LIL WAYNE NEWS
LIL WAYNE AKA BIRDMAN JR

LIL WAYNE NEWS

Guest Book
LIl WAYNE NEWS
.
 
 

Saturday, 06/10/06

Lil' Wayne's 'Hustler Musik' has range


By JAKE COYLE
Associated press

NEW YORK — At 23 years old, Lil' Wayne has already coined a few indelible phrases. Few artists can claim the cultural impact of "bling bling," let alone "drop it like it's hot."

Though Wayne hasn't always gotten the credit for those phrases (largely popularized by others, including Snoop Dogg), he's not mad. Why should he be? His own fortunes have climbed steadily, peaking on his most recent album, Tha Carter II, which was hailed by critics and debuted at No. 2 on the charts.

 

At a recent interview, Wayne's Manhattan hotel room appears a little like a college dorm room — and to some degree, it is. He has been studying (online) to get his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston.

While his room shows no trace of text books, it does contain other hallmarks of collegiate life: video games and a towel stuck under the door to contain smoke — Wayne is not bashful about smoking enough marijuana to make Ricky Williams blush.

The five-and-a-half foot tall rapper is also covered in tattoos, which even dot across his eyelids. As he rapped on Destiny Child's "Soldier," he's "marked up like the subway in Harlem."

Born Dwayne Michael Carter, Lil' Wayne — or Weezy — wrote his first rap at the age of 8. He's been making records for more than a decade, but he says he "never took the Bow Wow route, never had the Romeo thing," alluding to two rappers who started young.

"Nobody ever looked at me as a little kid rapper — just a bad ass kid," he says. "I got rumors floating around me — I'm a man now."

The rumors about Wayne tend to involve his girlfriend, Trina, the 27-year-old rapper from Miami. He also has a 7-year-old daughter, born when he was just 15.

Growing up in New Orleans, Wayne idolized Bryan "Baby" Williams, co-CEO of Cash Money Records, the label of which Wayne is now president. In 1997, he was chosen for the popular teenage hip-hop group Hot Boys, which also included Juvenile, Young Turk and B.G.

Tha Carter II is Wayne's fifth solo album, and the second installment of a planned 5-part "Carter" series. Though he has often rapped about his hometown in the past, the subject is given scant attention this time around — even after Hurricane Katrina. "I don't have to prove anything. I am my city," says, Wayne, who now lives in Miami. "Nobody from my city wants to hear about my city."

He does touch briefly on New Orleans, including on the album's title track: "gangsta gumbo — I'll serve 'em a pot of it." But while many New Orleans musicians have been cast into the spotlight post-Katrina, it's not the kind of attention Wayne is interested in.

"The reality of it sucks," he says. One cause that Wayne does take up is the lack of respect Southern rappers receive. On one of the disc's finest tracks, "Shooter" (rapped over soul singer Robin Thicke's "Oh Shooter"), he confronts the hip-hop elite.

"To the radio stations, I'm tired of being patient/ Stop being rapper racist, region-haters. . . . This is Southern; face it/ If we too simple, then y'all don't get the basics."

"People come up here — up North, East Coast — and they won't be half as good as us, but they'll be highly boasted," he says.

In the days after Wayne and Thicke performed "Shooter" on "The Tonight Show" in January, it became a minor sensation on the Internet, surprising hip-hop fans with Thicke's soulful passion and Wayne's clear, aggressive flow.

His latest single, "Hustler Musik," is similarly soulful and further proof that Wayne has more range than your average 23-year-old rapper. But the critical acclaim he has found isn't his goal; as he frequently repeats, money is always the real objective.

"I want to make sure my family's straight," he says. •

Enlarge

Lil' Wayne is cruising with attitude
Lil' Wayne: The Carter (Cash Money Records).

In South Florida, summer is a state of mind. While other regions eagerly await the season when they can glide into neighborhood parks and pop their car trunks to show off booming speaker systems, we have that luxury year-round.

Still, the summer attitude, the heat-stoked bravado that rises like nasty bass from a gangsta rap CD, peaks between June and September. And for summer attitude, you gotta' have summer music.

