Anyone who knows me knows... Lil Wayne aka Lil Tunechi aka Birdman JR aka The Best Rapper Alive aka WEEZY F BABY AND DON'T FORGET THE BABY is my favorite rapper of all time. Hands down. It is not debatable, it's not close, and it's honestly disrespectful to even disagree. I'm the guy who waits til midnight for his new releases til this day
We often talk about what Carter Series is the best? Or even the words he invented like "BLING BLING". We dive into his history with drugs or his reign over the top of the rap game, especially from 2006-to 2011. We talk about how he has been rapping since he was 12, him keeping the lights on at Cash Money records and then eventually him leaving - and winning his lawsuit against Birdman and Universal - while earning back his masters which he sold for an astounding $100 Million. We talk about the birth of so many rappers due to Wayne's influence. His selflessness when it comes to passing the torch to both Drake and Nicki Minaj.
But now, we talking about Mixtape Weezy himself. The reason your Datpiff server kept crashing. To condense his mixtape catalog down to the top 5 is difficult, to say the least. We have so many great options and moments to choose from so we will also list honorable mentions at the end. These top 5 could very well suffice as THE best mixtapes of all time. After you're done you will be able to agree: Mixtape Weezy is the Undisputed Mixtape King
The development of Wayne and his skills really began with the SQAD Mixtape series where you can hear Tune ripping out sheets of his rhyme book. These actions signified him transitioning from writing to only rapping off the top of his head. So, enjoy the read and let us know your feelings on the list. Unfortunately, I could not include "I Can't Feel My Mixtape" with Juelz Santana because it was never officially released.. and we are still upset 'til this day.
5. Dedication
This mixtape was the first in the Dedication series, which is currently on its 6th (technically 7th) installment. Without Dedication being this substantial, I truly don't believe Gangsta Grillz would be the entity that is today. Either way, Lil Wayne and DJ Drama really changed the game forever with this project. It also put Weezy himself in a new light, giving him a staple series that had the entire industry on alert. We get some really laid-back and often overlooked introspective verses on this tape as well.
Notable Songs: Dedication, Over Here, U Gon Love Me, Momma Taught Me, Weezy F Baby,
1 King, Stiletos
4. Dedication 2
Oftentimes, we hear the term Sophomore slump when it comes to follow-up projects. This isn't the case with Dedication 2. Lil Wayne teams up with DJ Drama again and the dynamic duo once again proves why they are one of a kind. This tape is Wayne in the midst of his prime and follows critically Tha Carter 2 also followed what most people considered to be his best album "The Carter II" so we really get to see Wayne in his rise. This Dedication was more cohesive as well and the big songs are BIG. Features from Pharrell, Freeway, and Curren$y with his Cash Money debut single make it truly special. Also, he dropped a Harry Potter bar, I have nothing but respect for this man.
Notable Songs: Get Em, Cannon, Workin Em, Sportscenter, Spitter, Where The Cash At, Hustlin, Gettin Some Head, Georgia Bush
3. Da Drought 3
In all honesty, when it comes to the next 3 rankings, you can arrange them however you want and I would not be mad at all. Da Drought 3 is in every single mixtape great conversation. Double Disc mayhem that completely rocked the industry. This was the beginning of the convo of Weezy straight up taking people's songs and making them his own. For god sake, you can't even listen to Beyonce Upgrade You without thinking "Ima monster every day is Halloween". Wayne proved he was easily the best rapper alive and then some. So many bars, so much replay value. It is taking everything in me not to switch it to Number 1 right this second.
I don't think I've ever been affected by a project more than Da Drought 3. Every single hot beat that was on your radio waves, music shows, ringtones, or Youtube was completely destroyed by Weezy. If there was an example of "jackin for beats" in physical form, it's this mixtape. He has songs like Dough Is What I Got that even had Jay-Z questioning if he could rap anymore. We hear him transform songs that like "Get High Rule The World" and "Ride 4 My N*ggas" into these powerful ballads that transcend time and space. I might give up my kid to see him perform this live - just kidding Knox... sorta.
