Let’s face it; hip hop musicians are as dispensable as a condom. The reason is because the industry is currently saturated with too many aspiring acts with little to no talent. Some think that mainstream hip hop music is just about rattling off a couple of rhyming words. It is not. At the end of the day, talent is still a requisite in this business. True talent always shines through and for one to generate staying power, you need that.
Meet 26 year old American rapper, Lil’ Wayne. Unlike some forgettable one hit wonders, the 4 time Grammy award winning artiste has had a career in hip hop music since he was 11. He wrote his first rap song when he was only 8 years old, displaying a knack for freestyle rapping. When he turned 15, he was part of a 4 piece rap group called Hot Boys. The group went on to make some modest achievements, but soon disbanded in 2003.
It was Wayne’s solo career that catapulted him to fame. At 17, while still part of Hot Boys, he released his debut solo album to great success. The album climbed to the #3 spot on Billboards. His next two albums, Lights out and 500 Degreez, however, failed to surpass the expectations of his predecessor.
Undeterred by the lack luster sales and dissipated interest, Lil Wayne made a comeback in 2004 with his fourth album, Tha Carter. The album went on to sell over 1 million albums, earning him the recognition he deserved. That following year, he was named President of Cash Money, his recording company, and he founded his own sister label, Young Money Entertainment.
He took the next 2 years slow; preferring instead to focus on collaborations with fellow hip hop artistes. He worked with other notable celebrities such as Kanye West, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and Chris Brown on a few projects. In 2007, he was named ‘Rapper of the Year’ by New Yorker magazine and ‘Workaholic of the Year’ by GQ magazine.
Indeed, there isn’t an easy way to success, and Lil Wayne’s unwavering efforts should be an inspiration to us. Many people think it’s easy to strike out as a hip hop artiste, but it isn’t. It takes years of hard work to come close to eminence.
Lil Wayne’s efforts paid off hugely in 2008. Tha Carter III, his latest offering, was released to huge fanfare. The album was originally slated for a 2007 release, but was delayed due to unfortunate widespread leaks. The album was released in the second quarter of 2008 and sold more than a million copies in its first week of release; the success of which was unprecedented in 3 years. It was also a surprise because the music industry was at the time in a sales slump. Lil Wayne had created a new benchmark.
What quickly ensued with the success of the album were of course Wayne’s first accomplishments. His first single, Lollipop, became his first Billboard topper. Soon after, his album was certified 2 times platinum, a feat that was hard to achieve these days. Perhaps as a form of salutation to his work, he went on to garner 8 Grammy and 12 BET nominations; both of which he bagged many of the prestigious awards.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTF6N7EWzOA]
Not one to relent in his works, he once again collaborated with many top notch artistes such as Usher, Akon, Keri Hilson and of course, T.I. on the song Swagger Like Us, which we love. His dedication and hardworking attitude are two traits we should all seek to emulate.
Perhaps what is little known about Lil’ Wayne is that he is quite smart a person as he is as good a rapper. In 2005, he enrolled at the University of Houston, taking up political science. With a fervent passion for sports, he has published writing efforts at ESPN, having dabbled in journalism at the ESPN Super Bowl party. He appeared as a guest debater on a segment of ESPN First Take.
We have to admit; brains and hip hop music? That’s the ultimate recipe for swagger.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment