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Having read yesterday that rapper Lil Wayne was sexually assaulted as a child and recalling that he is from New Orleans, I've been mulling him over. Whether we approve of rap or not, think it's art or don't, rap lyrics still fall within poetic literature. So, how has Lil Wayne's life informed his art?
Looking at some of Lil Wayne's lyrics, such as those for "A Milli," off his CD Tha Carter III, I can see that his life, what he's been exposed to as an African-American male and as a son of New Orleans, influences his work, even in word choice. Using the French word derriere for a woman's behind, for instance, reminds us New Orleans is associated with French culture, but then he misspells the word, reminding us that he's a high school dropout and that education systems all over urban America are in trouble.
Like a street corner musician who plays jazz by ear, he's an untrained writer, spelling by sound, crafting by instinct. Creative writing teachers today don't hold poor spelling against writers from certain backgrounds as they once did. Most likely Lil Wayne would be included in that group, a gifted young man who tuned out lessons at Eleanor McMain charter high school at age 14 to rap.
By 16 he was at a Cash Money Records party in NYC hanging with P.Diddy. A YouTube video shows him at The Tunnel NYC, and while the title says he was 14, I think Birdman of CMR identifies Wayne as 16.
Here's a video interview with Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., in New Orleans, September 27, 1982. It's a public relations mini-biography but still covers his drug use.
The video doesn't mention his being sexually assaulted by a 14-year-old girl when he was 11, and I suspect that's because it's not something a tough gangsta rapper wants to publicize even though he was pressured to talk about it on Jimmy Kimmel Live last month. I wonder how that experience may have also influenced how he looks at women beyond the stereotypical misogyny of ordinary rap.
In his music we see often the minimization of females and fewer hints of NOLA with references to where he grew up, Hollygrove, for instance, mentioned in "The Block is Hot" and in some of his other pieces as well. He also uses New Orleans phrasing. In "A Milli" he has a classic bit of New Orleans colloquial speech, "Who dat." If you've heard it elsewhere, it's most likely been in the question "Who dat say dey go'n beat dem Saints?" In "A Milli" Lil Wayne uses the phrase to hype himself, a common rapper practice:
They say I'm rappin like BIG, jay, and tupac
Andre 3000 where is eryka badu at
Who dat
Who dat said dey gon beat lil wayne
My name ain't Bic but I keep dat flame man
Who dat one dat do dat boy ya knew dat tru da Swallow
And I be da s**t now u got loose bowels
I don't O U like two vowels
But I would like for u to pay me by the hOUr
And I'd rather be pushin flowers
Then to be in the pen sharin showers
Tony told us this world was ours
And the bible told us every girl was sour
Don't play in her garden and don't smell her flower
(lyrics from "A Milli" by Lil Wayne)
Also in these lines we see a glimpse of the misogyny in which he and many other male rappers invest themselves. He defends it, as do many men of all socio-economic backgrounds, with "the bible told me so."
Interestingly, he acknowledges in the lines that men are at the top of Hip Hop and subtly belittles the work of Erykah Badu, a black female recording artist who reveals a womanist philosophy in much of her work. Certain kinds of men will never gravitate to Badu's music.
I definitely cannot say that all rappers have been molested by an older female before they reach their teens and such experience colors their work, but I think Lil Wayne's early sexual encounter shows up in his lyrics. Read more about his discomfort talking about the assault at Blogher.com.
If you like angles on New Orleans literature, culture and history, such as poet Walt Whitman's connection to the city or spoken word artist Taalam Acey's recent visit to New Orleans Youth Slam, then please follow my examinations here at this link. You may also subscribe. More on Lil Wayne's New Orleans next time. Part 2
Comments
Very interesting...
I have to admit that I don't pay much attention to Wayne, mostly because I can't understand what he is saying. But a bigger part of the reason is because he has seemed to jump into the driver's seat of the train that is driving hip-hop in the direction that I would rather not see it go. The music seems to be about putting down women, and how much money you have, and what kind of cars you drive, and I really don't care anymore. What makes this worse for me, is that he is SMART! He is two years away from a college degree I believe...
Why must the art be sacrificed for the money? That is my question.
This has helped me to say, "A-ha!" to a few things. It doesn't excuse them...just makes me understand.
you gys need to listen to more lil wayne..desperately do.
