SOHH ATLANTA
The daily pulse of the Atlanta hip-hop scene
Artemus Jenkins Takes On You Lil' Wayne, Plus, SOHH's Own Danica Dow & Erik Parker Speak On The "Countdown To Tha Carter III"
Posted on June 10, 2008 10:01 AM
Has anyone read the book "The 48 Laws Of Power"? Well an industry homie of mine Artemus Jenkins wrote what is in my opinion a great piece on Lil' Wayne and how one can become "The Best Rapper Alive" by applying a lot of the "48" theories to their career. Though this piece was written last year when Wayne was supposed to drop this project, I believe that it still works. And since his album does drop today I thought it would be as great a time as any to showcase it. Check it out below.
How to become the "best rapper alive"!!!
By: Artemus Jenkins
Take a second to Google "best rapper alive", about 0.13 seconds later Lil Wayne pops up as the found entry all over the damn place, most likely on all the pages! My question is, why? It's because he said so, that's why! He gave you raw eggs , you cooked it up, made an omelet and enjoyed it. So now thanks to the general publics acceptance of whatever the mainstream is willing to serve them, an uneducated consumer can Google "best rapper alive" and produce a dissertation complete with a thesis and works cited page on Weezy F. Baby. Well, it's time to wake up people; Lil Wayne has pulled a fast one on us all. Robert Greene; who can be viewed as something like a genius, depending on who you ask, wrote a book some time ago titled "The 48 Laws of Power". This book basically emphasizes using manipulation and critical thinking to get whatever you want. However despite millions of books sold, not everyone has the wits to put these principles into action. Contrary to popular belief, I'm here to tell you that a college edu-ma-cation pays off! Dwayne Carter has 48 Laws O' Powered that ass and you didn't even know it! How else could an average, gold selling emcee who raps about guns, bitches and bling become the "best rapper alive"? Without further ado, some insight on the blueprint Weezy has been following.Law 25 Recreate your Life
In the midst of major turmoil amongst the Cash Money camp, Wayne emerges from the fire no longer in the shadows of B.G., Juvenile and their multi-platinum selling records. He becomes president of Cash Money records and with his new found position a makeover of sorts commences; this consists of more jewelry, more tats, and more hair! How about the positive things in Weezy's life as well, he enrolls in college and is now a Psychology major, he stopped dating chicken-heads which is always a good look. This is evidenced by his love affair with ... Trina? Ok maybe I'll get back to you on that one. Anyway the point is, Lil Wayne decided that if he was going to prepare himself to be the best, you have to look the part. By recreating your life and everything in it you better position yourself to manifest change within your music.
Law 28 Enter with Boldness
This rule applies to just about any situation, you ever wonder why some people seem to always get what they want? It's because they step on the scene with gusto, as if they subscribe to their own bullshit and you should consider a subscription as well. With "Tha Carter", Weezy claims to have perfected his craft, he hints at things to come by "bringing it back to the bottom of the map' and demanding we shower his DJ with accolades. We all chant "Go DJ, thats my DJ" and love it. DJ's love it too, because they now have a new theme song. Although mildly entertaining, "Tha Carter" didn't appear to be perfection of any craft outside of demonstrating how far a swaggeriffic bop and some braggadocio will carry you.
Law 6 Court Attention at all Costs/ Law 4 Play on People's need to create a cult-like following
Without a doubt the events before and after "Tha Carter 2", produced the busiest years of Wayne's rap life; we were there for the legal issues, beef and (drum roll) the infamous Complex Magazine interview, producing the statement that Lil Wayne is better than Jay Z, in turn making him "the best rapper alive"! The scrupulous master plan is unfolding before our eyes. The Fireman has spoken, "I,I,I,I,I got em! Indeed he did have us, to the tune of over 1.8 million records sold. In a time where the hip-hop community appeared to be lost and desperate for the next big thing, Lil Wayne was the platonic friend to the hip-hop nation's proverbial lonely woman. He managed to swoop in and captivate our attention in a way many rappers could not. He had so much swagger, his lyrics were so raw. We hadn't heard a dude spit such hot fire since Dylan Dillinger. To affirm his status as "best rapper alive" he gave us mix-tapes, remixes and freestyles, all we had to do was believe him.
