Lil Wayne didn’t officially declare retirement after dropping 2018’s Tha Carter V but it would have been safe to assume he’d hang up the mic, given there is not much left for him to conquer.
At 37, he’s nabbed timeless songs, the classic albums and has spawned the careers of not only mega-stars like Drake and Nicki Minaj but also today’s countless “lils” drinking lean and tattooing their faces. But when it comes to a rapper as rhyme-crazy as Wayne, always expect another body of work to pop up out of nowhere; especially now that the Cash Money shackles have been removed.
Back when Funeral was first announced, it was simply an album title thrown around as a potential follow up to C5. But Wayne is notorious for announcing albums and subsequently not releasing them on time – just look at C5 – the proof is in the promethazine cup. Although to fans’ rejoice, he announced the album’s release date a week early, kept his word and dropped it on time. What was not to fans’ rejoice, however, was the daunting 24-song tracklist. Whether it’s a straight-up streaming service ploy or because Wayne literally cannot adequately decide which of his 1000s of songs to place on the final tracklist, either way, the run time plagues the project from the start.
With that said, he starts off the album on full-fledged Martian mode. “Mahogany” is produced pristinely by Mannie Fresh, who gives Wayne a traditionally chopped sample ideal for pocket rhyming. The next track “Mama Mia” serves as the album’s best cut with a terrifying Psycho-esque beat where Wayne rhymes uninterrupted for the entire four minutes. He effortlessly cascades rhymes like, “This life is a movie, you died in the movie, I write and produce it/I cried as I view it, I’m lyin’, I’m goofin’, I’m tyin’ my nooses/Lightin’ my fluids, ignitin’ influence/Retire like Ewings, I’m high like I flew in.”
What both opening tracks have in common is a very specific type of multi-syllabic-rhyming that Wayne has been glued to since 2015’s Free Weezy Album. Instead of plotting punchlines and clever metaphors, Wayne shoots for an abundance of rhyme words that get him through the entirety of his bars. He jam packs each line with as many multisyllabic rhyme words as humanly (or Martian-ly) possible until listeners are forced to repeat the track to catch what he said.
Plus, his vocals are lightly dripped in Auto-Tune throughout the entire 76 minutes of the album which only adds to the wizardry of vocal performance.
This appears to be Wayne’s only extra-terrestrial talent on this album though. The songwriting at best and aside from the two aforementioned RAP rap songs, the rhymes are rather redundant. “I Do It” with Big Sean and Lil Baby might have stamina in the race to the top of RapCaviar but there isn’t much else on the album that will make listeners stop, drop and cop. What’s hardest to take is the cookie-cutter R&B chorus, rap verse combo on the syrupy “Trust Nobody” with Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine.
The production is a little scattered in variety but still bodes some trunk rattlers and booty movers; especially “Clap For Em.” Jahlil Beats, Yonni and Benny Wond3r cook up the perfect N’Awlins bounce beat like a fresh batch of gumbo and Wayne takes it back to the Hot Boys days with squeaky chants and ad-libs. These hot beats stay primarily at the top of the album with the exception of Murda Beatz-produced as “Line Em Up” that is guaranteed to give listeners flooding memories of “A Milli” and “6 Foot 7 Foot.”
Whether or not listeners make it through all 24 tracks on Funeral, it’s easy to see what Wayne is definitely in his own world. His rhyming remains unlike anyone else in the entire genre and despite this album not being his strongest, you don’t have to go far to find a Wayne quotable that inherently makes one admire his seasoned lyrical dexterity.
As for the actual listenability of this album, there isn’t much that will live in the hearts and minds of those who are brand loyal to Weezy F. Baby.
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Yeah it’s really not that good. Too many songs too.
Since when is too many songs a bad thing on a goat album
Nobody thinking this is a goat album. Stop trolling k thx.
……..Really
ON GODDD I WILL NEVER COME TO THIS SITE AGAIN!!!
YOU PRAIIISEEEEEE STAMPERING WHITE BOI SLIM SHADY BUT NOT WAYNE???!!
WAYNE SURPRISINGLY WAYNE HAD KILLER FUCKING FLOWS AND DOUBLE TIME RHYMES!!!!
I WILL FIND OUT WHAT WHITE PERSON IS RUNNING THIS WEBSITE AND REPORT BACK WITH EVERY NAME OF WHO HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE CONTENT. I WILL LOOK UP YOUR BACKGROUNDS AND LET THESE READERS KNOW WHY ITS SO MUCH BLACK HATE ESPECIALLY DARKSKIN VS LIGHTSKIN HATE. YALL HAVE FINALLY OVER STEPPED YOU SELF HATE FUCKERS!!!
Funeral was hot garbage. Had like 4-5 good tracks. Rest was TRRAAAAASSSHHHH
Really nigga? Wtf happnd with Wayne ?
5/5. Weezy is in his zone. This was a true treat for any Wayniac. Sales toppled Eminems MTBMB. Lil Wayne has nothing left to prove but he’s still showing us why he’s the GOAT. Sorry to the new rappers, but you can’t hold a flame to Wayne..
Actually Em’s new album sold more. Google it.
I was talking first week sales. I should have been more specific. Sorry.
Em sold more first week too. Lol I like Wayne and Em, but where are you getting your news? Em outsold him first week and all together by a large margin. By all means correct me if I’m wrong. MTBMB did 279k first week, Funeral’s first week was 139k. MTMB recently went gold, Funeral hasn’t yet.
I think this is Wayne’s BEST album ever!!!
Mannie Fresh didn’t produce Mahogany. That was Sarcastic Sounds track. Wtf.
Trash
‘the classic albums’ nah. He doesn’t have any.