Hailing from New Orleans and a "veteran" at the ripe, old age of 20, dirty South rapper Lil' Wayne embodies the "get-off-me-I'm-stylin'" attitude of a mid-summer staredown. With a head full of dreds and a gleaming grill that sneers with the best of 'em, Lil' Wayne will no doubt provide background sounds for wannabe gangstas and more than a few "wankstas" all summer long with his latest release, The Carter.

Don't go into the CD looking for redemption or cuddly, embraceable, Will Smith kinda' rhymes. Cause you won't find it. When my mother described, in painful detail, the kind of boy she would literally "kick in his ..." if he showed up at our doorstep, she was describing Lil' Wayne.

His music is raw, angry, unapologetic and absolutely hostile toward "females." So, of course, the hard-bodied rapper with a menagerie of tatts and dark, wary gaze has become an improbable heartthrob.

Hustler Musik, the latest radio rewind of Lil' Wayne's, embodies the artist's soul -- he's about making money and trash talkin' to the women in his life. With a beat that dares you not to sway to the rhythm, Hustler Musik is the kind of song that encourages young men to ride low in the seat, heads barely visible above the wheel, leaning to the side and ready to ride.

Grown Man is another mid-tempo attempt to show hardcore Lil' Wayne's softer side. He doesn't do mushy, so soft from the longtime Cash Money crew member is hardly mainstream soft. Still, it puts you in the mood for a little in-the-park action, watching the guys play full court with no shirts, licking popsicles and wondering how to keep that lazy vibe going forever.

The Carter is not a CD that Nana'll want to send for a birthday gift. More likely, it's the music rebellious teens will smuggle into their iPods despite parental disapproval. I've tried not to be a fan of Lil' Wayne for all those reasons, but sometimes I get tired of judging the music. I just want to listen and not listen and feel the message and not care. As an artist, Lil' Wayne has grown on me. And when I'm feeling like giving the establishment the finger, I don't mind blasting a Lil' Wayne tune while I do it.

If you're looking for a CD that transports you back to the days when Snoop Dogg was a novelty and NWA was no joke, the kind of CD that tells the world "Don't mess with me, I'll do what I want," then The Carter will take you there. Fellas bring your shades and your snarls. Ladies, well, if being called that word that rhymes with "witch" makes you just roll your eyes and say, "Whatever," then press on your nails and ride shotgun.

Temperature's rising

Sean Paul: The Trinity (Atlantic).

Jamaican born and dancehall DJ legend, the sensual, smoky-eyed Sean Paul exudes more heat than the summer sun no matter what the calendar says. With his multiethnic roots (Portuguese-Chinese-Jamaican), Sean Paul -- hair in trademark cornrows, gaze as steely as an island drum -- draws on his heritage for a heart-pounding collection of beats (including Top 10 hit Temperature) that evoke a wide range of emotions.

Forget that his rapid-fire delivery that effortlessly glides from English to Jamaican-dialect defies deciphering except by the multilingual and diehard-iest of fans, The Trinity brings the party. Breaking beats that demand hip gyration and arms extended to the sky, The Trinity should come with a "dance at your own risk" label.

Sean Paul is set to tour with Mariah this summer, his first major world tour. Ladies worldwide, break out the sunscreen -- 'cause he is sun hot. Feel the burn, baby.


Lil Wayne and Birdman Celebrate Fatherhood With Hip CD

6/16/2006 12:56:04 PM

Lil Wayne and Baby. Rap, Hip Hop and New Releases.

Lil Wayne and Birdman are back! This time teaming up in honor of the bond that has developed between the two. Birdman once took a then known Lil Weezy under his wing and molded him into the artist he is today - prolific, profound, and mature. As a tribute to this, the two have been working hard in the studio to bring you Like Father Like Son, their appropriately titled collaborative release, featuring the track "Stuntin' Like My Daddy".

This Father's Day, enter to win a pair of sneakers from the Lil Wayne RBK OG Collection and a pair of Birdman Hood Rich Nubuck Lugz, PLUS a collection of Baby and Wayne's new and old releases for you and your Dad!

