Top 3 Songs From Each Lil Wayne Album
Hey! have you seen this Black Monday trailer? It proves two things, Don Cheadle is one of the illest, and Lil Wayne has hits!
Now that we can all agree on those two things, it’s about that time where I list the three best songs from each Lil Wayne album not called I Am Not A Human Being II and Free Weezy… because I didn’t listen to them and don’t feel like it. They never felt like real releases to me.
Album:
The Block is Hot (1999)/AKA The 9th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “The Block is Hot” (ft. Juvenille & B.G.)
2) “You Want War” (ft. Turk)
3) “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (ft. B.G. & Mannie Fresh)
This album reminds me of why I wasn’t really a true blue Lil Wayne fan at first. I mean it’s fine but he’s clearly mixed in with his label mates and not given a chance to be a true solo act. Having said that, I liked “the Block Is Hot” I guess and the beat for “You Want War” still interests me. “Drop It LIke It’s Hot” reminds me of “Back That Azz Up” and that’s always a great thing!
Album:
Lights Out (2000)/AKA The 6th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Get Off The Corner”
2) “Shine” (ft. Hot Boyz)
3) “Biznite”
The main take away from this album is that it acts as an audible time capsule for me as I remember where I was when I first heard these songs. It’s probably why I like it more than I should. The drums on “Get Off the Corner” always get to me. But what really makes it a winner other than taking me back to the days when everyone liked these Mannie Fresh like beats, is the way the hook’s lyrics switch up between each verse while the melody stays the same. “Shine” takes me back to the days of burning cds and Juvenille being a true star. Plus the Mannie Fresh hook is A1! The instrumentation of “Biznite” plays well off of Lil Wayne’s voice. Man I really used to love this lane for production back in the day.
Album:
500 Degreez (2002)/AKA The 10th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Gangsta Shit” (ft. Petey Pablo)
2) “Way of Life” (ft. Big Tymers & TQ)
3) “Lovely”
This is the last of the pre-Carter era Weezy. I don’t know why this album just doesn’t work for me. it feels like Lil Wayne is just doing it to do it. And as such, I struggled to find songs I truly loved from this album. The inclusion of Petey Pablo on “Gangsta Shit” is a true treat. I love the energy Petey brings to any song he’s on. Anyone who samples “Don’t Look Any Further” by Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett has got my attention [he said as someone who isn’t THAT into 2 Pac]. It’s a bop and as such I like “Way of Life.” I feel like “Lovely” was on the first cd I ever burnt. Not sure why now, but as a kid I really loved this song.
Album:
Tha Carter (2004)/AKA The 3rd Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Who Wanna”
2) “Snitch”
3) “This Is The Carter” (ft. Mannie Fresh)
”Who Wanna” still goes hard. It’s a crazy beat (somehow not by Mannie Fresh) but also acts as a nice transition into Carter era Weezy where the beats sound more lush but also provide Tunechi an opportunity to flex his lyrical muscles. “Snitch” has a very cool Mannie Fresh beat. The breezy keys and laid back bassline lets Lil Wayne show off his gangster side. All while having a very singable hook. Mannie Fresh provides another winner of a hook on “This Is The Carter.” These beats don’t feel too far removed from Wayne’s other albums, however, there is definitely a sense of growth present.
Album:
Tha Carter II (2005)/AKA The 2nd Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Hustler Muzik”
2) “Mo Fire”
3) “Best Rapper Alive”
Tha Carter II features some pretty soulful moments. Look no further than “Hustler Muzik” for proof of that. The instrumentation has switched up while still maintaining some classic Lil Wayne sounds. “Mo Fire” crept up on me. I started out liking to mimic the dance hall vibe of the track then realizing I just really like the song. It’s the one song 13 years later that I still think about consistently. The warning that Weezy F. Baby may not be content just rapping and dipping into dance hall was in “Best Rapper Alive.” There is a rock stadium anthem feel to it and as someone who raps along with a rock band, it should be no surprise that I’m into this song.