Notable Songs (not already mentioned): Black Republican, Put Some Keys On That, We Takin Over, I Cant Feel My Face, Seat Down Low, Blooded, Live From 504, King Kong, Dipset, Walk It Out, Back On My Grizzy
2. No Ceilings
I pulled up on Caleb, my roommate at the time, first thing he said "Have you heard that new Wayne?" My initial thoughts was this dude is buggin thinking he heard a new Weezy tape I haven't heard and then I panicked because I was like "Did he really get ahold of it before me!?" Sure enough this bastard did. "Ice Cream" was the first song he played me. I was gone. How? After all of these years of making phenomenal music.
No Ceilings is one of those tapes that truly deserve a shrine. I know most of the world is wondering how this isn't number one. I originally had it number because of that but this is my list so I made the right decision whether you like it or not. This is peak Wayne before jail, before passing the torch for Drake and his rule over the music industry. This is Wayne in his truest form. We see him once again make songs his own like "Swag Surf" from whoever made it before. We see him bar out all over "Run This Town" and even claimed his title Mixtape Weezy in "DOA" in his response to Jay-Z's attempts to kill off autotune.
One of the most important things to take from this is Wayne's accomplishments with studio albums and his record breaking releases will always be remembered by mainstream and rightfully so. But mixtapes like this, where he put his talent on full display for the culture, and the gems we got to cherish and hold onto because no one has ever done it the same. Wayne freedom from the ties of the label and being able to RAP really shine through. Features from Jae Millz, Nicki Minaj and Beyonce are great as well.
Notable Songs (not already mentioned): Wasted, Watch My Shoes, Banned From TV, I Got No Ceilings, Oh Lets Do It, No Ceilings, Single
1. Da Drought Is Over Part II (The Carter 3 Sessions)
Weezy is not just the King of Mixtapes; he is also the king of LEAKS. I remember this vividly because the original Tha Carter 3 (which is this mixtape right here) was supposed to drop on my birthday November 13th, 2007. I know this because I went into the FYE in Regency Mall to place my pre-order the day that I could. I felt like this was destiny. My favorite rapper was literally planning to drop - not just drop a regular album - no no no. He was going to drop Tha Carter 3 on my birthday. Can you imagine the excitement?
The release of his single "La La La" (an ode to his neighborhood of Hollygrove) was supposed to be the first official single and I was here for it. Then the leak happened. The project was not a collaboration with The Empire and Lil Wayne - who Weezy personally blames for the leak issues (the link to the tape below has other cuts from songs he had dropped at the time as well).
I was devastated. I was upset for many reasons. One being no artists should work this hard, build this much hype, and just have their music leaked. Two, this is possibly Wayne's overall best project, period. Track for Track there isn't a skip or possibility of a weak track on this project.
He has songs like "Did It Before" produced by Kanye West (who still landed on the official Tha Carter 3 with "Let The Beat Build") and even reunites with Curren$y on "Diamonds & Girls" which would have been huge for the culture. He has super special features like Mack Maine's verse on "I Know The Future" but we get special songs like "Something You Forgot" in which Wayne reflects on his relationship with Trina. Overall, this was Wayne's most personal project and I think the frustrations around the release lead to him not ever returning to this space fully again.
Even though, some songs and verses made it to other official releases this project as a whole is undefeated. The fact that we will never get "I Feel Like Dying" - where we hear Wayne's transparency on his battle with drugs - on streaming services is a crime against humanity. So as an ode to the most slept-on and controversial of all his mixtapes, we have the absolute best of the best. I honestly feel the whole tape is perfect so notable tracks were hard to select. Enjoy.
Notable Songs (not already mentioned): I'm Me, Scarface, Kush, What He Does, Help, Zoo, Prostitute Flange, Ima Beast, Talk It Over
Other Honorable Mixtapes: Lil Weezy Ana, Da Drought Is Over Part 4, Louisianimal, FWA (Tidal Version)
Written by OG ILLA
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