Lil Wayne - Tha Block is Hot (1999)

LOOK AT THAT DAMN COVER! EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING!! POLICE TRYNA KEEP WAYNE DOWN BUT HE JUST KEEPS ON PUSHIN THRU LIKE THAT SHIT AIN'T SHIT!!!

On his debut album, Lil Wayne's musical style is more raw, and notably less profane, because his mother requested he not swear, but there's a track called "Fuck tha World" on here so I guess it was a rough night at the Carter household when this album dropped. It was also a rough night when I listened to it because it's pretty shitty.

The album's a bit of a mess production-wise. To sum up how the album sounds: Look at the album cover. The beats generally sound like ass and sometimes there's too much echo or reverb on the vocals, or even that the vocals are mixed too low for a beat, which often makes it so you have no damn idea what Lil Wayne and crew are saying, which isn't really a shame because the rapping ain't too great either.

On the track "Loud Pipes", the rapper B.G. boasts "Hoes sick saying damn, look at fresh pinky ring. Look at B.G. watch, that bitch blingalingaling." and that may be the most badass shit ever muttered by any rapper ever. I don't care about any shit DMX, Dr. Dre, or Jay-Z has ever said, because nothing will ever compare to that shit.

The album kinda sounds like when people make a TV show or movie and have a scene where it cuts to the ghetto, with hip-hop playing in the background, and it's supposed to be this huge culture shock for the character (and potentially for the viewer as well) but it's nothing you look up after the album, or even have the slightest urge to know who performed that song.
 
Tha block may be hot, and trust me, I'm not here to argue or question the legitimacy of that statement, but this album sure as shit ain't.

5/10
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Feel free to check out the song previews/buy this album using my Amazon Associate link!