I couldn't quite figure it out for a while. Why was it that I could not get into Lil Wayne? I mean back in his Hot Boy days, I was down with it. (I was also 18) But for some reason, Lil Wayne post his feature on "Back Dat Ass Up" hasn't really done it for me. I will not front, some of his music is catchy and I will even admit to having a song or two (literally 1 or 2) on my ipod. But I can't get into him. Not like how some people are into him. I recently got a hold of J. Cole's debut album and I just can't get enough (ha). He is young and fresh and talented and new. So why am I drawn to him yet I reject just about everything Lil Wayne puts out? That is the question of the moment.
Now I will admit, the visual of Wayne is an immediate turn off. The tattoos, the dreads, and the jeggings all together on a small man who is hard on the eyes...I must look away. Then there is his accent. I recognize being from New York makes me averse to southern accents, its kind of annoying, I don't always understand what on earth he is trying to say. Add in his (up until recent) drug use which caused a lot of slurring and all I can do is tune him out. But none of the above mentioned details represent exactly why I believe I can't get into Wayne. Wayne is a simple rapper, using basic metaphors and similes to make his point. Add in a hot beat and an energetic performance, mix in a "swagger" (some people enjoy what he exudes, I don't happen to be one of them) and poof, you have hits on top of hits. Now I will admit to enjoying another rapper whose claim to fame is the use of witty metaphors, Fabolous. I enjoy Fab's music on a very surface level and I think his BK swagger wins me over. I recognize this sounds like I'm discriminating against Southern rappers, but I counter that by saying I enjoy T.I (when he is free). I also argue that ATL isn't New Orleans (ill leave it at that).
I like smart rappers. Lyrics that push beyond the basic rhyming of words and basic metaphors like "I'm the bomb like tick tick.". Yes that's a cool line, but a 5 year old could comprehend that. I listen to lyrics intently hoping to be challenged. To have to listen to a lyric more than once to get every line is enjoyable to me. I enjoy references to things that prove a rapper has at least read A book, A newspaper, A current event. I appreciate rap music that goes beyond the obvious formula and still manages to make it a hit. I enjoy the usual suspects, Jay, Kanye, Mos Def, Nas, Common, etc. People who sometimes just make you stop and think. I have also been known to enjoy the Wu Tang Clan and the days mathematics usually fly so far above my head I don’t even attempt to reach. I literally listened to "My Dark Twisted Fantasy" for the first time start to finish in utter silence. I needed to be quiet and listen intently to what Mr. West had to say. Its not to say these people are of any higher intelligence than Wayne, its just to say that they deliver a product that makes me think about what they are saying rather than think what the hell is he talking about?
J. Cole is a smart rapper, at least he appears to be on his debut album. I don't know if that has to do with his B.A. from St. John’s University or his choice to think intently about the words he chooses to convey his message. Either way, I like what I'm hearing so far. And I want more.
I've heard Wayne refer to himself as an Alien. I would have to agree Wayne, you are definitely out of my world. And I won't try any more. Ill just put you in the out of space category, someone who just speaks a language I can't understand. Which is quite fine, there are millions of other earthlings who hear him loud and clear. Meanwhile, Ill keep my feet planted firmly on the ground and maybe even go underground. Any where I have to go to hear hip hop that challenges my mind, not just frustrates it.
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