Today might be the official beginning of Wayne sounding like an old rapper. Just like when Jay-Z released his first post-retirement single sounding more than a little rusty, or his grumpy old man-sounding “D.O.A.” from Blueprint 3, or maybe most appropriately when he tried to sound like every young, new pop rapper in “Tom Ford“, there are those moments where it’s hard not to feel like a rapper has lost touch with him/herself but is still trying to stay relevant in the industry by putting out “new-sounding” material. Wayne’s is even more interesting than Jay’s though, because the rapper he’s emulating on his newest single got his start imitating Wayne (by his own admission even). Just watch this progression:
2009:
Lil’ Wayne – Wasted
2011:
Young Thug – We Are
2013:
Young Thug – Danny Glover
Today:
Lil’ Wayne – Grindin’ (feat. Drake)
I’ll always love Wayne – I’ll always love Jay too – but let’s be real. If you really listen to what’s coming out of their mouths recently, there’s really no other way to describe it but old.
