Lil Wayne calls Andre 3000's remarks about rapping over 40 "depressing"

[Supa]

It’s not necessarily what you rap about, but how you rap about it. There’s many long time vets that rap about what they rap about and still sounds nice, from recent vets like Slim Thug and Paul Wall to the further back folks like Method Man, Onyx, and MOP. The problem is when you sounds like a relic. KRS-One to me has sounded like a relic since after his 2007 album. Same thing with a lot of 80s rappers in general. Melle Mel sounded terrible on his Eminem diss. MC Hammer was brutal trying his comeback in 2001. As long as your flow sounds as close to your peak as possible, age shouldn’t matter.

It is what you're rapping about it.

Kiss been rapping about the same thing for 25 years. He's gonna be 50 talking about bricks. You sell coffee not coke.

 

[Big Jo]

Why you quoting something he said when he was younger? Theres two totally different end games from then and now.

The quote itself was about the end game though. It’s relevant

 

[spliz]

I agree that Nas is showing and proving. Nas is one of one though. There's artists like Eminem that even said "the fire expires at 30" and had Eminem stopped making albums at 30, his discography would probably be in better standing than it is. His albums got increasingly worse with each drop. Relapse and Music To Be Murdered By are the only good albums he's dropped in a decade and some change.

Eminem is a terrible example. Son is dirt now. I believe u can do anything u wanna do as long as u still have the skill to do it. Especially make music. Which is why Wayne said it’s depressing to hear Dre speak like that. He clearly still loves to rap and to hear someone u look up to act like that is depressing. Hip hop was only a “young man’s game” when the damn genre itself was still young. It’s not young anymore. People can age with it. Especially considering most of the highest selling rappers even today are pushing 40 or over 40. Drake, Cole, Kendrick, Future, Nicki, and the list goes on.

 

[spliz]

It is what you're rapping about it.

Kiss been rapping about the same thing for 25 years. He's gonna be 50 talking about bricks. You sell coffee not coke.

U don’t have to listen. Especially if u actually copped a Kiss album u would know he raps about grown shyt too. I’d be damned if I tell someone who has the skill to do something to stop just because they don’t fit my sensibilities. Matter fact. It’s all entertainment anyway. It u hear Kiss rap about a brick. That’s what u should assume. Y’all get mad when nikkas spit about certain shyt in they rhymes and act all fake outraged if they really do the shyt. But then turn around and act like. It’s a problem when they ain’t doing the shyt no more and rap about it as well, hip hop fans suck. Straight up.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

It is what you're rapping about it.

Kiss been rapping about the same thing for 25 years. He's gonna be 50 talking about bricks. You sell coffee not coke.

To an extent, but if you think that’s all he raps about, that’s more on you than him. Now if those Jacksonville rappers are still rapping about dead opps at 40 years old (if they make it past 25), then there’s some actual credence. So yes, it’s is mostly how you rap about something more than the actual content itself.

 

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Just say u don’t like to rap and call it a fukkin day.

But, isn't this exactly what he's doing?

 

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

“I’ve evolved to TRUE artistry, playing wind chimes like a mystical elfkin creature”

When did he say this? You literally made up a quote. To create a narrative that doesn't exist.

 

[JustCKing]

Eminem is a terrible example. Son is dirt now. I believe u can do anything u wanna do as long as u still have the skill to do it. Especially make music. Which is why Wayne said it’s depressing to hear Dre speak like that. He clearly still loves to rap and to hear someone u look up to act like that is depressing. Hip hop was only a “young man’s game” when the damn genre itself was still young. It’s not young anymore. People can age with it. Especially considering most of the highest selling rappers even today are pushing 40 or over 40. Drake, Cole, Kendrick, Future, Nicki, and the list goes on.

I don't think Eminem is a terrible example. He's someone that clearly loves the art of rapping, but openly talked about how that fire can expire. He's evidence of it. Eminem is still skilled, but the music he makes wastes that skill because he's more so about rhyming syllables and forcing punchlines than making dope songs.

Andre 3000 has been telling us since "Rosa Parks" that he never wanted to be a "has been" or considered a "fall off". He knew how it felt when his favorite group fell off and obviously it hurt him.

 

[Tribal Outkast]

Andre's comment was real and you're confusing his point. He's asking how does an old rapper talk about his day to day life and still make it interesting. He didn't say you can't be old and rap. It's about the content and how the audience connects to it.

Nas is 50 but he still mixes in old street stories into his music. Nas ain't been in the streets in decades. That's not his day to day. Ask him to make an album only talking about the present 50 year old Nas and I bet he'd have a harder time coming up with something because there's still a need to be cool and interesting. He'd probably say his current life is too boring to make into an album.

