• He got the idea to perform on a throne from his guitar player David Wild. David showed him a video of Alice in Chains frontman Layne Stayle performing on stage in a wheelchair after breaking his foot and pointed out that fans still enjoyed that show. Plus, Big Boi noted, it was appropriate for him to sit in his “rightful seat.”
• He has no idea if Ms. Jackson ever accepted Andre’s apology. We hope she did. You can’t hold on to a grudge forever-ever.
• “SpottieOttieDopalicious” is slang for a beautiful, intelligent and jazzy woman.
• His Words With Friends handle is “bitchkilla2.” Play him at your own risk. He’s also on level 116 of Candy Crush.
• One of the toughest verses of his to rap live is “Speedballin” from the Tomb Raider soundtrack.
• The artist he wants to work with the most is UK singer Kate Bush.
• His most played song on iTunes is Three Six Mafia’s “Slob on My Knob.”
• For an entire school year, he and his mom, along with his four siblings, lived in a Motel 6. They ate sandwiches out of a cooler.
• One of his proudest records from his career is “Descending” off Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors.
• His favorite shoe of all-time is the Jordan 3.
• Ric Flair was his favorite WWF Intercontinental Champion. (At lest he didn’t say the Honky Tonk Man.)
• “Unhappy” is the most meaningful record to him on Speakerboxxx.
• If he could pick one Outkast song for the world to remember, it would be “Elevators.”
• Tupac jumped through the partition in his limo to meet Big Boi because the driver wouldn’t stop.

The post What We Learned From Big Boi’s Reddit “AMA” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Suspicions are running amuck that Weezy F. Baby is on his way out the game, voluntarily or not.  Some say his raps have sucked since going sober, and he himself has hinted that Tha Carter IV might be his last LP.  But Wayne’s legacy still doesn’t seem like a shoo-in among the greats, as he still faces harsh criticism from those who believe he never deserved the acclaim in the first place.  One Reddit user articulated his/her concerns:

I understand that talentless “singers” sell lots of records, and that’s nothing new, but Lil’ Wayne is especially confusing to me.

He is probably the most recognizable artist currently recording. I’m not consulting any charts or lists or anything, I’m just hypothesizing based on how often I hear a song featuring him, or how frequently I see him on tv, etc.

How did he manage this level of success?

I listened to him in college when he was in the Hot Boyz. I liked them, but mind you I also liked the entire No Limit catalog (Mia X, Skull Duggery, and many other shitty rappers), amongst other bands that have since vanished. What I’m saying is I had questionable taste in music then, so “Wayne” was a perfect fit.

Nothing really stood out about him then, and I think he was inferior to BG and Juvenile, two guys in similar situations as him who didn’t go nearly as far. In fact, this whole post comes by way of me loading up my ipod and stumbling upon his music and thinking “wow, there’s a good song…there are 20 shitty ones…hey, there’s another good one…20 more shitty ones…”

I really want to know if anyone knows how he went from semi-popular southern rapper to the guy who still can’t rap a lick but sells a million copies of everything he appears on.

It isn’t me saying “he sucks and this is why”; I am legitimately interested in hearing why people think he became this major.

After that ensued a communal, intellectual discussion, in true Reddit form.  After the jump, check out the most popular answer.

To be honest, I have often asked myself the same question. But what comes to mind is the fact that Birdman took him under his wing (dear god I can’t believe I wrote that) and having a guy like that at bat for you is a big help. Aside from that, he puts out music constantly. Before he went to prison all he did was do drugs and record music. At home? He’s recording. At the hotel? He’s recording. On the bus? He’s recording. Finally, he puts out a lot of music that, although not pushing any musical boundaries or doing any genre bending, is catchy. In short, he may not do anything new but what he does he does well.

can’t rap a lick

He’s actually not a bad rapper, he just usually doesn’t show it. A lot of his rhymes are pretty nasty. But again, I agree with you that he shouldn’t be as famous as he is.

The post How Did Lil Wayne Get So Popular? Reddit Investigates appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.