How Long before Lil Wayne fizzles out?

Lil Wayne is at his peak right now and keeps going, but how long before he wears himself out?

We all know his name. Lil Wayne. Weezy F. Baby. The Best Rapper Alive. He goes by many names and has such a versatile style that he always catches your attention. Lil Wayne is one of the few rappers with such a versatile flow and unique voice, his verses are usually the most listened to on any song he jumps on. Speaking of which, he jumps on practically every song that comes out. The king of the remix.

Lil Wayne is doing what every rapper wishes they could achieve, and it’s not really hard to see why. While other rappers go to the clubs, bars, strip clubs, and just hang out hoping to get stuff done, Wayne is in the studio constantly. Lil Wayne lives in the studio, and it’s evident with his volume of material. He jumps on every remix and blesses it with a metaphor filled verse, filled with memorable punchlines and quotables. This has been the key to his success, since Wayne uses the 50 Cent technique at getting attention through remixes.

50 Cent started the whole idea of jumping on another man’s song and making your own song out of it. Obviously, it worked great for 50 because he’s practically running things in New York. Wayne has done this to a great degree of success, and he is clearly visible in pop culture because of his undying work ethic.

However, one must wonder how long Lil Wayne can last as being the rapper on top. He cuts down on his song making time by not writing down his lyrics, a trait he took from Jay-Z during his brief Jay-Z stanning period. He took the mixtape/remix idea from 50 and used it to his advantage. He lives in the studio every day, and is there from night till day. He goes to the studio, goes home to sleep, wakes up and goes to the studio again. He does an incredible amount of shows and is the wildest entertainer in rap music. And he isn’t stopping. He is making more material and makes new songs at a rate of about 3 a day. You would assume that the amount of songs he makes, the sleep schedule he has, the amount of time he spends working in the studio, and the amount of energy he spends touring would take a toll on his body and mind. Some argue it has, because his content in songs isn’t very in depth; many blame it on the fact that he “freestyles” every verse he does and doesn’t delve into topics at greater detail like Jay-Z who uses a similar technique.

Lil Wayne also has a problem of having a big mouth. He likes to run his mouth and give away too much of his secrets at attaining his success that it’s becoming easier for rappers to try to replicate him. Lil Bow Wow is the biggest swagger jacker of Lil Wayne I have ever seen in my life. Bow Wow copies Wayne’s flow, his swagger, and even his damn hand movements. More rappers nowadays are copying Lil Wayne’s flow. You could argue that this is a form of flattery since it is imitation, but it also puts down the value of Wayne’s entire style. Wayne’s sheer volume of music puts down the value of “Lil Wayne Music”.

Lastly, Lil Wayne seems to have a substance abuse issue that he isn’t dealing with very well. He apparently does a lot of drugs and drinks syrup. That’s the stuff that got Pimp C (RIP) killed. When asked in recent interviews if Lil Wayne planned on quitting, he has gone to say he can’t quit because its too hard or that he’s not gonna try because he’s going to be fine. It sounds like he’s too mentally weak to break the addiction, and we don’t want to see a dead Lil Wayne. If Baby is concerned about Lil Wayne as a person, he should pressure Weezy to quit while he’s still young. Even if Baby isn’t concerned about Lil Wayne as a person, he should stop him to protect his own business investment in him as an artist of Cash Money Records.

There are too many things going well for Lil Wayne right now with the lifestyle he has. I am very happy for him as an artist and as a person, because I wish prosperity on everyone. However, Lil Wayne has too many problems to last forever, and it’s inevitable that he will collapse, whether health wise or popularity wise; Hopefully popularity wise for the sake of his family and friends. Rappers who do what he does in terms of mixtapes, punchlines for material, and drug addiction lifestyles typically don’t last very long. So what’s your prediction? How long do you think Lil Wayne will last?