4.8/10
Favorite Track: "Mahogany" Least Favorite Track: "Clap For Em"
The current hip hop landscape is almost impossible to imagine without the impact and presence of Lil Wayne. The man has easily been one the most recognizable and respected voices in rap since the beginning of this generation. While I believe that Wayne has undoubtedly etched himself into the Mount Rushmore of hip hop (and rightfully so), I think his discography is far from perfect and holds some duds and misguided projects. His new 2020 offering unfortunately falls into that category for me. On his thirteenth studio album; Funeral, Mr. Carter sounds both as uninspired and dissapoting as ever. One reason why I take issue with much of Wayne’s overall discography is his tendency to leave absolutely nothing off of his projects, and I do not mean that in a good way. His latest attempt at throwing twenty-five tracks at the wall and seeing what sticks, is an homage to trap music. It further proves why he has been influential in pop-rap and not this sound. The bulk of the seventy-six minute effort that Wayne gives us here is incredibly forgettable. As you ascend further and further into the dark hole that is Funeral, you will truly start to realize how unfocussed this project really is. Outside of the first song the overall track list has very little to do with actual funerals. Rather it trys everything from bangers, to Adam Levine backed guitar tracks, to Soul sample packed jams. More often than not these experiments fail. This is largely in part due to the extremely boring and bland production on this thing. So many beats that we get on Funeral sound like a producer opened FL Studio, bought Omnisphere, clicked the first sound they could find, made a melody, and added an 808. Take ‘Never mind” or “Wild Dogs”, as prime examples. Funeral has enough okay tracks to make it listenable but that does not mean enjoyable. Funeral is overbearing, overblown, and underproduced. The lack of hooks or original production doubled with the unbearable length of this album makes it so incredibly forgettable. I’d tell you my favorite moments but I can barely remember them.