THE CONFESSIONAL: I Really Like “Tha Carter III”
They say confession is good for the soul. Today we offer another installment of The Confessional, an ongoing feature on Your Favorite White Boy, where your man B-Double will be confessing certain things that he would not dare bring up in the company of his hip-hop brethren.
Bless me Reverend Run for I have sinned.
It’s been 20 years since I my last confession.
Before I begin, let me say that I know we are all supposed to spurn Lil Wayne. And I have been faithful to that ever-so-sacred doctrine in the past. I mocked Weezy’s flow, his ever-present cup of unknown purple liquid. I even berated him for his highly suspicious relationship with his “Dad”, Baby.
I did not purchase or download any of the Dedication offerings, nor did I listen to any of the previous Carter installments. I generally avoided his many, many, many guest appearances, even when the other MCs appearing were dope and without sin. I even skipped over the Hot Boyz era entirely. I was blessedly “Wayne free.”
When word of this impending release reached the masses, those true to the word of (Rakim) Allah warned all to be strong in the face of such relentless attacks. Leak after leak became available for download and even under such pressure, I resisted. “No”, hip-hop heads told me, “Wayne is garbage.” Yes. He is garbage. I shall not stray.
Besides, how could I call myself a true hip-hop fan and pay tribute to this false idol? “Make it rain”? Is that what it has come to? I’m better than that.
But this summer, in the lead up to the release of this unholy musical production, temptation was everywhere. Billboards, online ads, magazine interviews – Lil Wayne was omnipresent. Forgive me Reverend – like millions of other innocent listeners, I purchased Tha Carter III on its first day of release.
And although I am ashamed to say it, I enjoyed virtually every track. From the radio friendly ditties “Lollipop”, “Ms. Officer” and “Got Money” to the banging goodness of “You Ain’t Got Nuthin” and the sheer swagger of “Dr. Carter”, it was the album of the summer. And of course, the ultimate evil: “A Milli.” It infected me like a head-nodding devil spawn.
Even though I kept it well hidden from others, I know you saw. I had strayed from the path. But, Reverend, I have worked hard to find my way back. I bought two Mos Def albums and I have committed to listening to Immortal Technique in the very near future. I even downloaded Large Pro the day it came out.
I hope you can forgive me for being weak. I knew what I was doing was wrong – that these marque producers had been seduced by large checks; that Wayne himself had pathologically indebted others (even Jay-Z!) to him by his myriad of guest appearances. That his unique flow could only be caused by excessive intoxication of illegal substances.
But damn it felt good to bump that album. And Wayne killed it. Hurts me to say it.
In the name of the God’s Son, the Father MC and the Holy Ghostface.
Tags: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