As a result, Lil Wayne has developed a cult-like following of young and old, who buy into the statements "best rapper alive" and "I am Hip Hop". You know how when we really want something or feel a certain way, we come up with a way to validate whatever bullshit we have no business doing? This is the case for many arguments that happen between people with good sense and the Weezy-ites of hip hop:
Sensible Consumer: Man, you know Weezy bit his whole style from Jay?
Weezy-ite: Nah Man, Weezy got his own style, Jay wish he had Weezy swagger!
Sensible Consumer: But what about his flow, he raps like Jigga...
Weezy-ite: Bullshit, all Jay rap about is trips to St. Tropez and fancy shit we can't get...
Sensible Consumer: Weezy always raps about the same shit as well...
Weezy-ite: That nigga be spittin that real shit though! He got mad bars son!
Much like a real debate with a Weezy-ite, this conversation could go on forever. Lil Wayne is something like the Jim Jones of hip-hop(not the dipset capo) and his funny Kool Aid is ever flowing. Speaking of ever flowing, that brings me to the next law.
Law 5 So much depends on your reputation, guard it with your life!
The cat is out of the bag, Weezy has been crowned "the best rapper alive", "He is the beast/ feed him rappers or feed him beats"! Over 85% of the BET generation believes it. Cats up top subscribe to the Weezy weekly and Lil Wayne's freestyles get five star ratings on many hip-hop sites, even when he says cheeseburger over some sped up sample. " How does one keep up such a front, after creating the maelstrom of press, freestyles and guest verses put up in 2006? Simple, you have to keep doing it, put out 15 mix tapes before June, release old verses with new mixes, and develop ambiguous relationships with skateboard companies. Why? Your career, your fans and reputation depend on it all, that's why. As the greatest you have to do the things to keep people believing it, correct? You have to rap like you truly have something to prove to everyone, right? Wrong, as a truly great artist, rapper or whatever, being the best does not lie in the quantity of music you put out. This brings us to the law Wayne may have left out of his mix.Law 16 Use absence to increase respect and honor
Fact is Lil Wayne has place himself in quite a pickle, with the frequency of music he has released, Wayne is becoming quite common in the eyes of many. Fall back Wayne; the fans want music, but you think they are going to stop liking you because you didn't give them a weekly dose of classic material ( I use this term loosely), i.e. Prostitute Flange. True hip-hop greats recognize the power of absence. After IdleWild we foamed at the mouth for Andre 3000 to give us some rap, and he responded. In 2007 alone Andre gave us 4 of the best verses of the year, thanks a million 3 stacks. Hov left the game, came back and sold a million records quick, fast and you know the rest. The internet nerds were even going nuts over a so-so Rakim record floating around on the net and we haven't gotten any material from him in a few years.
If indeed greatness as an emcee is measured by what you don't give people, Weezy will not join these ranks anytime soon. The man likes the shine, the cameras and attention way too much. With his current attack on DJ’s and constant I'm the best statements, it's clear that fading into obscurity to obtain god-like status will be a tall order for Lil Weezy. Who knows, Tha Carter may have something planned for us like we've never seen or heard before citing Law 3, Conceal your Intentions. Until then I guess we will just have to sit back and keep enjoying the free Kool Aid.
And while you are all pondering Artemus's commentary you know I got something to say....
SOHH what do you think? Is Artemus on to something here?
In a new video posted on youtube: "Countdown To The Carter", industry aficionado's break down the hype over Wayne's new CD.
Shout out to Carl Chery and SOHH's own Danica Dow and Erik Parker.
Talk y'all lata,
--SOHH Gyant
Email:Sohhgyant@gmail.com
I think Lil' Wayne is the greatest or on the road to greatest. Even Jay-z said it.
Lil Wayne 106 & Park Freestyle Video
http://djtriumph.blogspot.com
I believe that WHOLE THING was right.
That DOES NOT take anything away from what Lil' Wayne has been able to do.
No matter what the case....you still HAVE to record...you still HAVE to be rocking shows....it still takes A RIDICULOUS amount of work, skill, and drive to do what he's done.
