![]() Thus, it is ultimately here, within Lil Wayne’s Ego, where the shortcomings of Tha Carter III manifest. But he does not, as a result, release a “classic.” Hubris and nostalgia, exclusively, do not erect seminal albums. Finally, his Ego, damaged by sentiments of inferiority, expects aggrandizement and status, so Lil Wayne relentlessly self-references himself as “the greatest rapper alive” and evokes the spectre of classic East Coast rap albums Ready To Die (Notorious B.I.G.) and Illmatic (Nas) with the cover of his latest album. As a result, he christens himself a hero to his people ( “So assassinate me bitch/ Cause I’m doin’ the same shit Martin Luther King did”). ![]() what is in your wallet”) or racial injustice (“Don’t Get It”). Bush presidency, expects hope and insight from their art, so Lil Wayne provides a safety valve for the resulting hostility, whether it be by rapping about gettin’ money ( “Man you better keep payin’ me cause you don’t want my problems/ I be wildin’ like Capital One. Meanwhile, his race, suffering distress rooted in disenfranchisement and the pitiable race-relations of the George W. As a result, he becomes an internet hero. His audience, raised on the instant gratification of the internet 2.0 epoch (think: blogosphere + MP3s), expects to be constantly engaged, so Lil Wayne produces at a 2-Pac-ian clip, whether it be by making ubiquitous guest appearances on other tracks or by prolifically releasing mix tapes. It being his social identity, which has been adroitly bred to be played and executed before his audience, race, and Ego. But inferiority complexes do not play well (read: at all) in the hyper-masculine, machismo-saturated culture of hip-hop, so Lil Wayne represses nearly all modicums of his despair by keeping it bigger than B-I-G. ![]() Whether owing to his smallish 5'6" frame, his coast-less rap artist identity, or the refusal of hip-hop heads and critics alike to moniker either of his previous Tha Carter albums as “classic” (the gold-standard for rappers), the motif of despair underlies the life and times of one Lil Wayne, a.k.a. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ ![]()
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