For more details and a chance to win, log on to www.stuntinlikemydaddy.com.

Show some love to the man that has guided you into becoming who you are and enter today!

Hip Hop DVD "Chris Brown's Journey" Announced

LIL WAYNE MESSAGEBOARD
FORUM
 


Hip Hop DVD "Chris Brown's Journey" Announced The DVD follows Chris Brown on tour in the UK and Japan as he promotes his 2005 album.ve Records PLATINUM recording artist Chris Brown continues to take the world by storm. Chris is about to release his first performance DVD entitled "Chris Brown's Journey" June 6th. In this never-before-seen footage you will go on a whirlwind promotional album tour with Chris to the UK and Japan, hit the 2006 Grammys with him and watch as he prepares for his first-ever live tour. Also on this DVD- the hit videos and the behind-the-scenes making of "Run It!," "Yo" and "Gimme That." Krump with Chris while he shows you his fully-loaded dance moves and check out the BONUS CD with 2 NEVER-RELEASED tracks, "So Glad" and an international remix of "Run It!" As a special treat, make your own remix of Chris' hit "Gimme That" with the UMIXIT software!

In just 6 short weeks after his November 2005 release, the teen sensation reached platinum status due to his first blazing single "Run It" (produced by Scott Storch which has been # 1 on several charts: Billboard's Hot 100 Singles, Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay, Singles Sales and on the radio charts# 1 at Top 40 Rhythm and on the R&B Mainstream/Hip Hop charts) as well as his second single "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (produced by Dre and Vidal) which is about a boy seeing a beautiful girl that he can't allow to escape his grasp. His current single "Gimme That,"(featuring Lil' Wayne) is quickly climbing the radio charts as well. Explains Chris, "It's just explaining how I'm coming out, the typical bragging about yourself a little bit but not too much and telling the girl who might be older than you, 'You may be three years older, but you're hot, gimme that.'" The just released promotional video in which Chris co-directed with Erik White is in medium rotation on MTV as well as the BET networks.

With his success, Chris recently won an MTV TRL AWARD for Favorite Artist Under 21, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist as well as a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist!!! He was just recently nominated for three 2006 BET Awards including Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Male artist!!

Upcoming Print Press includes features in Interview, Vibe, Teen People, CosmoGirl, Jet and Ebony.

Upcoming Television Performances include The Today Show Summer Concert Series (August 11).

Look out for him in a city near you as he tours this summer with Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Dem Franchize Boyz, and Juelz Santana!!

Date City, State Venue
August 11 Nashville, TN Starwood
August 12 St Louis MO UMB Pavillion Amphitheatre
August 13 Indianapolis IN Verizon
August 16 Birmingham, AL TBA
August 17 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
August 18 Cleveland, OH Tower City
August 19 Washington DC Nissan Pavillion
August 23 Toronto. ON Air Canada Centre
August 24 Pittsburgh PA Post Gazette
August 25 New York, NY Jones Beach
August 26 Holmdel, NJ PNC
August 27 Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Centre
August 31 Baltimore MD First Mariner
September 1 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon
September 2 Orlando, FL Walt Disney World
September 3 Raleigh NC Alltel Pavilion
September 7 Miami, FL American Airlines Pavilion
September 8 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
September 9 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park
September 10 Charlotte NC Verizon Amphitheatre
September 14 Kansas City KS Starlight
September 15 Columbus OH Germain Amphitheatre
September 16 Detroit, MI DTE
September 17 Chicago, IL Charter Pavilion
September 21 San Antonio TX VerizonDem Franchize Boyz
September 22 Dallas, TX Smirnoff
September 23 Houston, TX Woodlands
September 24 Memphis, TN Fed Ex Forum
September 29 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay
September 30 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
October 1 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
October 4 Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center
October 5 TBA
October 6 Irvine, CA Verizon
October 7 Fresno, CA Fresno Fair
October 8 Oakland, CA Chronicle Pavilion
October 11 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
October 12 Seattle, WA Key Arena
October 14 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train
October 15 Los Angeles CA Gibson Amphitheatre