He's working for that title of "Best Rapper Alive"...and for all intensive purposes.....if the people agree....
....then the people agree.
I would apply this same stuff to T-Pain right about now too.
Fall back Wayne and T-Pain (especially Mr.Autotune himself)....Absence makes the heart grow fonder....(no homo)
www.myspace.com/novatribe
The sheer hatred in that "piece" made my eyeballs callous. You co-signing this shit? Man, some of you folks lives must horrible on some "Aint No Sunshine" by Bill Withers on repeat miserable! Positivity makes you feel good, try it out.
after a 2000 mixtapes u cant but like something from the dude but when people get to full of themselves the fans dont like as much ask Bobby Brown, everybody that loved him turned their backs when he started trippin
he hit that shit right on the head!!!
Ay, I've been sayin this for years, its all sublimminal really...its like that wack song you here on the radio all day, the next day you singing it, the day after that you googleing it and then buying it, and calling it "creative" and "unique"...Once you believe in something its hard to go against it, thats why wayne stans bang everything he does because they want to believe its the shit...the shit only gets worse until you reach the pentacle and you decide to do something the fans dont like and they push you off the top and replace you...its human nature to build a figure up until they are god-like and then tear them back down to remind ourselves they're still human
Damn!! That nigga got a point..if there is anybody hotter then wayne right now,how come you don't see them everywere like him...
I personally think andre,lupe,eminem..alotta niggas could out rap wayne..
before I start let me say that I am buying tha carter III as a fan of music and a fan of minimal weezy verses.......
I been listening to Weezy since Tha Block Is Hot and when he started saying the "best rapper alive" ish I knew he wuz doin to get people to believe dat BS and its sad that only 10 percent of rap fans realize that. LL Cool J did it with that GOAT ish...T.I. did it with the King of the South stuff...When these dudes get their cult-like followings, their become ignorant oblivious N###AZ who have no valid arguments supporting their god-like celebs. Weezy even explained to yall that he only sayin dat ish cuz "HE BELIEVES HE'S THE BEST" no rapper in their would call themselves the second best or worst rapper. Conventional rap fans just got too much Weezy sperm in their head to think about it critically!
Oh so thats what it takes to discredit weezy?? Put a man on the blog that dissects wayes career all while referencing a book? Im sorry but that clique...I mean how many references to the art of war, the great gasby, and great expectations have i heard over the years and all of these books have been made to justify, legitimize, or antagonize the subject in one way or another?? I guess mix some intelligence with some stark bias, I guess that just blows weezy out the water.
Now my take on weezy is this...ever since I ve heard him at 13-14 the boy has shown a gift for the mike...during his rift with juve bg etc no one with the exception of gille ever said they wrote his lyrics. that alone gives weezy credit for those who say he only rapped good when he flipped his style. Sorry people, maybe his southern drawl turned you off back then, but the boy was spittin hot even back then.
All his albums were quality...wanna argue youre welcome to speak on it but as somebody whos been a fan and a realistic one at that, u wont win.
All that stuff in the passage above can be summed up in one word; marketing he sold his brand and people bought it: No different from LL, Ice T too Short, Kane, rakim, and of course jay z....all these rappers have one thing in common; at one point the hype got to big to the point it appears that they couldnt match it. They were set up to be torn down like most things in this society. To be measured by an impossible stick. I love Jay Z to death, big fan from the beginning but i remember articles dissecting hov bumerous of times challeging his boasts and swag...he bit nas, he bit wu tang; az.
Weezy is no different...the shit that you doin now might even confirm his status...I dont see anybody else in todays climate falling under the miroscope as much as weezy...something he shares with the rappers above...by doing this article to disclaim him, you simply have to acknowledge him...hate him or love him
Now doesnt that remind u of jigga, tupac, big, rakim, krs one? My only issue I have with weezy would be his constancy...in my opinon it may not be as strong as some of the others but its still there....
And oh yeah carter 1 and 2 were classics and please kill that subject matter crap; people are gonna talk about that because thats today, the key is to flip like nobody else has...a sad attempt
Maybe he is or maybe he isnt but he believes it. Shit leroy aint defeat sho nuff until he believed (If you dont know what Im talkin bout you prolly too young plain and simple)
Like him or not the boys got that glow...
