Mixtape Review: Lil Wayne - Sorry 4 The Wait 2 - RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture

The story of Lil Wayne is an interesting one; especially as of late. The once proud Cash Money Records front man has been at his label’s neck for not releasing the fifth instalment of his Carter album series, Tha Carter 5. Push back after push back coupled with lackluster promotion forced Wayne to shoot out a brutally honest string of tweets expressing his desire to leave Cash Money and to have “nothing to do with these people“. Quite a contrasting statement from the same man who previously rapped “Cash Money Records, where dreams come true” and “Dear Mr. Ronald Williams, to you I shall forever give thanks like a pilgrim” amongst other devoted quotes to the almighty CMR. Regardless of who said what, Tha Carter 5 still has no release date. So Wayne did what he does best and dropped a mixtape.

The tape is appropriately titled Sorry 4 The Wait 2 which is a follow up to the first instalment released back in 2011. Back then, Wayne was apologizing for the delay of Tha Carter 4 which eventually came out soon after; the circumstances are different this time around but the sentiment remains the same. These days, pushbacks and project cancellations are basically second nature. So much so that it seems as if rappers are numb to the fact that their project comes out months or even years after the original set date. With Wayne it’s different. He seems legitimately upset when a project of his is delayed, cancelled or pushed back. Obviously this could be for a multitude of reasons but in all honesty it feels like he just wants his fans to hear his new music.

Sentiments or not, there is something radically different on this one though. Just by looking at the cover art you can see that Wayne feels handcuffed over at Cash Money and this tape serves as his exit interview. Sure, it follows the same rap-on-other-people’s-beats formula that you would expect from a Wayne mixtape but something feels unusual. Instead of the quirky punchlines and metaphors found on other tapes, on Sorry 4 The Wait 2, Wayne is definitely getting something more serious off his chest.

He opens the tape with a 4 minute snap off on OT Genasis‘ recent smash hit “Coco”. He wastes no time addressing the Cash Money issue with lines like “All I got is Young Money., no more Cash n***a“, “Cash Money is an army, I’m a one man army, and if them n****s coming for me I’m going out like tommy” and the most radical of them all comes right to Birdman himself as Wayne raps “Birdman Junior, more like ugly duckling“. As a matter of fact, every single line in the opening track could be taken as a direct statement to the entire CMR situation until he recycles OT’s ‘baking soda’ line in the last 10 seconds. The rhymes and flow aren’t awful but it feels awkward hearing Wayne rap against the label he was previously president of. Usually rappers are at their best when angry but Wayne sounds more salty than angry and it doesn’t translate well.

He talks more Cash Money smack on his rendition of Future’s “Sh!t”. He doesn’t switch subject matter until about 4 tracks deep and even then, he seems off. His lines are all over the place and don’t stray far from the usual rhymes about stealing your girl and murdering his enemies. Don’t get it twisted, there are some quality punchlines and witty wordplay but it’s few and far between. The true highlights on here come with feature tracks. “Used To” featuring Drake is easily the tape’s standout track which makes it ever more evident that Drake brings out the best in Wayne. If that wasn’t clear before, it’s strikingly obvious here. Even part-time rapper Mack Maine brings out some fire from Wayne on Dej Loaf‘s famous “Try Me” beat. The expectations weren’t too high for this mixtape but on monster beats like “Hot N***a”, “U Guessed It” and “Dreams and Nightmares” you would think Wayne would prove the haters wrong and just absolutely rap circles around its originator. The infamous “mixtape Weezy” has previously made some of original songs irrelevant with his remixes but out of all 17 tracks on this mixtape, the original noticeably is better.

All in all, Sorry 4 The Wait 2 leaves you with mixed emotions. On one hand, Wayne’s proactive stance on releasing music is exciting and gives hope for a near future Carter 5 release. But on the other hand, his jabs at Birdman and Cash Money are off putting while the other rhymes are mediocre at best. Does this project tarnish his legacy? No. Does it make us more excited for Tha Carter 5? Maybe not. Either way you slice it, Wayne shows no signs of slowing down his conquest to get more music to the people and we appreciate him being sorry for our prolonged wait. Apology accepted. For now.