His trepidation is understandable considering how Drake and Rick Ross easily overshadow him on recent singles "She Will" and "John", respectively. But Wayne never shows on that track, or the star-studded "Outro", as if he'd rather play curator than be the focus of some of the highlights on his own album. On "Interlude", Tech N9ne and an oddly uncredited André 3000 reel off two of the album's best verses, perfectly setting up its star for a clean-up finale.
It's as if Wayne dispatched the pair to provide the dexterity he won't (or can't) come up with himself anymore. But whereas the only permanent aspect of Wayne's cadence used to be its shiftiness, his delivery has slackened, severely deadening his ferociousness in the process. The falloff is made more apparent by a couple of guest shots from two of rap's most exuberant fast talkers, Busta Rhymes and Kansas City cult hero Tech N9ne. Most noticeable is his slowed-down flow, perhaps a capitulation to the booming arenas he now plays to regularly, where intelligibility often trumps quick wit. As such, it's the rapper's most unfulfilling and worrisome move in a long while.Īlmost everything about Wayne is relaxed, regurgitated, or regressing here.
So while there hasn't been much recorded evidence to support Wayne's hip-hop supremacy over the last three years, Tha Carter IV was always going to be the true test. This summer's Sorry 4 the Wait mixtape was passable, but slight compared to previous off-label bounties like Dedication 2, Da Drought 3, or No Ceilings. We accepted last year's duo of disappointments- the aggravated rock turn Rebirth and the unfocused stop-gap collection I Am Not a Human Being- because they were mere anomalies or appetizers. He doesn't claim that world-beating title once on Tha Carter IV. During his Untouchable Era- from the December 2005 release of Tha Carter II through 2008's Tha Carter III, with several classic mixtapes in between- Wayne was The Best Rapper Alive because he said he was, and then rhymed his brain off to prove it. And it's Drake who provides the record's most impassioned verse about his mentor's 2010 prison stint for criminal gun possession: "Rikers Island on this flow, eight months for that pistol/ But at least they had some bad bitches workin' in that shit hole." The man born Dwayne Carter never needed to be propped up like this before. "Cash Money is the company and Weezy the boss," reiterates Wayne's fellow ex-con Shyne.
"It's important that you are more than welcome to Tha Carter IV, and y'all enjoy it," advises André 3000. "Thanks for giving us a whole 'nother classic with Tha Carter IV," huffs Busta Rhymes. A lot of rappers show a lot of love for Lil Wayne on his new album.
0 kommentar(er)
