Lil Wayne's guest appearance on Chance The Rapper's "No Problem" reminded us of everything we love about Weezy, and inspired us to go back through some of his more recent features. While some flew under the radar more than others, Wayne has had a solid run of guest appearances over the last year, so we assembled a few of our favorite 16s (and beyond) from the last 12 months.
While Weezy has a number of great verses on ColleGrove, we decided to limit the songs from the project to one, in order to highlight some of his more slept on verses. Click through the galleries to see all the picks. What's your favorite recent Wayne verse? Let us know in the comments below.
Curren$y's "Fat Albert"
Curren$y's "Fat Albert"
Quotable: "And your homie talk aloud bout what he gon' do/ You know your homie ain't your homie 'til he bleed on you/ You know you never know you love her til she cheat on you/ You know you never know your brother 'til he dethrone you/ You know Lil Tunechi been a soldier since T-R-U/ Fuck a heated argument, we let the heat argue/ P-I-R-U brazy like glue"
It's not every day you hear Wayne over an alchemist beat, and he brings the type of grit the dusty loop deserves, delivering cutting punchlines, personal anecdotes, and top-notch wordplay. It's a triumphant as it is paranoid, as Weezy looks twice at the people he keeps around him and separates the real from the fake. As strong as Curren$y's 16 is, he couldn't have seen this coming.
OT Genasis' "Do It"
OT Genasis' "Do It"
Quotable: "Remember when you fell off that pole?/ I signed your cast on your leg/ But you've got much better since then/ I guess that pole dancin' class worked/ I guess that yoga class paid off/ You got them hoes mad at work/ And your lil cousin, she don't dance/ She count your money and hold your purse/ Say you only dance to my songs/ That's a gift and a curse"
Wayne's influence has never been just about the lyrics, as his use of melody and auto-tune has inspired a whole new wave of rappers, and his verse on "Do It" reminds of his vocal abilities, carving out supremely catchy hooks while never sticking to conventional melodies.
Young Juve's "Do Yo Thang (Remix)"
Young Juve's "Do Yo Thang (Remix)"
Quotable: "And I ain't climbing down/ I never been a fan of common ground/ I've been getting green since Bobby Brown/ Been meaning to write my wrongs/ But I've been too busy to jot 'em down/ And when you visit I'm not around/ I hope your view isn't from out of bounds/ I come to do business/ And for you new niggas disguising frowns/ A Tunechi verse is like a body found"
Wayne sometimes chooses strange places to put his best rapping -- recent single by Juvenile's song, Young Juve, is one of them. Joined by Mannie Fresh as well, perhaps Wayne saw the opportunity to tap back into the energy of his Hot Boys days, blacking out on an extensive verse that explores melody as well as delivering some ferocious bars, coming off introspective while always finding surprising ways to make his point.
2 Chainz' "Bounce"
2 Chainz' "Bounce"
Quotable: "Caught up in my bullshit, put your head on backwards/ And skate off after, engage in laughter ‘bout what just happened/ Fingers in napkins get sent to mammies; is that too graphic?/ Catch you in traffic, you sitting daffy like stealing candy/ My ceiling’s absent, my wheels are massive, my friends assassins/ All of us bastards, our mothers queens and our women dancers/ My rivers rapid, my fins are splashin’, my gills are flappin’/ I bit some matches, then sipped some gas and went, kiss the dragon"
"Bounce" has to be the funniest, liveliest, and most quotable Wayne verse in recent memory. Functioning like a rap battle, Wayne feeds off of 2 Chainz' manic energy, and ends up making Chainz look like the straight man in their buddy comedy-like relationship.
Jadakiss' "Kill"
Jadakiss' "Kill"
Quotable: "I’m married to the mob my tuxedo fit/ Now can you treat a blood like a mosquito, bitch/ I’m the exterminator they call me terminator/ I cock this motherfucker back and Arnold Schwarzenegger/ I’m still a Martian nigga approach with caution, nigga/ I’m bout to kill em, baby, no abortion nigga/ Toss a nigga in a river wearing cement shoes/ Smokin' quarters and pounds I’m on my p’s & q’s"
Jadakiss has always been known as an uncompromising street rapper, so with Wayne going up against a New York icon, it onlt made sense for him to tap back into Mixtape Weezy mode. The result is a commanding performance that keeps the rapper very centered in his vocal delivery, but still very colorful in his wordplay. When he lets loose in his final bars, it's all over.