.m.ds they got w.m.ds so they gotem right?wrong so what im sayin is that people cant make up there own fucking minds oh and one more thing "don't belive the hype"

You're missing the obvious. He's honest and creative. Different and entertaining. A young veteran. Motivated. Works hard. Fearless. Keeps improving. Wants to get better. All good things.

First. Blockhead, you are pretty awesome. Props. Second. Lil Wayne...sucks. Yep, agreed. It's pretty obvious in American culture that the mainstream listener can be convinced that anything is good if you tell them it is. Look at dieting. Low fat this, low calorie that. It's not good for you, but because "dieticians" tell us it is, they listen. Look at American Idol? Ever seen a rapper get very far on there? No, because that is not the ideal IDOL of America. Same for music. The radio is the Slim Fast for people that want quick results without searching for anything. Lil Wayne is catchy and, as you stated, "weird" enough that people assume it's just enough for them to feel "experimental" with their musical choice. The issue is, it's not weird at all, it's just another gimmic. Personally, I feel that Wayne and Kanye could be lumped together at times, but Kanye at least has some decent beats. And as far as impressing these hoes that want to hear the radio shit, why try hookin up with a girl that has shitty taste? Fuck that. Don't sacrifice your knowledge and taste for a piece. It is true, Wayne will be gone soon enough, and so will Ray-J, Webbie, etc. CLUB RAP will die, just like DISCO.

nice, real progress.

I think you should have made his lyrical content (or lack there of) the main focus of this piece if you really wanted to break him down.

He does this "stream of consciousness rapping" stuff but none of these verses include anything very meaningful or even any complete thoughts. He basically jumps from topic to topic randomly. However, his formula usually still SOUNDS good. A good flow and delivery over good beats IS good music---or at least it's music that SOUNDS good to the average ear. Once you add meaningful lyrics into your criteria for good music (which u usually should), then you can definitely give him 0 out of 10 in that department. The thing is he still has pretty good marks in the other departments, unfortunately, so he ends up being somewhere around 39/50.

Hence, he's definitely not the best rapper in the world, but you said it yourself he's the shit compared to Mims and Rich Boy. So.. when you say you're dumbfounded as to why people like him.. maybe that's an exaggeration?

He's figured out how to remain successful while remaining completely lazy..basically going into the studio and freestyling. That's almost like beating the system... that deserves props in the same that Kevin Federline deserves props (despite being a douchebag) for baggin Britney Spears.

Maybe I'm just not enough of a hater in general..... just my 2 cents.

-JSE

I forgot to say that I respect that you're giving your opinion on an artist that you think is ass. Not enough musicians speak out on shit like this because they don't want to do one little thing that might ruin a connection or whatever. I always want to hear what musicians think about other artists... whether I agree or not(about 75% on this one).

Now we just need Lil Wayne to listen to some Blockhead and get his opinion on the beats, haha.

Is this just a subliminal way of hinting at a Lil Weezy x Blockhead joint?!

im a huge music fan and listin to dickloads of diffrent shit. im an underground fan but i like girls too. when there around i play stuff they can groove too, mostly the shit thats on that radio that im pretty much deff too. lil wayne has some fun songs you can bump when you get hammered and the girls get into have a good time. if ur playing some underground shit and ur dealing with some trendy girls, there not going to be too impressed and your bawlz might turn blue at the end of the night. If your trying to have fun, used ur head and bite the bullet=choose wayne and that other shit on radio. If ur trying to expand ur vocab, go to some sick shows, meet some smart kids then invest in underground. Dont take advice from a rapper that claims hes the best rapper alive, no one likes a bragger. These little kids are getting there minds crosswired through his ego. Blockhead, your beats are retarted, you found ur career. So in colclusion, fuck it, and listen to whatever you want because we all die one day. Night.

http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45486

All i know is I have followed Def Jux froms its launch and also have followed Lil Wayne from his first Solo CD Tha Block is Hot. One thing i can take from this is acutally a few things and that is despite Lil Waynes or Weezy F's questionable lyrical content, his drive and determination seem to overshadow that. Anytime you want to hear new music from Lil Wayne, you can find it. From his own website and through several others across the web you can. He is constantly recorded new music(whether or nor it is good or bad) and I think his fans don't mind that. People want to hear new music and I know if Def Jux took a more die hard approach to recording music(not just studio/album quality material)but anything, from freestyles with other Jux members to their own mixtapes or anything that can be released on a more frequent basis just to keep in touch with the fans. Letting them know that they or more so the artist isnt going anywhere and is still on the grind working hard.Its tuff to be enthusiastic about music when you only get to hear new stuff once every 2 to 3 years. And some will say "well thats not how it work back in the day" well get a grip and realize its a different market today than it was back in 95. ITS A TWO WAY STREET, artist to fan, fan to artist. To back my point even more in an era were going platnium was unheard of, Lil Wayne went triple platnium and the only valid reason i could see for that, was his dedication to making mixtapes and putting out free music in hopes of convicning his audience to buy his CD when he does release one. And P.S I hate that auto tune shit but with progession will come reccession it just how you handle that reccession.