One of the most polarizing figures in hip-hop, Lil Wayne crawled his way to the top of music by heating the streets with a barrage of mixtapes and features between 2005 and 2008. By the time his highly anticipated album Tha Carter III hit sore shelves, the title of “Best Rapper Alive” seemed to be very much within his reach. It has been quite some time since the rock star lyricist seemingly had the world at his feet. Many say he is past his prime. To be fair, people thought his career was over before he went on his second epic run in the middle of the last decade. Regardless of whether Weezy has fallen off or not, rap music is driven by the youth, and the youth of 2015 seem to be enamored by a new sing-songy, tatted dread-head— the enigmatic Young Thug.
When Thugga stated that Wayne was his “sole musical influence”, it seemed like a match made in heaven once Birdman took him under his wing (pun intended) and brought his into the YMCMB family, AKA “the house that Weezy built”. But all is not right in the Cash Money household. In what appears to be an unceremonious gesture, Carter is being shown the backdoor, replaced in an almost Wally Pipp-like fashion by his own artistic offspring. An avid sports fan, Wayne has seen this play out before. As a self-proclaimed cheesehead, he’s even witnessed it firsthand. It always ends the same way.
There is always a crossroads awaiting the few immortal names once their mortal bodies give out on them. They may lose a step or don’t hustle quite the way they used to every play, and ultimately there comes a point the superstar has overstayed their welcome. Brett Favre’s gun-slinger approach made him a champion in Green Bay, but eventually management realized it was time to turn the reigns over to Aaron Rodgers, allowing Favre to ride off into the sunset. A similar situation took place in Indianapolis as Peyton Manning was replaced by his heir apparent, Andrew Luck. Favre and Manning found varying levels of success after leaving home. Their musical counterpart will have some important decisions to make in the coming months as lawyers divvy up the YMCMB assets like a marriage gone bad. There is a template, or rather a “blueprint”, for Tunechi to pattern himself after if he still desires sustained success.
After extensive research, this is the best pic of the trio that could be obtained. That should tell you something.
Much like how Thugga idolized Wayne, the young Carter was heavily influenced by an older Carter… Shawn “Jay Z” Carter. When Hov essentially closed the doors on Roc-A-Fella Records, many believe it was due to the growing power and influence that Cam’ron and his Dipset crew (enabled by Damon Dash) had inside of the Roc offices. The Jigga man bounced back by cementing a huge multi-million dollar deal and launching his Roc Nation label, after a stint as president Def Jam Records. If Wayne can find the proper infrastructure, he could potentially find success without the guidance of Birdman for the first time in his near 20-year career.
Meanwhile, Birdman has hitched his wagon to Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, as they push their Rich Gang movement. If there is one thing that can be said about the #1 Stunna, it’s that he is always surrounded by winners. The radio has already been flooded with numerous songs in heavy rotation, which has served as an appetizer for fans as they wait for Thug’s debut album Tha Carter VI.
Yes, you read that right.
Wayne stated previously that Tha Carter V — in addition serving as a central point of contention between himself and Baby — will be his last album. Thug intends to pick up where Wayne is leaving allegedly off. (Kind of ill, yes, but there is a precedence for this as Wayne himself once named his own LP 500 Degreez, following former label mate Juvenile’s 400 Degreez).
In the end, it will be the historians who are left to chronicle Wayne and his Cash Money withdraw. His impact on the game and legacy will remain intact. The real question is the same that any legend must ask themself at this point in their career: “Do I still want it?” Wayne can regroup with the right personnel and find the type of acclaim that could give his career a second wind… or in his case, third. Heavy indeed is the dreads that wear the crown.