Jay-Z’s The Volume series, Kanye’s College series and Lil Wayne’s The Carter series. Some of the most iconic album series in hip-hop history and today’s song comes from the latter. Lil Wayne has dropped some huge tunes in his five albums under the Carter moniker, including A Milli, 6 Foot 7 Foot and Go DJ, but today’s comes from Wayne’s latest release in the series, 2018s The Carter V.
Odd that a song reminds you of showering, but I remember blasting a lot of Big Sean while I lathered up in halls in my first year of uni. Beware was one of those tracks and it bangs; inside of a shower and out.
Released in 2013 on GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings, it was originally a Soundcloud exclusive before being made available for digital download as the third single to preview Sean’s second studio album, Hall Of Fame. It has a very classic formula, with a second rapper taking the third verse in Lil Wayne whilst Jhene Aiko (a future girlfriend of Sean’s three years on from Beware) handles the chorus.
It’s infectious in its beat, with the lyrical subject of infidelity wrapped up in a bouncy, upbeat production that made it a good commercial hit for Sean. Where he sings, he is heavily autotuned, though Aiko’s beautiful vocals (that are no strangers this blog, having featured Sativa and First Fuck with 6LACK) carry the bulk of singing duties, whilst Sean and Tunechi take care of the bars. Lil Wayne’s verse is typical of him; he is expletive but in a way that doesn’t offend. Personally, I think some of his best verses are when he is focusing on sex.
Just writing about this song is making me remember all the hits Sean had in my early years of university, and I’m going to spend the rest of the day bumping them loudly. In the meantime, give Beware a listen. You won’t regret it.
Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex
Many great artists have developed from promising producers. Kanye West started out as one famously, and there is no denying that Swizz Beats decided on his name whilst he was living his life in Logic and hearing the world in high hats and synths.
Pistol On My Side (P.O.M.S) is an unsurprisingly well-produced song. Lil Wayne takes care of the rap and he doesn’t really push himself out of his comfort zone. However, when it was released as the lead promo single for Swizz Beats 2018 album, Poison, it showed a reconnection of hip-hop greats and a return to the ears of the casual fan of both Swizz and Lil Tunechi. His Tha Carter V album was yet to be released when this touched down and his fans were very excited to see new Wayne. It may well have been encouraging for some fans to see Weezy not deviate far from his comfort zone, with many regarding his stint at the top of hip-hop to be the longest and most consistent of any artist.
The short track may be an example of two good artists collaborating for the sake of it, but it is a solid example of a hip-hop star stepping in to give a heavyweight producer a hand as he seeks to break it as a revered artist. It is nice to see the two abandon autotune and watch Lil Wayne flex his lyricism to such a strong extent.
The song is a good one. It’s not the most unforgettable song you will hear, but the combination of Weezy and Swizz is a great one and this was a great example of a lead single. It can’t help but build hype and sits well within this playlist.
Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex
A Song A Day 