Um didn't know Lil Wayne was from Atlanta. dude just make your own section and let a real Blogger who knows about the Atlanta Hip-Hop scene run this section, you are horrible. Might as well call this shit Sohh Gayant instead of Sohh Atlanta.
No hate over here, but I feel Wayne ain't even the best rapper in the south. The crown remains on the king. I don't even gotta say his name, and yes i'm a little biased cause i'm from the Eastside Atlanta. But let their work do the talking, line Wayne up with Tip and just listen to they body of work.
Interesting Blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the weezy fans are gonna love this one haha
that was a great post homie... only in 2008 is WAYNE the best!!!! lmao.. its real sad i gotta check out that book..that wack ass carter 3.. I WISH THAT MORE TALENTED rappers got more shine.. who deserve it..
Im so glad someone finally pulled the blinds from the peoples eyes. I hear people saying that every song he comes out with its fire or its the shit. Andre 3000's 4 verses were better than all of lil wayne's albums mixtapes or whatever else he came out with or will make. he is just rapping metaphors with no substance no purpose or no meaning. to me the best rapper right now is Andre because whenever he raps, the whole world listens. And thats a fact jack. just listen to his verse on the Royal Flush and you will know what i am talking about.
Carter 3 is wacccckkkkkkk
Carter 3 is Trash truck juice
i get it,good shit,but for the record it was flavor -aid not kool aid yell
www.myspace.com/panhandoelrcorp
Great article....i may have to check that book out now....i've had the carter 3 for a week now...its hot...i cant lie...not The Carter 2 where he spaced out tho....but I think weezy does have something in store...dont forget about the rehab thing thats suppose to happen...he may leave us...how about doing a album during rehab..no drugs..no womean....no guns.....that may be the REAl DETOX...haha
ehhhhh ... GO COP THAT CARTER 3 TODAY FELLAS!
I actually started reading that book not too long ago...but the preface was a lil' too evil...i'd rather not manipulate and use people...but it's a good read if you know not to practice the tactics in it.
check my boys out
http://www.myspace.com/demsouthernfolkz
the album is on myspace for $2.99(less than a gallon of gas) and it's a classic.
thats why diddy said he was the best "young" rapper alive cause hes better them ringtone rappers but thats it.The way its looking Hova might die of natural causes as the best rapper alive cause Wayne can only go so far because although he can do alot of things he doesnt really have anything to talk about. All jay gotta do is keep dropping freestyles every so often bout how he running through the business world like tyson in '86 cause truthfully his real life is more interesting than Wayne drug induced fantasy world
IT'S A SHAME WHEN A DAY COME LIKE THIS WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO HATE LIKE THIS. I MEAN WHO IN THE WORLD HAVE THAT MUCH TIME TO WRITE A BOOK ON SOMEONE WHO MEAN NOTHING TO THEM.ONLY HATERS. GET UR GAME UP LMAO. IF WEEZY DO LEAVE THE SCENE AND COME BACK YEARS LATER ALL HELL GO BREAK LOOSE. U REALLY DONT WANNA SEE THE GOON TURN INTO THE GOBLIN LMAO. ALL THIS COMPARISON AINT ABOUT SHIT. WEEZY F. BABY IS THE BEST THING OUT THERE AND HE'S WATS HAPPENING. NO HE DIDNT BRAIN-WASH MY MIND I WAS ROLLING WITH HIM SINCE HOT BOYS. HIS LYRICS GOT HOTTER AS HE GREW. LEARN HOW TO GIVE PROPS WHEN THEY ARE DO. CARTER 3 OUT GO COP IT YA DIGG!!!