What is Wayne saying today that shows his age? A Wayne verse at 41 is a Wayne verse at 25.

Jadakiss is still talking about coke and street shyt at 48. You can go back to Money, Power, and Respect and it's the same Kiss.

Pusha still talking about coke at 46.

That's the case for most of rappers. They're not making songs about taking their kids to soccer practice and helping with homework. Dudes will be at home at night with their wives but get in the booth and rap about hoes. None of that is real. What good is rapping into your late 40's if you still have to act like you're in your 20's? You age but your content doesn't.

Dre was talking about making his current life into an album. Sure he could mix in stories about old shyt and just write random bars but that's not what he wants to do. He's not outside. Going to the laundromat and playing his flute is a highlight of his day but that's not translating into an album.

And funny you mentioned Styles because he said he's retired as a solo artist.

Great post. I mean the thread should’ve ended here honestly. With the way people clown older rappers, I’m surprised so many people are against Dre’s comments. I mean Dre and Big was hitting us with old man wisdom in 1996 and def 1998 on Aquemini. There isn’t much growth they could show us that they haven’t already shown us. The current 40 year olds sound just like they did when they were 20. The funny thing to me though is how 2 Chainz was on his “let me rap on boom bap beats” stage making us thing he had growth when he just was doing 2 Chainz things over boom bap.

 

[R=G]

It's funny wayne feels this way now because when he was younger he said he'd be out the game by 30

So did Beyonce yet here we are.

 

[R=G]

Great post. I mean the thread should’ve ended here honestly. With the way people clown older rappers, I’m surprised so many people are against Dre’s comments. I mean Dre and Big was hitting us with old man wisdom in 1996 and def 1998 on Aquemini. There isn’t much growth they could show us that they haven’t already shown us. The current 40 year olds sound just like they did when they were 20. The funny thing to me though is how 2 Chainz was on his “let me rap on boom bap beats” stage making us thing he had growth when he just was doing 2 Chainz things over boom bap.

What's Drake rapling about right now that is so groundbreaking and on the level? Guy puts out shyt geared for females and sissies. A true poet like Nas will always be able to rhyme and rap stories...he's not limited to age.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Great post. I mean the thread should’ve ended here honestly. With the way people clown older rappers, I’m surprised so many people are against Dre’s comments. I mean Dre and Big was hitting us with old man wisdom in 1996 and def 1998 on Aquemini. There isn’t much growth they could show us that they haven’t already shown us. The current 40 year olds sound just like they did when they were 20. The funny thing to me though is how 2 Chainz was on his “let me rap on boom bap beats” stage making us thing he had growth when he just was doing 2 Chainz things over boom bap.

Going along with my it’s not what you say but how you say it post, regardless of age, I need an artist to rap what feels natural. What I hear from Nas, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Griselda, Rick Ross (yes, kayfabe street tales included), and even Juicy J and 2Chainz currently feels natural. That’s exactly them. Busta Rhymes’ most recent album, though he still shows elite skill, is a total pandering for streaming purposes album. It’s awful, and that album would be awful even if Roddy Ricch, Rod Wave, or DaBaby made it.

What's Drake rapling about right now that is so groundbreaking and on the level? Guy puts out shyt geared for females and sissies. A true poet like Nas will always be able to rhyme and rap stories...he's not limited to age.

The majority of Drake’s music is tailored to under 23 year old women and dudes that identify with DJ Akademiks, but I’ll give him credit for actually showing some self-awareness on some of CLB and those 6 tracks from Scary Hours 3.

 

[Dzali OG]

If you can't make a song about doing laundry or washing dishes snap then you're not an artist.

As an artist you should know how to make anything SNAP.

Andre need stfu and get his ass in that booth and make a rap album! Me personally...I've removed all GOAT accolades from him. He doesn't even try, which is a disrespect to hip hop! Same as I'm forgetting about Dr. Dre...scary ass ngas.

 

[Da Bull Ace]

And they still rapping about the same content. Listen to the Outkast records and you'll see he had everyday raps that reflected where he was in life, not exaggerated street tales like most other rappers. He is 48 living a mundane life just raising his son and playing the flute. He seems to feel that he doesn't have a lot to pull from without not being true to himself.

Nas & hov content hasnt matured? And 3k is a creative genius I aint rocking with that “mundane” excuse he could talk about anything and make it interesting. To me he basically saying he dont see the value in doing a rap album which I understand the game too watered down now but if nas can still win grammys then 3k def can

 

[bordeaux]

'everything to talk about' but still making p*ssy songs like kat food 10x over? his lack of content prob been his biggest criticism.