Legendary rapper Lil Wayne dropped a 24-track album titled Funeral; a 1 hour 16 minute album which did not have a lot in terms of build-up. And with the long-awaited Carter V album finally out, dropping back in 2018, it was hard to know exactly what to expect from Lil Wayne next.
This is not to diminish his impact on hip-hop, which is huge, from his witty one-liners to his prolific mixtape catalogue; the Carter III being a game-changer for pop-rap.
On top of that, he cosigned artistes who have changed the game themselves; Nicki Minaj and Drake. But at this point, those days are behind Lil Wayne right now. What is his purpose and direction at this point?
Clearly, he still wants to make money and make music. But is he attempting anything other than just trying live up to expectations? Because if we are being honest, said expectations have been gradually lowered by his increasingly mediocre projects.
The review
With the title of this project, Funeral, you would think that this album is something emotional and different; Wayne staring into his own mortality. While there are hints of that on the intro track, the starting song is a taste of what not to expect.
What follows past the first song is yet another unfocused Lil Wayne album that is blurted and packed with forgettable moments and unbearable tracks (like Know You Know featuring 2 Chainz)
In the whole of the Funeral album, it is as though Lil Wayne is so anxious to keep rapping that he cannot process his thoughts or catch his breath; like failing an exam because you were scared, not because you did not study.
In fact, Funeral sounds less like an album and more like a mixtape.
On the songs where he does catch his breath, he explores introspective topics like isolation, distrust, and love. But these songs are on the more boring productions.
On Trust Nobody, which leans into a lackluster Adam Levine hook about not even being able to trust oneself; Wayne sounds both bored and boring.
Wayne, The-Dream, and Mike WiLL Made could have made an ideal trio; but Sights and Silencers is a dull ballad with a poorly defined concept. Like most Wayne albums, it is longer than it needs to be and prone to downtimes.
Summary
There is a new generation of rappers that undoubtedly draws inspiration from Lil Wayne; some of whom even collaborated with him on this album.
But as someone who is such a huge influence on hip-hop, Wayne mashes through every song so recklessly that it’s hard to tell where he draws influence these days.
With rife autotune and punchlines that don’t hit as hard, it is unfortunate to say that Lil Wayne’s audience might have outgrown him.
While he raps about heavy subjects like longevity and his artistic slump, this album is lacking in the storytelling that made Carter V so great. And since storytelling is one of the foundations of hip-hop, what does this album really have working for it?
