Lil Wayne-Carter III; A Milli in a Week. 15 Years of impact for our culture.

Lil Wayne, 2008

If you were a teenager in 2008, you would of loved to live that moment. Lil Wayne was flooding the underground and mainstream scene with his eccentric features, captivating punchlines, and witty humor along the songs.

Lil Wayne running the music scene from 2006–2008

During the summer of 2007, many of Lil Wayne’s songs were leaked and used as mixtapes. According to Wayne himself, he wanted to release the songs to his fans so they can do whatever they want to them songs. Weezy has always been charismatic when it comes to his precense on the microphone. If Lil Wayne is a Dragon Ball Z character, he be future Trunks becuase of well he kept up with the time. He has done it for almost 4 decades so like N.O.R.E said,” Lil Wayne is the Michael Jackson of rap. Started as a kid and now a grown man”.

Hardwork does pay off especially if you have been in the game for too long. Lil Wayne never gave up and created a discography we can all go back to. On June 10, 2008, Lil Wayne got a milli in a week. Meaning, he has managed to sell a million records in one week. Carter 3 dropped that day and the world went into a frenzy. After a history long of mixtapes flooding pirated websites, Lil Wayne captured the fans ears to make them believe he is best rapper alive.

Best Rapper Alive, 2008

As I go by track by track, There is a gem in every one of these songs. Timeless music goes a long way and Lil Wayne does a great job at keeping his name relevant. Times are changing and the gangster rappers were starting to fade out. Lil Wayne micromanaged the rap game and kept his name solid throughout each decade.

1. 3 Peat- Mixtape Weezy? I believe so. Wayne has a great vision when it comes to his song structure. Lines like “Abra cadabra, I am up like Viagra” made the fans believe he goes hard in every beat he gets on.
2. Mr. Carter Feat. Jay-Z- Lil Wayne put Jay-Z on the song just to smack him around on the song. Don’t get it wrong, I am more Hov than Wayne anyday but I call it how I see it. “ I got summer hating on me because I am hotter than the sun” explains how Lil Wayne’s run was for the past 2 years. Jay-Z does be spitting on here but on Mr. Carter; Wayne shows the goat who best rapper alive is.
3. A Milli- Wayne’s staple song. You probably were walking and probably seen cars drive by with that song banging the speakers. Lil Wayne creating a milli captured the culture and was driven quite well with how much DJ’s across the country were spinning this record. This is the original instrumental for the challenges that is happening in this era (E.G. Who run it challenge, so gone challenge, etc).
4. Got Money Feat T-Pain- T-Pain on the hook was a trend and Wayne sounds great on auto -tune. This song is about wealth and also a song to party to. Wayne clever lines like “I am the bomb like tic tic” shows how funny and witty he remained throughout his career. Got money is an 08 flashback where again like A Milli; you know you see a bunch of people riding witht his song playing.
5. Get too Comfortable Feat Babyface- A hilarious love song about woman that come in and out of Wayne’s life. This song is nothing but status messages like “ when you leave, leave correct”. Lil Wayne’s humor comes off easy throughout this song.
6. Dr. Carter- Weezy plays a doctor who is saving these rappers. Offering advice, help, and guidance to those rappers in the song. He gracefully does explain what is going on with the rap game but also giving an instructional manuel on how to be the best rapper alive.
7. Phone Home- Lil Wayne is a martian who terrorizes the instrumental. Coming on the track and acting as an alien delivering his signature bars.
8. Tie My Hands Feat. Robin Thicke- A rare song about the inequality going on in Louisiana which involved Hurricane Katrina; A subject that Weezy takes deeply. A disaster that destroyed everything and Wayne touched up on those topics very well.
9. Mrs. Officer Feat. Bobby Valentino and Kidd Kidd- A funny song about Woman cuffing. This is an actual story telling song if you listen to Lil Wayne’s verse where he talks about a woman dressed as a cop pulling over Lil Wayne.
10. Let The Beat Build- This is where Weezy raps his ass off. While the beat is building , he manages to destroy this beat with his mind blowing raps.
11. Shoot Me Down Feat. D Smith- Nothing but quotes. Along with this soothing guitar and bars, Weezy delivers his best. Truth lines like “ My Picture should be in the dictionary next to the definition of definition” makes you think and consider that Wayne is the best rapper alive.
12. Lollipop Feat. Static Major- Personally, this is one of the biggest guilty pleasure songs that my ears listened to.
13. La La Feat. Briscoe & Busta Rhymes- Nothing but a bunch of rappers coming on the track and making a hit. Lines like “ I be with my dog like Shaggy” shows how great Weezy is with the word play. I actually enjoy Briscoe’s time in Young Money.
14. Playing With Fire Feat. Betty Wright- Wayne’s best perfomance ever on record. The way he spazz’s like “Mama named Cita. I love you Cita” explains his emotions as he explains his mom created a monster. You got two choices, Play with pussy or play pussy?
15. You Ain’t Got Nothin Feat. Fabolous & Juelz Santana- These rappers put on a great show. Fabolous with his mob hit rhymes along with Santana’s playboy raps to the unpredictable Weezy F reminding us we ain’t got nothing on them.
16. Dont Get it Mistunderstood- Clear message with heavy lines. Lines like “Yeah I am bright but I don’t give a fuck if you see me” is a strong way for saying that he doesn’t care if you think you can see him or not. Meaning, he can’t be touched , harmed, or destroyed in the rap game because of how strong he is. Everybody is a competitor so if you see his shine or not, he does not care.

Overall

Lil Wayne has changed the game from 2006–2008

Carter III is a cult classic that puts Hip Hop on watch. Rappers had to switch styles and mainly those who were listening to Carter III ended up switching up styles. Auto Tune, T-Pain on every hook, along with heavy punchline bars were in every rappers DNA back then. Even the ones who were super talented but never discovered were influenced by Weezy himself.

Lil Wayne did a great job working on this album because of the craft, production, changes, along with how he managed to solidify himself, best rapper alive. With plenty of promotions, streams of mixtapes, and free music; Lil Wayne more than ever carried the way for those to be different but creative. For those that understand his work ethic, putting out music every month isn’t easy but it is a great marketing tool to get those to listen to you. Lil Wayne did it the best when it comes to his flagship as Best Rapper Alive; It is 2023 and there is no one in this decade who can curate what Lil Wayne has done with Hip Hop.

Live From The Stove Top,

Andrew Kenekham AKA Druski Dru