|
Birdman & Lil Wayne "Like Father, Like Son" Review |
|
|
|
|
|
There was once
a time when you would have considered the idea of
Cash Money Records taking control in the world of
Hip-Hop. It was quite easy to make the comparison
and say that they were the equivalent to the Bad
Boy label back in its prime, only a southern
version instead. Cash Money had its superstar in
Juvenile and many other key players that kept the
hits coming in. But just as the Bad Boy label,
Cash Money faltered some, as artists left to
pursue other endeavors and Bryan ''Birdman''
Williams was also left to hold the weight and
become the biggest artist on the label that he
co-owned with his brother, Slim.
The one constant however was Lil Wayne; always
loyal to the Number One Stunna himself, staying
aboard when so many others had jumped ship and
therefore keeping Cash Money a float with his
presence. With the emergence of Lil Wayne as a
true bonafide lyrical heavyweight, riding off the
success of 'The Carter' and 'The Carter2' albums
and with more guest appearance spots in the last
few months then one can keep track of, it was only
fitting that the two of them should come together
for this collaboration effort. With Birdman as the
teacher, and Lil Wayne as his star pupil, ''Like
Father, Like Son'' was born.
After an over exaggerated Mafia introduction skit,
in which the Mafia boss explains to his up and
coming son of how loyalty and respect are the keys
to success in their business, Lil Wayne grabs the
reigns as he continues to execute his new lyrical
style that, for the most part, seemed to elude him
during the beginning of his career. The
collaborations on the album are held down to a
minimum, as both the Birdman and Lil Wayne equally
share the limelight.
The boss of Miami, Rick Ross drops in on 'What I'm
Doin' to help trade drug tales, and talk about how
they all accumulate unimaginable sums of money do
to with as they please, while ghetto crooner,
T-Pain adds in on the hook. Even though the album
is titled 'Like Father, Like Son' it's actually
more of a who's teaching who as the son gives the
father a true lesson in lyricism. It's pretty
obvious that the Birdman isn't a rapper of any
sorts, but to his credit he puts up a valiant
effort in assisting the real star of the album,
Lil Weezy.
On 'Don't Die' Stunna Sr. and Stunna Jr. abandon
their typical formula of big baselines and drum
loops, as they go for more of a somber, and smooth
type of production. As the guitars play in the
background, Lil Wayne lays down lines like ''Bitch
I bop like Diddy/I pop like when he gon' stop-when
it's empty/and you still drawin, Leonardo Da
Vinci''.
'Army Gunz' is a huge display of Wayne's newfound
swagger as he simply annihilates this track laced
with heavy horns and drum rolls hugely sounding
like the theme from a fight song. ''Here it come,
gotta gun, never caught without one/ni**as wanna
boss, so I guess I have to boss 'em''. Birdman
himself is content on this particular song by just
reciting the hook, and letting Lil Wayne's
braggadocio persona run wild. Fat Joe returns the
collabo favor as he joins the millionaires from
the Big Easy on 'About All That'.
The phrase, ''if it ain't broke, don't fix it''
truly applies to the Cash Money Millionaires. They
don't venture too much out of their comfort zone,
staying close to home with their philosophy of
clothes, bank rolls, and hoes that first brought
them stardom back in the late 90's. Basically
'Like Father, Like Son' was just another plateau
in which Lil Wayne showed the world that he is one
of the most improved artists in the business and
with him in your corner, Cash Money Records should
have no trouble in staying valid contenders.
|
 |
