That Lil Wayne album was way better than it had any right to be, but repeated listens revealed it to be an oddly joyless affair, much more fussy and clinical than his best work. Maybe that has more to do with context than craft - where once Wayne sounded strange and alien, he now sounds like a staid formalist in a sea of wordless experimentors, virtually all of whom owe Wayne a huge debt of gratitude but who are largely far more progressive than he is these days. 'Mona Lisa' wouldn't have been my pick, but I still prefer it to that other song, which is rather nondescript. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
Premier juin is one of the songs I listened to the most in 2018. An Indie Pop song in French (Quebec) that I nominated especially for its musical content that I completely love and whose last 2 minutes are a pure happiness.
I fear Mona Lisa will be dismissed instantly by this community because not only is it a rap song (first offense), but it is a Lil Wayne song.
I think that, generally, Lil Wayne hate has dissipated hugely in the past few years. His peak run (Carters II and III, and the adjacent mixtapes from that period) is now widely recognised as a time when he was the most entertaining rapper working, and he is deservedly now seen as the premier forebear to Young Thug and others who have changed the sound of hip-hop over the past five years. Much like Gucci Mane, another target of ire from rap traditionalists at the time, it is pretty much accepted that he was a fantastic, inspired, frequently hilarious rapper. However, at that time, his music had a carefree, mischievous, spontaneous feel to it that is notably absent here, and this song's carefully constructed, overly elaborate story, bloodless technicality, confused Mona Lisa allusions, and melodramatic, self-serious production bring to mind the miserable, robotic technicality for technicality's sake of late-era Eminem, which is not a vibe anybody should be trying to imitate. I love Lil Wayne, and this song is perfectly fine, but if people vote against this it will probably be because it lacks the sparkle of Wayne's earlier work, and not because of any previous (admittedly unfair) reputation. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