Album:
Like Father Like Son (2006)/Technically a Lil Wayne & Birdman Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Army Gunz”
2) “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”
3) “Know What I’m Doin” (ft. Rick Ross & T-Pain)
The organ on “Army Gunz” is everything to me. Plus Weezy has a pretty interesting flow going on. He’s also the only rapper on the track so… that’s good. “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” was the lead single for this album, if memory serves, and as such I have some kind of love for it because of nostalgia I guess. The horn stabs ain’t half bad THO. However, I do like the T-Pain hook on “Know What I’m Doin” and I can retroactively appreciate the Ross bars. I wasn’t into him back when I first heard the album, though. Everything else on this album is meh.
Album:
Tha Carter III (2008)/AKA THE BEST LIL WAYNE ALBUM
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Dr. Carter”
2) “Mr. Carter” (ft. JAY-Z)
3) “Comfortable” (ft. Babyface)
This is how you know Lil Wayne was on one during the first 3 carter albums. He just dropped this Swizz produced, David Axelrod “Holy Thursday” sampled song where he raps as a doctor operating to save Hip Hop. The word play and flow is out of this world compared to other Lil Wayne tracks. Yes I really like the song with JAY-Z on it but the “Mr. Carter” beat is dope. It’s got that pitch bent voice and some triumphant horns laying the sound bed for the two Carters to go to work. The Babyface crooning on “Comfortable” is amazing. And yeah. Maybe I did appreciate, at one point, that the song was about a guy who felt his significant other was taking him for granted.
Album:
Rebirth (2010)/AKA The 8th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Drop The World” (ft. Eminem)
2) “Get A Life”
3) “Knockout” (ft. Nicki Minaj)
I was never on board with this idea. A rock album by Lil Wayne. It’s not like I don’t like rock, I just don’t think he has the voice for it. This is probably why my favourite song on the album is “Drop The World.” A song that has mostly rap verses. It was also the first legitimate collaboration between Lil Wayne and Eminem. So I just skipped to this track when I got the album. I guess “Get A Life” is the best case scenario for an album like this. “Knockout” isn’t great but I bet if the right vocals were on it I bet I’d like it even more. I suppose this album just suffers from really low lows and me being closed off to this from Lil Wayne back in the day.
Album:
I Am Not A Human Being (2010)/AKA The 7th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Bill Gates”
2) “Right Above It” (ft. Drake)
3) “Gonerrhea” (ft. Drake)
I genuinely love “Bill Gates.” The use of Barry White’s Somebody’s Gonna Off This Man… a song I love and can’t seem to find a bad sample of is what puts it over the top! I don’t know why I like “Right Above It.” I think it’s because someone put the Drake vocals on a different beat and I already liked the verse so it was nice to hear it here. Also isn’t this the theme song to Ballers??? “Gonerrhea” is fine I guess. I always cringe when I see the name and hear the hook in full, though. Drake has a nice verse to close things off and I guess that helps elevate the song for me.
Album:
Tha Carter IV (2011)/AKA The 5th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “6 Foot 7 Foot” (ft. Cory Gunz)
2) “MegaMan”
3) “She Will” (ft. Drake)
This isn’t album just isn’t as bad as I remembered. I was just mad that it didn’t feel like it came from the same artist who gave us C3. With that out of the way it’s obvious that “6 Foot 7 Foot” was on repeat for me throughout this album’s cycle. It’s got the great Harry Belafonte sample and breathless no hook energy of “A Mili” BUT! With Cory Gunz on the track! Also wasn’t this the one with the Inception video? I just like “MegaMan” pretty sure it’s produced by a Toronto producer so I have to respect that alone. I dig the use of strings on “She Will” and the Drake hook.
Album:
Tha Carter V (2018)/AKA The 4th Best Lil Wayne Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) “Uproar” (ft. Swizz Beatz)
2) “Mona Lisa” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
3) “Dedicate” (ft. 2 Chainz)
I LOVE “UPROAR” . I know it’s good because it was used in the trailer at the top of this post and Pauline was willing to listen to it on repeat for essentially 30 minutes. I know it’s just the 2nd “Special Delivery” remix but it’s clear “Special Delivery” remixes KNOCK! This isn’t even the most lyrical/rappity rap Weezy gets on this album but it’s all sorts of greater than the sum of its part dope! “Mona Lisa” is another great concept for a song. Like “Dr. Carter” there is a narrative and Wayne plays a character. He even has King Kendrick on the track to play the mark. I love the flow Lil Wayne uses on “Dedicate” its great on its own but add the piano and organs… you’ve got a great song on your hands!
-YG