@yessir -
I'm all for giving everyone a chance. I wouldn't love Pac as much as I do if I hadn't given him a listen. I guess it's a matter of growing up in two different times, two different environments. Does it make Wayne great because he sold a million records in a week? No, that makes him marketable.
I have listened to Wayne, and I don't see the trip. Maybe it's because I'm not out there, doing the things that he's speaking about so he's missing me with all the lyrics he's spitting. But I've heard true fire...and he's not it.
I'm sorry, but I believe you are misinterpreting the lyrics. He's not belittling Erykah Badu, she's included among the list of greats. It's part of flow, but the connection is Andre 3000 is part of the list of greats, and so is his ex-girlfriend Erykah Badu. Some believe Dre was on top of his game when he was with Erykah.
The problem with Lil Wayne is that his flow is based on associations, and he goes from one topic to the next depending on how he plays on the words.
In the closing we are back on women, but it's connected to his association of not being a punk in the "pen" as in penitentiary, which is also a play on "pen", something he's not victim of because he doesn't write his lyrics, they are purely from his flow.
Therefore a man who gets taken in the "pen" is now de-masculated, (i.e. womanize), which leads to the closing of the lyrics you posted. If any thing this is more Lil Wayne "calling out" other men, for not being able to handle women.
Now you can tie that back to Erykah Badu, but I believe he considers her the exception, and Andre 3000 is feminized.
To make a long explanation short, Lil wayne is saying he's not a punk, and he knows how to tame women. Erykah is part of those women you hold on a pedestal vs those that you sleep with.
Mrs. Grapevine. Thank you very much for sharing your view of Lil Wayne's lyrics. I invited Yessir to return and do the same, and I hope he does so.
It's possible what you say is true. I give leeway since I suspect you've listened to a lot more Lil Wayne than I have and done so over time, meditated longer than I have. However, after spending all day listening to Lil Wayne yesterday, and looking at the association of the New Orleans saying "who dat" which follows his reference to Erykah Badu, I thought it was a put down as in "Can anyone beat him?" And see significance that the female is listed last.
They say I'm rappin like BIG, jay, and tupac
Andre 3000 where is eryka badu at
Who dat
Who dat said dey gon beat lil wayne
Untrained writers loathe punctuation and stream of consciousness writers like Lil Wayne think they need not supply any, but punctuation and actual poet's line breaks would be helpful since for all I know, how his words are presented on the lyrics site differ from what he hears in his head. But when I listen to A Milli, I hear it as its written here. (Didn't change the lyrics as appearing on rappersbasement)
Nevertheless, I see that he often, in his other lyrics, unless the woman is a supposed to be someone he likes, treats the feminine as a negative. Hence the classification of his language as misogynistic.
But I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear Lil Wayne say he respects Erykah Badu and all women as that is a big contradiction in male Hip Hop lyrics--they claim they love their mothers and sometimes their babies' mothers and wives but proceed to call women in general any number of pejorative names.
Nevertheless, I'm still looking at what he wrote and rapped in the context of not only of A Milli lyrics and his other lyrics but also in the context of the phrase "who dat."
Another good point you make is here: "To make a long explanation short, Lil wayne is saying he's not a punk, and he knows how to tame women. Erykah is part of those women you hold on a pedestal vs those that you sleep with."
Might I suggest that since he continues to place women in positions of inferiority via the implication that men must "handle" and "tame" women to the preferred behaviors men want them to have that he still, like many men, has an issue with women in positions of power. Ultimately, any woman is just a "b***h" in their eyes.
Finally, I consider that he has a Madonna-Wh*re sydrome, to separate a woman he supposedly respects from a woman he sleeps with.
Sincerely, I wish more people would drop by who've actually thought about Lil Wayne's lyrics as you have done. What's going on here is no different than what goes on in lit classes. People have been debating what a poet means since before the days of the ancient playrights.
One more thing, Mrs. Grapevine. No need to be sorry to disagree. I wrote it hoping for honest feedback. Thank you for stating your opinion so well.
What shapes us as creative artists, or merely as everyday people, informs and influences our actions. It is in the evolution to sentience that we learn to not be controlled by negative influences into doing or saying things that are destructive of ourselves or others. All artists, all people, must be accept the responsibility for the damage done by the weapons they wield, whether a gun or a microphone.
Beautifully said, William
You're holding all artist to a higher standard of work spiritually.
