There was a time when Cash Money was in fact the strongest label in hip-hop. We're talking before unpaid producers and disgruntled artists, before feuds and lawsuits, basically before any of the negatives that cripple the label today. Cash Money used to be a label that every rapper would dream of joining, as it usually meant instant super-stardom. One hip-hop group that reached that pinnacle was The Hot Boys.
The Hot Boys, consisting of Lil Wayne, B.G., Turk and Juvenile, was Cash Money's premiere rap group in the late 90s. Their debut album Get It How You Live! sold over 300,000 copies and really put CMR on the map. On top of their legendary live shows across the United States, their two follow-up albums were also met with critical and commercial success. However, they disbanded around 2002/2003 due to *you guessed it* financial disputes with the label.
The group has never gotten back together in full, but on August 28th (today!) at Lil Wayne's Lil Weezyana Fest in New Orleans, The Hot Boys will reunite for what is sure to be a classic live performance. At a time when good memories of Cash Money Records are few and far between, Wayne manages to shine a little light on the days when Cash Money and The Hot Boys reigned supreme.
For that reason, we have compiled a list of Lil Wayne's 5 best verses on Hot Boys' songs. Did we miss one? Do you disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
"Gangsta N***a"
This verse is one of Wayne's best with The Hot Boys. The track is off their final album Let 'Em Burn, and not only does he start the song off (uncommon for Wayne at that time) but he proceeds to out-rap every other member by a mile. The multi-syllabic rhyme pattern on his first two bars speaks for itself: "Holla at me n***a you know it be Weezy The Don / I murder easy but hard to kill like Steven Segal."
The rest of the 20-bar verse gives us a preview of the type Lil Wayne verses we eventually hear on Tha Carter; hoppy flow, rapid-fire delivery and witty wordplay. Wayne also does a great job of encompassing what the song is all about. In all honesty, that isn't the hardest thing to accomplish seeing as the song is literally about being a "gangsta" but Wayne pulls it off in a way the others don't.
"Spin Tha Bend"
Another heater off Let 'Em Burn features Wayne ripping into a darker Mannie Fresh beat. The punchlines are screwface worthy, the flow is perfectly timed and the "I said I bust heads DA DA DA DA Did I stutta" line sticks out as one of the album's most clever.
Juvenile, Turk and B.G. all shine on this record, which makes it one of the collectives best, but Wayne shuts it down with his versatility. Whether he raps at the beginning of a song or the very end, on this particular album Wayne knows how to steal the show.
He also throws a playful yet surprisingly deep jab at law enforcement towards the end of his verse. "Police don't play so why do you?" gives us an interesting and early look at Wayne's dislike of police. Of course all The Hot Boys have voiced their dislike for cops on multiple songs but the way Wayne sneaks it into this verse is sharp and thought provoking.
"Dirty World"
This song might just be one the best Hot Boys songs of all time-- let alone Wayne's outstanding verse. This one comes right off of their first album Get It How You Live!. It proves that amongst that classic Cash Money tough talk, these four guys were real observers of the world around them and had the tools to articulate what they saw through rhymes.
Wayne masters the hook and the first verse without breaking a sweat. His verse talks, in depth, about the trials and tribulations him and his neighborhood have gone through. Lines like "No matter what, them people gonna always watch us / And them dirty judges gonna keep on tryin' to knock us" and "I'm seein' n***as get shot up, hell I got shot too / Man, you hate me and I hate you, look what this world do / I'm watchin' my own people fry and see they brains boil / Look I don't curse but in this verse n***a fuck the world" are poetic to say the least. It's refreshing to hear Wayne talk introspectively at such a young age. Often times such a young MC can come off corny when trying to hit home with the hood, but Wayne makes it work.
He also wins here because of how seamlessly he transitions from hook to verse and then back to the chorus. It's clear to see that Wayne really cut his teeth on this first Hot Boys album and quickly learned how to steal the show-- something he has done on many occasions.
"Spittin Game"
Another deep cut off Get It How U Live! showcases Wayne's crazy ability to have potent rhymes over gangsta bounce beats. This is one of those Wayne verses that just keeps going and going, with an onslaught of bars, most of which you have to rewind to understand due to his incredibly high pitch.
One of the best things about The Hot Boys was their disregard for typical rap song structure. For example, on this particular track there is no chorus, no bridge, no hook, no nothing. I can totally imagine them cutting the beat, and then one by one going into the booth armed with their notepads and proceeding to rhyme until time ran out. There is no real direction with the song other than "spitting bars."
Although the rest of the Hot Boys bring some heat, Wayne's rhymes can't really be touched here. "See I'm livin' real large even though I'm real small" still goes down as one of the quirkiest lines on the album-- because realistically at age 15 Wayne was probably no taller than 5'1 with a bank account bigger than all of ours put together.
"Clear Tha Set"
This is basically the Lil Wayne show. Every now and again, The Hot Boys would let an individual member have their own track on an album. One of Wayne's is "Clear Tha Block" on the album Guerrilla Warfare.
The best part is that in the four minutes of this song, Wayne manages to execute at least three different flows. He starts off just as you would expect, but in the matter of a few bars he brings out this mild Patois flow that works surprisingly well. He then slows things down to a more punch heavy flow and before you know it he is back to spazzy teenage Wayne.
This proves to be not only one of the best Wayne verses on a Hot Boys album but also one of the best Wayne verses of his young career. His experimenting on this song opens the door for the plethora of flows, cadences and deliveries Wayne uses throughout his career. Plus, you can't beat lines like "Just gimme the word and I shine the chrome, braid my hair and it's on." Too real.