It has been 20 years since Lil Wayne entered the rap game as a fresh-faced 14-year-old tagging alongside Hot Boys B.G., Turk, and Juvenile. And although he would venture off into his solo career only three years later, it wasn't until the legendary wordsmith introduced the world to The Carter series in 2004 that "Lil Wayne" was a name critics began to mention. In a recent interview with Hip Hop Crown Nation, Wayne reflected on his beginnings in an era in which "musically you had to be somebody to be a rapper," and drew contrasts to a portion of today's crop of young rappers, who are coming up in what he deems a less demanding industry.
"It's so easy to make a song these days, for these people man. Anybody could just become somebody. And you know, what the thing is, what I hate to shatter their world with is that, you're actually not somebody," said Wayne. "Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean you're nobody. But you're not actually doing what we doing, or what people like I have done. You're not. You're not, and you're not, and you're not and you're not, and you're not."
Before elaborating on his point, Wayne relieved newbie rappers of responsibility for the delusion he inferred they might have in identifying themselves as "rappers" in the same vein as he and his contemporaries. According to Wayne, because of how easy social media and access to video and music streaming has become for the general public, blowing up off of a viral song and parlaying such popularity into a rap career is no longer some extraordinary feat.
No names were mentioned during the interview, but such rappers as Lil Yachty [who was blasted by Ebro Darden for his rejection of old school rap], Rich Homie Quan [who forgot the lyrics to "Get Money" during a Biggie tribute], and ILOVEMAKKONEN [whose lackadaisical freestyle while a guest on Tim Westwood's show, was blasted by Royce 5'9], have come under scrutiny from rap veterans.
Source: youtube.com
