For rap fans of a certain age (mine), Tha Carter II is a seminal album. It refined the formula of Tha Carter, put less emphasis on hooks & more on bars, before Wayne reversed course & shot into pop superstardom with Tha Carter III. The differences between the 3 records might seem slight, but the devil is in the details. If 2004's Carter was the emergence of post-Hot Boy Wayne as a mature artist, & 2008's III was the album that most influenced the kids that would become today's mainstream artists (I believe it is, along with 808s & Heartbreak), then Tha Carter II is truly the end of an era.
This is one of those albums where I firmly believe the intro is the best song, thanks to The Heatmakerz's bluesy piano, slide guitar & Kanye-esque vocal chop. (Kind of counterintuitively for an intro, it's the only beat on this album that sounds like it--not even the same producers' Isley Brothers-sampling "Receipt.") "Tha Mobb" is one of several songs on the album where Wayne raps straight through without a hook, & lyrical showcases like this one are where I've always thought he shines brightest. It's impossible to discuss Wayne's delivery without discussing his lyricism, & vice versa. His genius is in how casual he is; the cleverest punchlines are deliberately downplayed or even deemphasized, less he appear to be trying too hard. Like Pusha T, this quality gives his music more replay value than other, more extravagantly "lyrical" emcees. On the other hand, I cite "Tha Mobb" all the time, specifically the line "I'm hungry like I didn't eat." I use it as an example of how Wayne's delivery is so good that he gets away with weak ass bars like that. Of course, the rest of the lyrics around it don't hurt.
"Fly In" is the first beat by album production standouts Tmix & Batman, & it features more piano & timpani--this record's favorite instruments that also show up on "Carter II" & "Fly Out" by the same production duo. It's a shortcut to making a track sound epic, but at least they are used well here. On "Fly In" we get a taste of his more melodic flow, which shows up more on this album & went on to dominate the followup. Tmix & Batman also lace "Lock and Load," a sinister beat with a west coast sound, probably in honor of the guest hook by Kurupt, augmented by tasteful bongos; "Hustler Musik," a triumphant & dynamic blaxploitation movie score-style beat for Weezy to flex his work ethic on; & "I'm a Dboy," the Birdman feature with a more ATL-style beat that honestly sounds like it was made for T.I.
The big single here was "Fireman," sadly a pretty mediocre beat by Doe Boys with a siren-sounding synth lead that's a bit too on the nose. Wayne manages to inject some less dumbed-down bars than your average radio-aimed joint, but let's face it, this is no "Go DJ." Doe Boys were a poor substitute for recent Cash Money émigré Mannie Fresh, as they also man the boards on "Hit Em Up," another dry beat without much interesting musically or lyrically. Wayne sounds as bored on this filler as I am listening to it. Other producers who fare better are Robin Thicke (damn Paula dumping him really fucked that dude's career up didn't it?) with the bluesy piano-driven late-album standout "Shooter," & Deezle, who conjures up a deeply funky, compulsively head-noddy drum loop on "Weezy Baby."
If you know the way I listen to rap, you know why I like "Tha Mobb" & its sister lyrical showcases "Best Rapper Alive" & "Oh No." The latter, another vocal chop-led, hook-free song, is a runner-up for best track on the album, with its cleanly mixed bass & handclaps courtesy of Yonny. Weezy floats on top with the kind of extended metaphors he makes look easy: "Get too deep up in that water and they can't save you/Me, I come out of that water like I was just bathin'/And watch my step on the wet pavement." Plus, it's over quick enough to leave you wanting more, which makes "Oh No" the only compulsory rewind on this disc.
You knew this was coming: like a lot of rap albums from this era, this 77-minute record is too goddamn long. Cats were still trying to give everybody their money's worth by filling a CD to capacity, but this could have easily lost 3 songs & nobody would have noticed. I've never been the biggest Weezy fan, but I have a ton of respect for his run from 500 Degreez to here. Given how mainstream massive he got a few years later, his persecution complex sounds a little canned here, but honestly there's still people sleeping on his skill. I'll let him tell it: "If we too simple, then y'all don't get the basics."
No comments:
Post a Comment