You didn't plug yourself, so I will. :-)
Bill's a poet, cityoflegends.com
I'm not denying the misogyny, it's clearly there, I just don't think he was trying to belittle Erykah.
I like lil wayne. Think he's one of the more talented rappers out there, in his rhythmic sense and his willingness to experiment. None of us can be blamed for our cultural milieu or the parts of our history that were taken out of our control. Verbalizing the contradictory truths that always seem to cause such conflict in hip hop really conforms to the continuous denigration of art in black form that we engage in quite often. The discussion is good. But this world that we've cocreated exists outside of these individual artists and while they are responsible for their expression of it, they are not necessarily responsible for the contradiction itself. Not everyone seeks the perfection of the Self consciously, but lil wayne seems to be one who is moving in a direction. As he becomes cognizant of his own culpability in continuing stereotypes, it will quickly become apparent which direction he will choose to proceed in.
Thank you, MrsGrapevine. I read your blog and know that you keep up more with the insider information of celebrities, their love lives, etc. I find your post absolutely fascinating, especially when I'm in a voyeuristic mood. I mean, being nosy. Haha!
I'm relieved to think Lil Wayne wasn't trying to belittle her. Maybe his listing of her at the bottom was subconscious or perhaps her name, which is rather rhythmic in and of itself, just felt better there in his flow. I'm willing to believe that knowing how stream of consciousness goes.
If he likes Erykah Badu's work and can appreciate her thoughts as an evolving woman, then that means Lil Wayne will keep growing and that he will also heal from whatever may have harmed him. I want all our children to just get healed. :-) Maybe one day he'll be healed enough to let go of his misogyny.
Rahkyt, you wrote: "But this world that we've cocreated exists outside of these individual artists and while they are responsible for their expression of it, they are not necessarily responsible for the contradiction itself. Not everyone seeks the perfection of the Self consciously, but lil wayne seems to be one who is moving in a direction. As he becomes cognizant of his own culpability in continuing stereotypes, it will quickly become apparent which direction he will choose to proceed in."
Beautifully put.
While I decided to look at Lil Wayne, and btw, will finish up with another post on the rapper later this evening or tomorrow morning, as an artist I get jumpy about quashing irreverent voices. When try to silence the art of those who make us uncomfortable, then we loose geniuses such as Amiri Baraka and Gil Scott Heron. Sometimes good art is doing exactly what it should be doing when it offends us or makes us uncomfortable.
As for "A Milli," while some of his lines make me cringe as a woman, I still hear a young man who's smart and needs to be heard. Still, spiritually, we are all held accountable for what we put into the cosmos.
And for anyone reading, Rahkyt is himself a talented poet and musician. Google him. :-)
your wrong. im a die hard lil wayne fan, so i know the facts.
He doesn't consider what happened between him and that girl sexual assault? your mixed up
& he is smart, just because he dropped out does not make him stupid, he was straight A student while in school
so please just delete this, your hurting.
Hannah, no one said that Lil Wayne is stupid on this thread. People have said he's smart, talented, and gifted, all compliments.
However, if a 14-year-old ambushes an 11-year-old into sex, the law calls it sexual assault regardless of how Lil Wayne feels about it.
lil waynes is the bom wat ya talkin
heyy i understand wer all of u cumin from i cant take sides cuz he really iz a great rapper but also he says uncal for shyt bout females and dets not rit we wont respect too. just cuz he got money dont make him better et all.... yu all have ah nice day
lisin you beter lay off Lil Wanye
$your the best rapper alive !!!@ the carder $
Please guys I heard a rumour that Lih wayn is death .plz is it true
pu you see I at danilel is you ok kokokok
i want to know secret about lil wayne
i want to know some secret about Lil wayne
LIL WAYNE IS DA BEST RAPPER,HE KNOWS HIS STUFF HE IS DA BOMB,I LISTEN TO ANYTHING THAT INCLUDES WEEZY
I think people need stop responding so heavy on a form of art they don't understand,art is if anything beauty,if we as people want nothing but love than we must look 4 the beauty within one another,and Wayne holds a whole lot as we all do, we express ourselves through expereince no matter how bad it sounds 2 some people,if you listen you might understand it might sound bad but the art that is a part of Him is coming from nowhere but the good in him!!Does'nt the truth usually hurt?1luv!
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