Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Is Lil' Wayne the new Rick James?

If there is one thing I like to hear in music, it has to be slutty, dirty, skeezy lyrics. There's just not enough these days, what with the overly-strict FCC in the US, and the focus of the big record company on safe-bet songs which generate big sales. Trashy lyrics will even make me forgive a musician I can't stand - take 50 Cent for example. I'll forgive him for changing "Yayo I'm tired of using pornography" to "Ay-o I'm tired of using technology" simply for the fact that he wrote Candy Shop, which managed to get these lyrics on the radio for quite some time:

Soon as I come through the door she get to pulling on my zipper
It's like it's a race who can get undressed quicker
Isn't it ironic how erotic it is to watch em in thongs
Had me thinking 'bout that ass after I'm gone
I touch the right spot at the right time
Lights on or lights off, she like it from behind
So seductive, you should see the way she wind
Her hips in slow-mo on the floor when we grind

An exception, to be sure. The lyrics to that song were just dirty enough to feel scandalous, but not so dirty they couldn't get air time, I'm sure because there are no swear words contained within. I miss the days of not being able to hear nearly 1/2 the song because so much of it was bleeped in editing. I prefer that to artists changing the lyrics entirely, because to me it has more integrity. If you are going to change the lyrics for radio, I say, just change them. Don't do two versions. You are a sell out, that's not easy to acheive these days, so own it, be proud of it. Be a radio artist and that's that. Ok, so maybe I didn't forgive 50 for the "technology" change.

Alas there is hope. Found in the most unexpected of artists, Lil'Wayne. I must admit before hearing this tune I had little to no knowledge of Lil'Wayne. I had heard of him - he seemed to surface in a wave of artists prefaced with "Lil's, but hearing the song "Lollipop" surprised me. Not only was it catchy, and unusual sounding (arguably terrible, but nevermind that), it was almost entirely bleeped/slurred out on the radio. So investigation in to Lil'Wayne ensued. This is what I've learned.

Lil'Wayne is from Louisiana, and had is first break at 14, the same year he left school, rapping freestyle on a Cash Money track or two. He had his first child at 16, and had a few albums before breaking in the mainstream in a guest appearance on the Destiny's Child track "Soldier". In 2005, he became president of Cash Money records, the very same label he had joined by freestyling on the owner's answering machine years earlier. For the last few years, he's been under the radar again, self-producing socially concious songs such as "Georgia Bush", in response to the poor treatment of victims of Katrina, and also self producing some mixtapes under the names Da Droughts 1-3, one of which Rolling Stone called "One of the best albums of 2007". In January of this year Lil was arrested - his tour bus was stopped, and found on board was the following stash:
a .44 caliber pistol.
105 grams of marijuana (3.7 ounces)
29 grams of cocaine (1.02 ounces)
41 grams of Ecstasy (1.4 ounces)
$22,000 dollars in cash

Suffice it to say, dude knows how to party. Recently he was quoted as saying something about not doing coke anymore, since it was ruining his complexion, giving him acne. What a good reason to stop using! I love this dude. Seriously, there hasn't been someone this interesting in music in ages. His new album, Tha Carter 3 has this for a cover:

Photobucket

He claims this is his baby picture, undoctored. I mean, of COURSE it's doctored, but isn't it kind of awesome that he's denying it? And here's another version:

Photobucket

Wait, does he have tattoos on his eyelids? Who does that? I'm in love! Anyhow, as I was saying, there just is such a lack of personality in music these days. Perhaps I'm grasping at straws here but most acts seem to either take themselves too seriously, the music too seriously, or their image too seriously. I don't get that from this album cover (especially #1) or from these lyrics. To me, this is the 'party' returning to rock and roll, that was lost some time in the mid ninetys when it became uncool to be over the top. What a shame. Clearly being over the top is more fun. And quite honestly, who has been the Rick James of our generation? I say it's high time we had one. Perhaps it's the record company's iron grasp on their artists, but do they not realize how boring it all is? Who knows? It's boring when everything is perfect, overly produced, sleek and photoshopped. Everyone has perfect skin, smooth hips and a fake tan these days. Sigh.

It's refreshing to see someone have some fun with it, you know, be dirty, get bleeped. Have face tattoos. Talk about sex. Be human.
And now for the song:

Lollipop

Ow…
Uh Huh No Homo…
Young Mula Baby
I say he so sweet
Make her wanna lick the rapper
So I let her lick the rapper

She she lick me like a lollipop (x4)

Chorus:
Shawty wanna thug
Bottles in the club
Shawty wanna hump
You know I'd like to touch
Ya lovely lady lumps
Come On Okay

Lil mama had a swag like mine
She even wear her hair
Down her back like mine
I make her feel right
When its wrong like lyin'
Man She ain't never had a love like mine
Man I ain't never seen an ass like hers
That pussy in my mouth
Had me at a loss for words
Told her to back it up
Like berp berp
And I made that ass jump
Like jerp jerp

And thats when she Sh-Sh-She lick me like a lollipop (x4)

Chorus

Okay After you back it up
Then stop
Drop It shawty
Drop It
Drop it like its hot
Drop it like its hot
Do do do it shawty
Don't stop

Shawty said the nigga that she with Ain't shit
Shawty said the nigga that she with Ain't this
Shawty said the nigga that she with Can't hit
But shawty Imma hit it, hit it, Like I can't miss
And He can't do this
And He don't do that
Shawty need a refund
Needa bring that nigga back

Just like a refund I make her bring that ass back
And she bring that ass back
Because I Like That

Chorus

Shawty Wanna lic-lic-lic-lick me Like a lollipop
Shawty Wanna lic-lic-lic-lick me Like a lollipop
Shawty Wanna lick me Like a lollipop
I Let her lick the rapper

Chorus

Call me So I can make it juicy for ya (x8)

Chorus

I get her on top
She drop it like it's hot
And when I'm at the bottom
She Hilary Rodham
Middle of the Bed
Give and gettin' head
Give and gettin' head
Give and gettin' head
I said hmmmm I like that
Say hmmmm yea I like that
I said hmmmm yea I like that
hmmhmmm

Call me
So I can come and do it for you
Call me
So I can come and prove it for you
Call me
So I can make it juicy for you
Call me
So I can get it juicy for you

Shawty wanna Lic-lic-lic-lick me like a lollipop
She She Lic-lic-lic-lick me like a lollipop
(I say he so sweet Make her wanna lick the rapper)
She She Lick me, like a lollipop (And She Do)
She lick me Like a lollipop (So I let her lick the rapper)

2 comments:

Blackberry White said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Blackberry White said...

One video that's definitely has no problem getting bleeped (I'm sure you'll like this one):

http://tinyurl.com/3pbsh4