Baltimore rapper Shwaze Collins has repeatedly mentioned Lil Wayne as the inspiration for his own rap career, so we thought who better to recruit for Lil Wayne month here at TDT than a man that grew up idolizing him. We asked Shwaze to give us his favorite Lil Wayne projects in order and explain a little bit about why they each means so much to him.
5. No Ceilings
Standout tracks: “Swag Surf”, “DOA”, “Run This Town”, “Oh Lets Do It”
Now the newer generation would most likely have this higher on their list but coming at Number five for me is No Ceilings. Before heading off to jail in 2009, Wayne wanted to leave his fans with some music to hold everyone over and boy he did not disappoint. Still in his prime, Wayne went back to his signature jackin’ for beats style. He spoke on the perception that he was killing rappers on their own songs on the DJ Scooby Doo documentary for this tape; “I like the song that’s why i killed it I didnt kill them (the artist), I ain’t even rapping like them; I killed their song though”.
4. Dedication 2
Standout Tracks: “Cannon”, “Hustlin”, “Georgia…Bush”, “Workin’ Em”
Taking it back to 2006 we have the Dedication 2. A part of his DJ Drama hosted Dedication series, Wayne continued to wow audiences with his witty wordplay, clever bars, and amazing work ethic. He was continuing to make his campaign for “Best Rapper Alive” and it felt like he was nowhere near slowing down. It’s easy to see how Wayne was became one of the most influential rap artist of his time.
3. Da Drought 3
Standout Tracks: “Ride 4 My Niggas (Sky’s The Limit)”, “Hard Body”, “Dipset 2”, “Upgrade”
One of my favorite mixtapes of all the time we have Da Drought 3 at number three (irony). Like I stated this list is opinion and in my opinion this is one of the top three mixtapes ever. Wayne lyrically annihilated every track on here. Once again using his signature jackin’ for beats style, he took every bodies track and claimed it as his own. There was no denying that Wayne was definitely in his prime and still hungry for more. Immaculate flows, incredible wordplay, and amazing hooks. I was in middle school when this tape dropped and I still listen to it like it just came out yesterday.
2. Tha Carter II
Standout Tracks: “Tha Mobb”, “Money on My Mind”, “Best Rapper Alive”, “Feel Me”
This is the album that made me want to start writing and making music. Coming in at number two is Tha Carter II (another irony). Wayne was in his bag the entire way through, it was on this album that he proclaimed himself “The Best Rapper Alive” and during this era he backed it up. From the hooks to the verses there was nobody lyrically touching Wayne as his prime days began. Tha Carter II is a perfect snapshot of Wayne beginning his run at the top.
1. Tha Carter III
Standout Tracks: “A Milli”, “Let the Beat Build”, “Dr. Carter”, “Shoot Me Down”
When an album goes platinum the first week, in spite of three leaks, you deserve to be number one. Tha Carter III ladies and gentleman. I still remember this album dropping like it was yesterday just because the first stop on Tha Carter III tour was Baltimore. Wayne was still in peak form and nowhere near slowing down. Showing his versatility with fiery verses and melodic hooks and even adding the autotune to his arsenal Wayne was showing how unstoppable he was. Continuing to prove why he was the self proclaimed Best Rapper Alive he once again made it hard to argue why he wasn’t.
Read more about Shwaze here in our 2017 interview with him here and peep the visuals for his latest track “Geronimo”.
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