basics: lil wayne

“When I was five my favorite movie was The Gremlins. Ain't got sh*t to do with this, but I just thought that I should mention.”

Rappers are a lot like basketball players in that your opinion on the GOAT probably has a strong correlation to your age. You can understand the greats who came before, but when push comes to shove, your heart lies with who you grew up with.

I grew up in the Lil Wayne era. Wayne started his rap career at just 13 years old. By the time his solo career started in earnest with Tha Carter series in 2004, Wayne was just 22 years old but already had nearly a decade under his belt. When youthful energy meets 10,000 hours of practice and generational talent, you get Wayne’s run from 2005 to 2008. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina leveling his hometown New Orleans, Wayne embarked on one of the greatest runs in the history of the genre, authoring hundreds of songs and releasing four of the defining hip-hop projects of the decade in the span of just two and half years, from the release of Tha Carter II in December 2005 to Tha Carter III in June 2008.

Wayne’s career has it all. He began as a truly local talent, tearing up the south on the burgeoning Cash Money Records in the ‘90s before becoming the definition of a superstar, exploding as the biggest music act in America in the late aughts. He’s been both a critical darling—amassing Grammy Awards and hipster cred—and a commercial smash. Tha Carter III survived a premature leak to sell a million albums in its first week.

He’s run the gamut stylistically, too. He came up in the era of hard-nosed gangster bravado, where he flourished. The latter stages of his peak took place in a time when vulnerability became mainstream, and he thrived there as well. Yet Wayne’s defining sound is ultimately neither. What I love most about him is his exuberance. Hip-hop’s origins are fun, yet the highest reaches of mainstream rap has infrequently felt that way. So much of Wayne’s best moments see him getting a kick out of his own idiosyncratic, often-vulgar brilliance. Bringing us along for the ride almost felt like a bonus.

↗ Spotify

↗ Apple Music

01. B.G. (ft. Big Tymers and Hot Boyz)—”Bling Bling”

02. Lil Wayne—”The Block Is Hot” (Tha Block Is Hot)

03. Lil Wayne—”Go DJ” (Tha Carter)

04. Lil Wayne (ft. Mannie Fresh)—”This Is The Carter” (Tha Carter)

05. Lil Wayne—”BM J.R.” (Tha Carter)

06. Lil Wayne (ft. Mannie Fresh)—”Bring It Back” (Tha Carter)

07. Birdman––”Get Your Shine On” (ft. Lil Wayne)

08. Lil Wayne—”Tha Mobb” (Tha Carter II)

09. Lil Wayne—”Money On My Mind” (Tha Carter II)

10. Lil Wayne—”Carter II” (Tha Carter II)

11. Lil Wayne—”Hustler Musik” (Tha Carter II)

12. Lil Wayne—”Fly Out” (Tha Carter II)

13. Birdman & Lil Wayne—”Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”

14. Lil Wayne—”I’m Me” (The Leak)

15. Lil Wayne—”Kush” (The Leak)

16. Playaz Circle (ft. Lil Wayne)—”Duffle Bag Boy”

17. Wyclef Jean (ft. Lil Wayne, Akon & Niia)—”Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)”

18. The Game (ft. Lil Wayne)—”My Life”

19. Lil Wayne—”3 Peat” (Tha Carter III)

20. Lil Wayne—”A Milli” (Tha Carter III)

21. Lil Wayne—”Let The Beat Build” (Tha Carter III)

22. Lil Wayne (ft. Static Major)—”Lollipop” (Tha Carter III)

23. Lil Wayne (ft. Juelz Santana & Fabolous)—”You Ain’t Got Nuthin” (Tha Carter III)

24. Lil Wayne—”Surf Swag” (No Ceilings)

25. Birdman (ft. Drake & Lil Wayne)—”4 My Town (Play Ball)”

26. Rick Ross (ft. T-Pain, Lil Wayne & Kanye West)—”Maybach Music 2”

27. Lil Wayne (ft. Drake)—”Right Above It” (I Am Not A Human Being)

28. The Game (ft. Lil Wayne)—”Red Nation”

29. Lil Wayne (ft. Cory Gunz)—”6 Foot 7 Foot” (Tha Carter IV)

30. Lil Wayne (ft. Drake)—”She Will” (Tha Carter IV)

31. Lil Wayne (ft. Rick Ross)—”John” (Tha Carter IV)

32. Lil Wayne—”How To Love” (Tha Carter IV)

33. Ace Hood (ft. Rick Ross & Lil Wayne)—”Hustle Hard (Remix)”

34. Lil Wayne (ft. Gudda Gudda)—”Gunwalk” (I Am Not A Human Being II)

35. Lil Wayne (ft. Soulja Boy)—”Trigger Finger” (I Am Not A Human Being II)

36. Lil Wayne (ft. Dre)—”Hot Revolver” (I Am Not A Human Being II)

37. Young Money (ft. Tyga, Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne)—”Senile”

38. Lil Wayne (ft. Reginae Carter)—”Famous” (Tha Carter V)

39. Lil Wayne (ft. Snoop Dogg)—”Dope N*ggaz” (Tha Carter V)

Not on streaming services

40. Lil Wayne—”Motivation” (2005)

41. Lil Wayne—”Down & Out” (2005)

42. Lil Wayne—”I’m A Ridah” (2005)

43. Lil Wayne (ft. Mack Maine)—”Please Say The Baby” (2005)

44. Lil Wayne—”Get ‘Em” (2006)

45. Lil Wayne—”Cannon (AMG Remix)” (2006)

46. Lil Wayne—”Workin Em” (2006)

47. Lil Wayne—”SportsCenter” (2006)

48. Lil Wayne (ft. Juelz Santana)—”Welcome to tha Jungle” (2006)

49. Lil Wayne—”Spitter” (2006)

50. Lil Wayne—”Georgia… Bush” (2006)

51. Lil Wayne—”Weezy’z Ambitionz“ (2006)

52. Lil Wayne (ft. Juelz Santana)—“Black Republicans” (2007)

53. Lil Wayne—”Ride 4 My N*ggas (Sky’s The Limit)” (2007)

54. Lil Wayne—”We Taking Over (Remix)” (2007)

55. Lil Wayne—”I Can’t Feel My Face” (2007)

56. Lil Wayne—”Seat Down Low” (2007)

57. Lil Wayne—”Dipset” (2007)

58. Lil Wayne—”Back on My Grizzy” (2007)

59. Lil Wayne—”Something You Forgot” (2007)

60. Lil Wayne—”La La La” (2007)