Since Wayne won damn near every rap category at the ‘09 Grammys, we just had to ask the question: Is Dwayne Carter REALLY all that? Well, YES. The top 5 reasons he really IS the best…..maybe—and we won’t say I told you so.
5. He Kept Saying So
Psychological theory says that in order for the brain to act on a suggestion, it has to be repeated at least three times. That’s why commercials and presidential campaigns repeat ideas again, again and again. If 3 times is the charm,
Wayne passed that marker a looong time ago. Wayne has been saying he’s the best for years.
While it’s true that every rapper says they’re the best, it seems as though Wayne really means it. Add in a few good turns of phrase and punch lines and people start to believe it. DISCLAIMER: The repetition thing doesn’t always work. DJ Khaled yells “We the beeeeeeest!!!” like a madman with Tourettes Syndrome and I still don’t believe him.
4. Good Beat Selection
You could be rapping truth to power, telling the secrets to lifelong love and happiness in your rhymes, but if the beat is wack? Who cares (ask Rakim). There’s nothing like having a good prolific producer in the crew. Cash Money can never give Mannie Fresh the money he deserves for all the beats he made that helped make them famous. He was not only good, but fast, and he made mostly original music so they kept the lion’s share of profit from recording. Now, Mannie has since left the clique, but Baby has enough
money to get whatever producer that Wayne wants; not to mention the fact that most producers wouldn’t mind the near-guaranteed hit of a Weezy cameo.
3. On His Grind
Hip hop fans may be the ultimate haters, but we can’t knock the hustle. I know many a head who thought Master P SUCKED but had to praise his work ethic. I ain’t no 50 Cent
fan, but DAMN! I ain’t mad at that Vitamin Water money. Same is true for Wayne: he might not be the best lyricist to more than a few minds, but if every rapper worked like Weezy they would be on top of the game. The man has got to hold the record for being on the most recordings in 1 year. It’s taken Dre almost 10 years to look even close to releasing another album, while Wayne has probably put out more records in 6 months than the good doctor’s whole career.
2. You Can Hear His Growth
A lot of times rappers come fully formed. They do all the writing and 
practicing BEFORE they blow up, so what we usually get is a fully conceived rapper with their own original voice. Lil Wayne really was little when he started. The brash youngun’ hooked up with Cash Money when he was barely a teen.
Just like when Janet Jackson went from cute Penny on Good Times to budding flower Charlene Duprey on Diff’rent Strokes, then took Control as a fine-ass grown woman, Wayne grew up before our eyes from talking about ghetto kid stuff to talking about grown-up ghetto stuff. Even the detractors must admit Weezy showed improvement from “Block Is Hot” to “Fireman.”
1. Every Generation has Their Own Hero
I was schooling a younger cat a few years ago about how Wayne wasn’t all that compared to Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and a slew of other old school artists. But he stopped me when he said “That’s what YOU grew up on. Wayne is what I grew
up on and what I’ll be talking bout when I’m older.” And there it is. To truly feel an artist or understand the vibe, sometimes ya gotta BE there, in the club or the streets or the lunchroom when it hits and everybody loses their mind. Each generation MUST have their own heroes. They may respect Rakim and Kane, but in 2015, it’ll take A Milli to pack the dancefloor.
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