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Why i love Lil Wayne
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Feb. 11th, 2009 | 07:37 pm
Besides his musical talent, [i am not embarrassed to say that] i love Lil Wayne because of his character and his success story, which represents to me many years of hard work, determination, and loyalty.
His climb to the top of the rap world began 15 years ago. At age 11, after persistently recording raps on Brian 'Baby' Williams' answering machine, the record label owner eventually signed Wayne to his company, Cash Money Records.
Lil' Wayne's special abilities stood out from a young age. He was enrolled in his elementary school's program for gifted children, and got straight A's until he dropped out of school at 14 years old.
He never knew his father, and his mother was a drug-addict who bought him a gun when he was 13. A year later, he had his first daughter.
Despite this troubled childhood (if you can even call it a childhood) he remained focused on his passion: Rapping.
Brian 'Baby' Williams treated Lil Wayne like his own son. This solid relationship demonstrates to me Lil Wayne's character: his undying loyalty and gratefulness to Baby is one of the main reasons why he is where he is today.
Baby, realizing Lil Wayne's talent and potential, put him straight to work. Starting as an intern with Cash Money, Lil Wayne eventually became a member of the Cash Money act the Hot Boyz when he was 15.
Following his commercial success with the Hot Boyz (in a recent song he raps: "I'm hungry like I didn't eat / I want it like I didn't see a mill before seventeen") he began his solo career.
Picturing a young Lil Wayne, thrilled to be in this musical environment, and the conversations he must have had with Baby, make me appreciate this artist much more.
i can just imagine Baby telling him "if you keep practicing, keep writing, keep rapping, one day i will make you famous, and we will be on top of the rap world".
The fact that he did this, stayed loyal to Baby all through out, and continues to demonstrate his gratefulness to his surrogate father, is a beautiful thing. Amidst rumors arising from a photo that appears to show Lil Wayne and Baby kissing, many believe Lil Wayne and Baby have a homosexual relationship. Whatever type of relationship they have, i think it is a beautiful one, because it has lasted over 15 years, and from it a musical messiah has emerged.
In an interview, Wayne said senior members of Cash Money often kiss each other on the cheeks, like the Mafia does. Here is a quote from a Lil Wayne song, in which he addresses the infamous photo.
"Damn right, I kissed my Daddy
I think they pissed at how rich my Daddy is
And I'm his kid, so I stunt with my Daddy
Cuz who was there when no one wasn't
Just my Daddy
Who was there when I needed money
Just my Daddy
So who'll be there when I see the money
Just my Daddy
Who said that I'd be the one
Just my Daddy"
i'll admit that i jumped on the Lil Wayne bandwagon that started to pick up after his 2005 release, The Carter II. This was Wayne's most highly acclaimed album to date, and the first time i heard it, i knew there was something special about this rapper.
After The Carter II, Wayne's career sky-rocketed. He calls himself the hardest working man in hip-hop. The slew of material that he released after The Carter II and before his most recent album, The Carter III, supports this claim.
Following the lead of other innovative artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, who embraced (rather than battled against) the internet as a means of getting their music heard, he released numerous mixtapes for free download online.
The buzz these mixtapes created led to the monumental success of The Carter III, which remains the top selling album of 2008.
Lil Wayne had 8 Grammy nominations this year, more than any other artist. He won 4 of the 8 nominations.
His insatiable desire to learn, and further his musical experiments is another trait of his i admire. Despite already being a millionaire rap star, in 2005 he completed courses to obtain his GED. He then enrolled at the University of Houston, and took courses online towards a degree in Psychology. He has also recently learned how to play the guitar, and is expected to release a rock album this year, entitled Rebirth.
His climb to the top of the rap world began 15 years ago. At age 11, after persistently recording raps on Brian 'Baby' Williams' answering machine, the record label owner eventually signed Wayne to his company, Cash Money Records.
Lil' Wayne's special abilities stood out from a young age. He was enrolled in his elementary school's program for gifted children, and got straight A's until he dropped out of school at 14 years old.
He never knew his father, and his mother was a drug-addict who bought him a gun when he was 13. A year later, he had his first daughter.
Despite this troubled childhood (if you can even call it a childhood) he remained focused on his passion: Rapping.
Brian 'Baby' Williams treated Lil Wayne like his own son. This solid relationship demonstrates to me Lil Wayne's character: his undying loyalty and gratefulness to Baby is one of the main reasons why he is where he is today.
Baby, realizing Lil Wayne's talent and potential, put him straight to work. Starting as an intern with Cash Money, Lil Wayne eventually became a member of the Cash Money act the Hot Boyz when he was 15.
Following his commercial success with the Hot Boyz (in a recent song he raps: "I'm hungry like I didn't eat / I want it like I didn't see a mill before seventeen") he began his solo career.
Picturing a young Lil Wayne, thrilled to be in this musical environment, and the conversations he must have had with Baby, make me appreciate this artist much more.
i can just imagine Baby telling him "if you keep practicing, keep writing, keep rapping, one day i will make you famous, and we will be on top of the rap world".
The fact that he did this, stayed loyal to Baby all through out, and continues to demonstrate his gratefulness to his surrogate father, is a beautiful thing. Amidst rumors arising from a photo that appears to show Lil Wayne and Baby kissing, many believe Lil Wayne and Baby have a homosexual relationship. Whatever type of relationship they have, i think it is a beautiful one, because it has lasted over 15 years, and from it a musical messiah has emerged.
In an interview, Wayne said senior members of Cash Money often kiss each other on the cheeks, like the Mafia does. Here is a quote from a Lil Wayne song, in which he addresses the infamous photo.
"Damn right, I kissed my Daddy
I think they pissed at how rich my Daddy is
And I'm his kid, so I stunt with my Daddy
Cuz who was there when no one wasn't
Just my Daddy
Who was there when I needed money
Just my Daddy
So who'll be there when I see the money
Just my Daddy
Who said that I'd be the one
Just my Daddy"
i'll admit that i jumped on the Lil Wayne bandwagon that started to pick up after his 2005 release, The Carter II. This was Wayne's most highly acclaimed album to date, and the first time i heard it, i knew there was something special about this rapper.
After The Carter II, Wayne's career sky-rocketed. He calls himself the hardest working man in hip-hop. The slew of material that he released after The Carter II and before his most recent album, The Carter III, supports this claim.
Following the lead of other innovative artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, who embraced (rather than battled against) the internet as a means of getting their music heard, he released numerous mixtapes for free download online.
The buzz these mixtapes created led to the monumental success of The Carter III, which remains the top selling album of 2008.
Lil Wayne had 8 Grammy nominations this year, more than any other artist. He won 4 of the 8 nominations.
His insatiable desire to learn, and further his musical experiments is another trait of his i admire. Despite already being a millionaire rap star, in 2005 he completed courses to obtain his GED. He then enrolled at the University of Houston, and took courses online towards a degree in Psychology. He has also recently learned how to play the guitar, and is expected to release a rock album this year, entitled Rebirth.