A couple of months ago, I was listening to the Throwing Fits pod with Taco (instant classic, highly recommend). An important question was posed during the episode: what is Lil Wayne’s best album?
In my opinion, a handful of Wayne’s albums are inarguably elite listens that warrant consideration:
Tha Carter
That classic Wayne sound. The final project Mannie Fresh produced before leaving Cash Money. This album put Wayne on the map as an artist with massive mainstream potential.
Standout tracks: Go DJ, BM J.R., I Miss My Dawgs, Bring It Back
Tha Carter II
As expected, passes the car test with flying colors. Insane flow. "I love it. I . . . fuckin' . . . love . . . it."
Standout tracks: Tha Mobb, Money on My Mind, Fireman, Hustler Musik, Best Rapper Alive
Tha Carter III
Could argue that this dropped when Wayne was at the peak of his career (2008). I was in high school at the time, so this always brings back good memories from my formative years.
Standout tracks: 3 Peat, Mr. Carter, Mrs. Officer, Lollipop, You Ain’t Got Nuthin
Da Drought 3
I know, technically it’s a mixtape but still one of his best bodies of work. 29 tracks. 100-plus minute runtime. The epitome of a classic mixtape.
Standout tracks: Upgrade, Put Some Keys On That, Ride for My Niggas (Sky is the Limit), I Can’t Feel My Face, Back On My Grizzy
No Ceilings
Yes, another mixtape. Phenomenal project. Also, a welcome listen following the release of whatever the hell Rebirth was—I implore you to do whatever you can to avoid revisiting this truly terrible album.
Standout tracks: Swag Surf, Ice Cream Paint Job, Wasted, Watch My Shoes
Keeping it a thousand, Tha Carter IV and V were not good. Sure there were some big name features, but these are nowhere close to being his best work.
Verdict
My analysis ignores sales & download numbers, Grammy nominations/wins (some form of reparations still due here), critical reception, etc.
Here’s the criteria I used to rate the projects: replay value, flow, bars, production.
I assigned a 1-10 rating for each criterion and totaled each album’s score.
Admittedly, I think nostalgia played a significant role in my analysis. After all, music is subjective, and my ranking will probably differ from yours.
Ultimately, it came down to Tha Carter II, Tha Carter III, and Da Drought 3, with Carter II getting the slight edge.
That said, the “Nigerian hair” bar on “A Milli” is truly timeless. Were all those viruses LimeWire infected my parents’ computer with worth it? No question.
I’m forever grateful to have experienced one of the music industry’s greatest runs.
What I’m watching, reading, & listening to
Interview with Tristan Walker, CEO of Walker & Company Brands (Stanford) — Tristan has a crazy life story. He grew up in the projects, worked on Wall St, graduated from Stanford Business School, and is the first Black CEO in the 180-year history of Procter & Gamble, among other things.
Walker & Company was purchased by Procter & Gamble in 2018 and its products are now sold in 25 countries. That success has been gratifying, Walker notes, but there is much more to do. “There are still many, many Black folks in this country who have never heard of us. And the international opportunities are profound.”
This Banking Crisis Won’t Wreck the Economy (Bloomberg)
In short, the rational expectation is that the US will muddle through its current problems and patch up the present at the expense of the future. For better or worse, that is how we deal with most of our crises.
Let’s hope he’s right, for everyone’s sake.
Telfar’s radical new pricing system is the ultimate anti-luxury move (Fast Company) — From marketing campaigns to product to pricing strategy, Telfar continues to innovate at an impressive clip.
When customers arrive on the website next week, every item will be at the wholesale price, but the price will go up over time, at a rate of about one cent every 20 minutes or about $10 to $20 every week, according to Radboy. And importantly, Radboy says that the final price at which it sells out will remain the price for all subsequent collections.
Supreme Grows Up (GQ)
According to VF, Supreme revenues hit $561.5 million for the year ending in March 2022; VF had been expecting revenues of $500 million. In 2017, that number was around $200 million.
While somewhat sad, Supreme’s evolution is quite fitting. What started as a rebellious skate shop has morphed into a private equity flip and behemoth publicly traded company just decades later. For better or worse, the brand is now beholden to maximizing shareholder value.
Who’s in the “Millennial 1%”—and How Did They Get There? (Money With Katie). Comparison is the thief of joy, but this blog post does a great job of putting things into context and providing a healthy perspective. It’s difficult to overstate the power of the Bank of Mom & Dad.
Because most millennials are still too young to have amassed decades of wealth from a successful career, the biggest factors in millennial net worth outcomes are whether or not they have student loans, if they own property, and their incomes. (Note that two of the three are strongly correlated to the amount of wealth their parents have.)
If you’re trying to determine where to focus your energy as a millennial in 2023, I think the answer is clear: Human capital.
Willamette Valley, Oregon — The Next Napa (TIME). A bold but warranted statement from TIME magazine. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy some of the best New World wine available. IMO it’s superior to Napa vino—especially if we’re talking pinot noir.
The wine world let out a collective gasp in 2021 when Champagne house Bollinger made its first acquisition outside of France: not some place in Napa or Sonoma, but Ponzi Vineyards, which set the standard for Oregon winemaking back in the 1970s. The Willamette Valley had really, really made it, but for those in the know, the ascendance of the pinot noir powerhouse in Portland’s backyard seemed almost inevitable.
Sommelier Compares The Same Wine From 7 Different Countries (Bon Appétit) — Continuing the epicurean theme, I’m a big fan of Bon Appétit’s World of Wine YouTube series. You know, they say the average person changes careers 5-7 times during their working life, and life as a sommelier doesn’t sound too bad. Stay tuned…
Episode 150: Damian Lillard 2 (The Old Man & the Three) — I was hype to see this episode drop after a recent trip to Portland where friends and I witnessed Dame cook the Rockets for 71 points. Dame is one of my favorite players in the NBA, and I found this conversation super refreshing.
A+ on all of these. Of course liked your views about wine in the Willamette Valley. Sounds like another roadtrip. Happy to be your designated driver/tour guide.