Lil Wayne hasn’t stood in the spotlight since Tha Carter IV dropped, defining his irreversible climb into the hip-hop stratosphere, and he hasn’t released a mixtape since Sorry For The Wait, so it’s not that hard to imagine the excitement his new released stirred up. Now, after several false starts with its release, Lil Wayne’s mixtape, Dedication 4, has finally hit the Internet for free downloads. The long-awaited mixtape was met with good reviews from fans and critics, because the YMCMB boss was attentive enough to give everybody exactly what they have been waiting for: the hottest tracks, familiar beats and catchy hooks.
His effort was all about pleasing his army of fans, as the rapper himself said in an interview with MTV News a few days ago: “The reason why I’m recording mixtapes is because I’ve grown a whole fan base that just loves Wayne mixtapes. Me being the generous dude I am, I have to cater to those people, so that’s why I do the mixtapes now.”
And, according to the critics, he did a very good job in offering his fans what they wanted. The 15-song Dedication 4 has been getting good reviews because it is different from all the other mixtapes Weezy has released so far. If in the past he used to steal the hottest beats from current rap songs, for Dedication 4, he changed his method. “Usually, I kill all the hot songs that’s out,” Lil Wayne told Mixtape Daily last month. “But I’m on all the hot songs that’s out. So now I have nothing to kill.” If this is the real reason for which Weezy returned to the in-the-booth rapping that made him famous or for which he put together this amazing collection of beats, both new and old, is of least importance. What matters is that fans can hear Wayne rap over beats from Rick Ross and Future, and that some particular songs have made quite an impression.
13-year-old rapper Lil Mouse assists on “Get Smoked” with the already famous raunchy lyrics that have raised eyebrows. Whilst Lil Wayne is already being criticized for teaming up with the teen from Chicago’s South Side, his fans are more than delighted to hear him rap about life inside the clubs, sex, violence and drug selling. Moreover, another point of contention is when Nicki Minaj joins Weezy on a track that samples G.O.O.D. Music’s “Mercy” track with a controversial verse about voting for President Romney.
Furthermore, “So Dedicated,” “Same Damn Tune” and “Cashed Out” are charged with an intimidating force, while “Green Ranger”, “Special Delivery” and “Wish You Would” also deserve being into the spotlight, as Weezy spits “Young Money on another level; I like her pussy tighter than my fuckin’ schedule… I smoke all these nigga’s. Call it, ‘Niggateen.’”
His collabs with Birdman, J. Cole, Nick Minaj, Young Jeezy and Lil Mouse show that Lil Wayne hasn’t done anything exceptional with this mix, but that he really tried to please his fans. He ends the mixtape with “A Dedication”, in which he raps about his hometown of New Orleans, where he “built a skate park down there to get them kids off the streets. You’re welcome.”
To sum up, Dedication 4 is different and yet it has nothing new to offer. It’s the same old Weezy used his fans with but according to his fan base, the five-year wait between Dedication 3 and Dedication 4 was highly worth it.