Lil Wayne
Free Weezy Album
** out of *****
The be all end all (and one of Weezy's highest points of his career) "Glory" starts the offering and it literally destroys over its running time of five plus minutes, eschewing a chorus for overstuffed verses in front of a huge sweeping back beat provided by Infamous, Onhel and Avenue Beats.
From the beginning of this invigorating track the stage is set regarding the tone of his album/contract ("Woo, This the Shit they didn't want me on") to staples like putting down rivals ("soft as teddy bears/talk to Marky Mark") shit rhymes ("Glory Hallelujah/Holy Shit, I'm the Holy Shit/God's Manure") weed/the boss boasts ("I'm spittin' hail/I'm like Clinton/Well, I did inhale") and numerously crazy Wayne flights of fancy that touch on everything from MLK, The Boston Bruins and Marcia Brady.
The last one is for "White Girl", the cocaine rhymes that Wheezy touches on in each of these songs setting a tone that flows through the album of up tempo cuts mixed with slower lonely tracks. The tempo changes and wild fluctuations are novel attempts at structure, but a madman on the mic like Wayne works best when he has a target and attacks. "Pull Up" is an example and another solid track, starting slow, with a piano movement, before things kick up instantly with a lot of skittering slapping beats as Euro helps out but the run on sentences calling out Young Thug by Weezy are vigor filled.
The issue is on this full length release, even while being free, it just sputters too much especially anytime the tempo slows. Slow songs in themselves can lead to decent results, but it is the production here that does him a disservice. Wayne never needed huge booming beats, and seems to do his best work over Casio and thin pop samples, but here getting artsy and minimalist just doesn't work; the beat all but disappears on some tracks leading Wayne to just wander. The best example is when Weezy does his Drake impression to close on "Pick Up Your Heart" it sounds like a demo or Weezy trying out a style that doesn't fit him like it should.
The double meaning of the albums title in which this Tidal release was free and his wish to be let go from Birdman's Cash Money Records sparked some flame in Wayne, but the hit or miss style of his full length releases continues here, for both better and worse. Whose knows, maybe The Carter V will be out for Christmas.
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Catching up on some releases this week that are from earlier in 2015 of artists we like. Thanks for staying tuned, support Weezy here and peep some video of Wayne debuting "Glory" semi live for BET below:
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