Yeah I can’t. This was not good at all lol
Nope nope nope nope. Please stop now.
Never been a fan so I thought I’d give it a listen. It wasn’t good. Glad I never really got into his music.
Album was pretty decent not his best but it has a few bangers lyrically he’s always gonna be one of the better emecees boy can run circles round anyone outside Em or Royce or Jay with that said beats was ok thought could be better production but has a few bangers like I said do it is straight fire ? n I can’t stand lil baby’s non rapping ass but that song is dope real talk
As a Weezy fan, I have to appreciate his diversity always. The true essence in being an artist is having the ability to look inside of urself and challenge u at ur best and continue to excel. Was the album dope?, in my opinion..absolutely. It’s his music and his creative genius he’s pouring out on the beat that never fails.. I enjoyed the album. He did exactly what he came to do.. keep the streets talking!
Album is Fire People still trying to define Wayne as a gangsta rapper…
Carter 2 was the last time we saw gangsta weezy…ge has always been a true MC going back to his dedication and squad up days instead of putting Wayne in the Tupac category or eminem or Jay Z understand these rappers speak messages they rap about topics…Wayne should be compared more to Biggie or KRS 1 Fab Five Freddy….These dudes r just sputters they just showcase that they r the dopest mcs w the dopest lyrics in the game they don’t need a topic or subject they just need a beat and they got fire….this is something almost everyone over looks when talking about wayne…Tupac undoubtedly the greater artist but if you ever said he was a better runner then biggie then u smoke dope… that’s the difference…ppl need to just accept wayne as a spitter the Goat of the spitters…. this album was fire because it was wayne doing what wayne does best…go retarded on crazy ass beats… nuff said give this man his P.s top 5 DOA ever…..
Tupac was a better rapper than biggie…*(stupid phone)
Biggie over pac all day everyday. And fab five Freddy wasn’t rapper my dude. Lol
And Lil Wayne is trash and ain’t in the top 100 rappers of all time.
Big Wayne fan… album is poo poo. Disappointed. Hang it up Wayne. Your albums are slipping.
Such a symphonic construction of harmonious beauteous pluralized beats.
I’ve always adored this star Lil Wayne for his ability to construct such uniquely identifiable metaphors.
He’s always been a hero of mine as I developed my vocalized abilities.
I look forward to more of his cunning, charming, and capably genius rhythmic accomplishments.
It’s as if he’s always improving in his density and ability to provide understanding in his expression through wordplay.
I am glad I grew up listening to this master of a human.
Thanks Lil Wayne. Best one yet until the next one.
I agree with the review it’s always great to hear Wayne’s rhyming style and swag but this album is super empty with alot of pointless rhyming..maybe thats what he’s always been tho..
Anyone that says this isn’t good music…. French kiss your mom
Still got it ??????? #wayneforever
Album is ok. About the same overall as C5 but has no song that can touch Uproar. I’m not a big Wayne fan, I’ve always thought he was overrated but I’m happy he exists and he is better than most of these garbage rappers today. I appreciate his hard work and how he is/was always in the booth, I just think his average music got called “amazing” and his garbage was deemed “good” far too often.
Probably the most overrated rapper of the last 20 years. This album wasn’t good at all.
Brilliant! The GOAT
Why so many rappers do collabs with Adam Levine is beyond me. Maroon 5 / Adam Levine is fucking terrible
This album is straight fire. And as far as comlaining about the amount of tracks on it, how is more Wayne a bad thing? I’d say it’s a good thing he couldn’t make up his mind on which tracks to remove. The past has shown us how bad removing songs can be. C5 throwaways were better than the songs that made the album. Wayne still has it after all this time. And he is in fact the Best Rapper Alive. GOAT status. Nobody haa Wayne’s wit. Only Wayne can put words together like he does. This is a terrible article and an even worse review. I give Funeral a 5/5. C5 was a 3/5 because of the songs they selected for it.
Where is so icey boi, that little dick riding bitch…this guy fuckin ruined hiphop single handedly…it doesn’t take much to entertain people that can’t read to begin with..let me guess ok Boomer..get some new lines bitch this shit is hot trash
GARBAGE
I used the this album to wipe my azz with. That’s all it’s good for. This album was doo doo. Straight up hot watery doo doo.
Bastard (Satan’s kid) is a masterpiece. Dope track
This is a good solid album !!! Fuck that 2.9 y’all even gave Eminem the same thing and those are good albums ?i guess people don’t like good music anymore
Or u like bad music. Both new albums are junk.
A white gay from Toronto write this shit.
I love it and everyone that doesn’t can eat a dick…just sayin…
I amazed how garbage music sells but good music does less numbers.
Look how they hate on Lil Wayne in 2020. I bet most of these haters and trolls are virgin kids.
Yall haters
✊?
To be honest it is at least a 3.5/5
Best album of 2020 so far
I thought the shit was weak. It’s too much focus on lyrics and no soul. I have it many chances I don’t like it. It’s like nails on a chalkboard I’m not feeling it at all. Wayne trades his soul and talent for recognition and money. There’s no realness here is fake realness. A lotta hype over money
Feels like reviewer didnt even try
Satans Kid and Harden are my top picks
2/5 for review
3.5/5 for album
I honestly didn’t like this album. Carter V was better and that was no classic. Wayne should just retire at this point bruh.
Get off that troll shit. Album is fire
2.9 rating says it all.
I’m not even a big weezy fan pike that. This album is leaps & bounds better than The Carter V (which had way too many filler traxxx). One of the best albums of the year so far. 4.5 out of 5.
Terrible review. Album was fire 7.5/10 or 7/10. You would think that a Hip Hop site would have more professional reviews. This guy clearly hate Lil Wayne
This dude Scott is brain dead