Lil Wayne - "Free Weezy Album"

[StevePulaski]

Free Weezy Album (2015)
By: Lil Wayne

Rating: ★★★

Following monstrous street success in the early to mid 2000's and serious mainstream success in 2008, with his smash single "Lollipop" owning the charts and unconditional hype for his subsequent album Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne's success as an artist has dwindled in recent years. At one time, you couldn't turn on Top 40 radio without hearing one of the rapper's songs, but with recent focus on more universally appealing artists like Lupe Fiasco and Drake, Wayne's radio presence has fallen considerably.

Any publicity is good publicity, so they say, and with Wayne's recent fallout with rapper Birdman and Cash Money Records and the ongoing delay of his album Tha Carter V, Wayne has seen a resurgence in his popularity. His mixtape Sorry 4 The Wait 2, released in December as an apology for the delay of his album, was a reminder to all naysayers and detractors that Wayne was still a talented, charismatic presence that could spit rhymes, metaphors, and cheeky lyrics at so many varying speeds, your head would spin. With the impending lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money Records, in addition to a persistent output of music, and a new co-ownership in the newly launched music service Tidal, run by Jay Z, it's questionable if Wayne will retire like he had planned following the release of Tha Carter V. His newest ventures and rekindled interest in his work makes him a presence difficult to ignore, and not feeding this newfound frenzy would be an offense that would be almost criminal.

If Sorry 4 The Wait 2 was Wayne reminding everyone that he still had the ability to rhyme and spit, then his latest release, Free Weezy Album, released exclusively on the aforementioned website Tidal, is a reminder that he can also write lyrics and create songs that are not only subversive for him but the hip-hop genre. The previously released but oh-so magnetic album opener "Glory" has Wayne zealously spitting rhymes, some of which uproariously funny, and others, deeply personal, with a choral hook that has him repeatedly uttering, "glory unto you, glory hallelujah." "He's Dead," which follows "Glory" on the album, bears the same kind of infectiousness with more meaningful rhymes that bring style and a great deal of lyrical substance.

While Wayne is known for his remixes of Top 40 tracks on most of his mixtapes, I doubt anyone expected such a lively remix of James Brown's "I Feel Good" on Wayne's newest release. The song is a wild romp even by Wayne's standards, capturing him in an effervescent, impossibly happy mood with blaring snares, synthesizers, and jazz influence put in for instrumentation. However, a smoother sound carries over to "My Heart Races On," which has Jake Troth on the chorus, making for the album's best, most memorable chorus thanks to its basic sound but heartfelt lyricism all the more.

Other tracks like "London Roads" echo the same kind of stylistic sentiments of Wayne's massively underrated "Fingers Hurtin'," a cut off of Sorry 4 The Wait 2. On this song, Wayne commits to one of his strengths, which is ebbing and flowing to a beat, rarely stopping to take a breath and seamlessly flowing from line to line, emphasizing each and every bar of the song. "Thinkin' 'Bout You" is another track of similar sentiment, and is one of the first very meaningful trap love songs I have yet to hear (Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen" obviously remaining the prominent, mainstream example). Wayne comments about how he's "sitting outside with his fully-automatic Tec" thinking about a girl he cannot get off his mind. Before long, Wayne tells us of how he "burns weed and burps lean" to pass the time as he relaxes outside and constantly fantasizes about this woman.

Free Weezy Album's biggest problem may be its lack of consistency, with songs like "Glory" and "He's Dead" not meshing well with other songs like the throwaway "I'm That N****" or the crowded "Murda," where the presence of four rappers works against it like a bad DJ Khaled song. The inconsistency comes with Wayne not really making clear what kind of personality he wants to assert on this album; sometimes he wants to be brazen and rowdy, sometimes more low-key and meaningful, and sometimes, he wants to express deeper emotions. However, songs like the aforementioned winners on the album are a terrific reminder of Wayne's impeccable natural talent as a songwriter and rapper.

I have no idea where Wayne will go from here as a rapper and that makes me excited as a fan and follower of his music. With that being said, Free Weezy Album serves as a much needed reminder for fans, and those late to the party, that Cash Money Weezy is dead and we have a new beast on our hands. I may have no idea how Wayne will carry on from here, or if he'll follow through with his retirement following Tha Carter V's release, but I do know that for somebody who works tirelessly to rebrand himself, put out new music, and create a plethora of strong tracks that showcase talent and ambition, it'd be bizarre to stop when on such a dedicated and persistent path.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Thinkin' 'Bout You," "Glory," "I Feel Good," "My Heart Races On," "He's Dead," and "London Roads."