It's not even any HATE towards wayne..It's just people be riding his nuts so hard,like he's the best thing smokin..He on 106 n park spittin a freestyle like he's a battle rapper or some shit..Like everything he spits is ao amazing..Yall put this nigga up so high that ,of course people are gonna wanna disect this nigga.Most people don't believe what all the hype's about..He got outshined by Fab,and Jay on the carter 3..This album wasn't even better than the carter 2,but yet it gets all this hype..Yall put all this pressure on a nigga,and yea he made a decent album,but it wasn't the album everyone expected
He forgot to mention law Number 99: If you gots to be a nigga, be a White Nigga. It will give you the inherent advantage over your other color nigga counterparts. Face it, White Niggaz rule the world. Wayne is not a White Nigga, therefore he doesn't rule the world.
--OG Matt Herbz--
beautiful article, most people are not educated enough to understand this concept
Joes be over using the word HATE!!! Now there are some hating ass folks who care nothing more than to see another man fall, but in the case of Weezy it usually dont apply. The reason everybody got something to say negative or positive is because of all the hype that surrounds the man...me personally I dont give two fucks about a rapper but I'm a fan of music, and when I keep hearing how the nigglet killing the game I can't help but listen...and listen objectively...that's the real issue...folks don't know how to feel so they wait until someone tell them how they suppose to react...everybody on this man's nuts like the cure for cancer drips from this mans johnson and don't even listen no more...the GAME is fucked up and we are to blame, we all got our own ideas on what's hot but when my ideas clash with your's a niggaz first defence is "you a hater," naw nigga I just aint you, i got my own mind...As far as the album go, it truely is decent but it could've been great and this is coming from a true non fan of Wayne...I mean the Carter 2 was better...I wish Wayne would go back to when he talked about real life situations cuz now all you get from the nigga is "I'm the best," "I fucked your girl," and "I'm so hot" type shit
Lil Wayne IS NOT FROM ATLANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yall can say what ya want bout lil Wayne. But every since tha block is hot he been hot. When he first came out he had a hot ass supporting cast. It aint one person in this bitch that can honestly say they didn't bump tha hot boys. Then when bg and the rest left, Wayne proved to the world that he could make it on his own and yet there are kids that still hate because he hotter than your favorite rapper
Of course elements of the 48 Laws of Power are present in Lil Wayne's image, but the same elements (and others) can be found in almost every artist who has ever grabbed a mic. T.I. did it with the "King of the South", Gillie is slowly, but surely doing it with the "King of Philly", etc., etc. Even Bush used elements of it when he kept saying Iraq had "weapons of mass destruction". As Hot 97 can tell you, you beat something in someone's head enough with a concept and it has a potential to stick. It's called marketing/branding man. But usually it has to be accompanied by something (i.e., talent) for it to really fly. Essentially he marketed/branded himself exceptionally well and is now amongst the elite (arguably). But its not really deeper than that.
THE NIGGA IS GARBAGE NIGGAS LIKE SOHH AND YALL BITCHES GAVE THIS NIGGA THE TITTLE OFF FEATURES AND MIXTAPE. NIGGA PLEASE. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE HOT BOY. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NUMBERS TO COME OUT. THIS NIGGA IS THE HOTTEST RAPPERS TO 18 AND UNDER KIDS...............LOL
You know why its hate? Because why do people feel its necessary to talk down on not just Wayne, but his fans as well. Just because we like his music and he is popular, we get the name calling and assorted bullshit. You can have your opinion, certainly if its grounded with fact, but dont be a crab because the guy is doing well and start smear campaigns that dont benefit you personally AT ALL! Niglet? Yeah thats not hate.
whoever thinks lil wayne is not the best rapper alive is simply lieing to themselves. just take a min. and look at what he is doing. he has more fans than any other rapper, that alone, should qualify him as the best, statistically at least. not to mention some of the shit he says. i can gurantee at least 80% of the people trying to criticize or downgrade weezy for what he is doing, has not even heard alot of his shit. my point is, people should not state their opinion before they know the facts, and the fact is, LiL WayNe is better than anyone else. end of story
I THINK ARTEMUS WHOEVER U IS IS LIKE A UNFAMOUS AL SHARPTON....IN OTHER WORDS YOU IS A HATER...BIG TIME....SHUT HTE FUCK UP NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU GOT 2 SAY....WAYNE IS NOT THE BEST U RIGHT HE IS THE GREATEST && HE GOT ONE OF THE GREATEST TO EVEN SAY IT JAY Z...SO FUCK U