There aren’t many positives to take away from a Kanye West inspired rant, unless it’s an absolutely stellar verbal barb from Amber Rose, or a timeless hashtag (#wizwearscoolpants anyone?), but as these show, every now and then there is a hidden gem to come from Ye’s fiery Twitter fingers.
This week’s rant was a brief reception however, with news that we would finally be receiving a self titled project from Collegrove, the collective name for Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. Alongside a release date slated for this Friday, we were also treated to album art which depicts 2 Chainz adorned with Weezy’s signature tattoos.
New project with 2 Chainz and Wayne dropping this Friday pic.twitter.com/IZwN3mnkIS
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) March 2, 2016
Now let me be frank. I have no expectations for this project. In fact, I believe that it will ultimately prove to be awful: a collection of throwaway tracks that do little to boost the discography of either artist. Here’s why.
It’s no secret that Lil Wayne has fallen off in a major way. Usurped by his own protege in Drake, and falling out with his mentor in Birdman have just been the start of Weezy’s perils.
It was not long ago that Wayne was the dominant force in hip-hop, even garnering mainstream praise for the stellar Tha Carter III with the New Orleans native collecting a slew of Grammys.
Nowadays Wayne has failed to reinvent his style, and despite a few highlights in 2015 in terms of features for Drizzy and Big Sean, Wayne has failed to deliver even one solid project in the past few years.
2 Chainz on the other hand is a different beast altogether. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and has seemingly accepted his role as comedic relief in hip-hop. If you don’t believe me just peep his latest music video:
2 Chainz is often resigned to a repetitive style in the form of hooks and catchy ad-libs – hardly the skill set desired to dominate a project in its entirety. The two artists have teamed up together in the past, but the results have generally been lacklustre.
It’s fair to say that if Lil Wayne isn’t snapping on these beats, 2 Chainz is hardly the rapper to carry the project solely on his shoulders.
That being said, I am certainly hoping deep down that Wayne can offer a return to form, and that 2 Chainz realises that it is not often that he will get the chance to team up with Weezy, and delivers a motivated and inspired performance.
P.S Please don’t make this a Tidal exclusive Wayne, we know how well THAT works.
Image: The Source