Artist: Lil' Wayne
Mixtape: Dedication 2
Released: May 2006
Label: 101 Entertainment
Listen: http://www.datpiff.com/DJ_Drama_Lil_Wayne_The_Dedication_2.m799.html
Artist: Lil' Wayne
Mixtape: Da Drought 3
Released: 2007
Disc 1: http://www.datpiff.com/Lil_Wayne_Da_Drought_3_-_Disc_1.m4313.html
Disc 2: http://www.datpiff.com/Lil_Wayne_Da_Drought_3_-_Disc_2.m4314.html
Lil' Wayne is known for his smooth style, clever lyrics, and creative song subjects. He also arguably made the biggest impact on his career through his internet mixtapes. Lil' Wayne has been releasing mixtapes since his solo career was starting to take off in 2003. In addition to his traditional albums, he was releasing mixtapes too. During the two years between Tha Carter II and Tha Carter III, Lil' Wayne's popularity grew exponentially as he was featured on other artists' singles and released his extremely popular mixtapes Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3. These mixtapes received plenty of media attention and drew many fans to Lil' Wayne's music. The albums Tha Carter and Tha Carter II sold 1.1 and 1.4 million copies respectively (1). The mixtapes Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3 played a significant role in making Lil' Wayne's album Tha Carter III one of the most highly anticipated albums in history. It sold more than 1,000,000 copies in its first week (2).
Songs from Dedication 2:
- SportsCenter - This song is taken from Jay-Z's "The Game Iz Mine" and is named for its beginning commentary about how much Lil' Wayne watches ESPN. The flow of his lyrics are incredibly smooth.
- Canon (AMG Remix) - Taken from "Bankstaz" by Sunz of Man, Lil' Wayne's lyrics feature plenty of clever analogies that are vivid and sometimes humorous. Other artists are also featured on this track.
- Georgia... Bush - Released as a response to the way the Bush administration handled the Hurricane Katrina situation, this song drew a lot of attention from the public. Lil' Wayne is from New Orleans and was outspoken about the government's response or lackthereof to this natural disaster. It's beat is from Ludacris' "Georgia" which clipped Ray Charles' song by the same name.
Songs from Da Drought 3:
- Ride 4 My Niggas - Lil' Wayne took the beat from the relatively obscure song "Mr. Jones" by Mike Jones and turned it into a hip-hop mixtape classic. Sometimes referred to as "The Sky Is The Limit," this song is motivational and extremely catchy.
- Upgrade - Taken from Beyonce's "Upgrade U," Lil' Wayne demonstrates his ability to entirely change the sound of a song. It's also a demonstration of Lil' Wayne's hypermasculinity, drug use, and sometimes thuggish attitude.
- Back On My Grizzy - This song uses the beat from "Chop Chop" by YoungBloodZ. This song demonstrates several of Lil' Wayne's talents including his smooth style and his creativeness.
(2) http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1589491/20080617/lil_wayne.jhtml
