Sure Lil’ Wayne-as-lead-artist dropping an essential cut felt like it became a sort of lost art eons ago, with the rapper seeming to have reached a point where he just doesn’t care about the game anymore, one foot and a couple toes of his other foot resting dreams of retirement. But nostalgia for dude’s spectacular ’00’s mixtape run and an occasionally inspired flash of that old clever lyrical bite keeps so many of us still tuned into what he does next, hoping beyond hope that the rap gods will finally answer our prayers and bring us that old Wayne back.
After several release date changes, the mildly anticipated The Carter V has yet to make it to the finish line, however what we have received in the meanwhile–frustrated tweets and a gigantic lawsuit directed at both his one-time “daddy” Birdman and a record label he no longer wants to be associated with–has definitely brought new shades of intrigue and interest to an artist and career that was lingering far too long in the “ho-hum” realm.
Enter Sorry 4 The Wait 2, his second apology letter to fans as mixtape featuring him high-jacking the hottest beats of recent hip hop past. Does the project peel back Weezy’s layers for an eye-opening glimpse inside his current industry woes? No (though here’s to hoping that that has become The Carter V‘s new narrative), but the tape manages to re-awaken Wayne in another way, his ire from Industry Rule #4080 seeming to spark a creative fire under his bottom, resulting in a more entertaining-than-not seventeen track platter of charming track flips (including 2014 meme-to-mainstream highlights “Try Me”, “Coco” and “U Guessed It”); slick, rewind-worthy one-liners that resonate long after they’ve touched the mic; and an infectious anything-goes energy that comes close to reaching the home-run-hitting, avant-garde peaks of his previous #barsonbarsonbars heights.
Personal favorites include Wayne’s lethargic-cool riff on Rae Sremmurd and Mike Will Made It‘s ratchet playground b-boy anthem “No Type” (“‘Cause I ain’t got no type, no/ But when I met codeine, there was love at first Sprite…”) and his exciting interjection into the new world of weirdo Southern rap with “Fingers Hurting”, a spazzy retake of the iLoveMakonnen/ Metro Boomin’ interlude-length jam “Maneuvering”, but best of all would arguably have to be Weezy’s set-closing spin on Meek Mill‘s “Dreams and Nightmares”, a seemingly endless lyrical snap-fest perfectly positioned to send buzz for the impending Carter chapter through the atmosphere.
Hear the S4TW highlights below, then peep yet another new Wayne entry, “Amazing Amy”, a haunting obsession with crazy bae’s featuring Migos and production from London On Da Track.
