One of the more inexplicable things to happen in local music news lately is the announcement of a hip-hop show at the Tucson Arena headlined by New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne.
Wayne is nowhere near a household name, doesn't have a crossover mainstream hit, and just pushed back the release of his über-anticipated album, "Tha Carter III," from February to no specific date.
We're not going to argue the talent of the 28-year-old Wayne. One listen to his 2007 mixtape, "Da Drought III," or the recent EP, "The Leak EP," shows this guy is the real deal.
We'll admit it. We wrote Wayne off in the early part of the decade as just another by-the-numbers schmo from the Cash Money Millionaires.
But something happened between then and now: He got ridiculous. It's like when Mark McGwire started knocking all those home runs: Maybe Wayne's on the rapping equivalent of HGH.
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Dubbing himself "The Best Rapper Alive," he now has all sorts of different rhyme patterns and punch lines, metaphors that take a few seconds to sink in, all with a delivery that sounds as effortless as it is distinctive.
Last year, Wayne also released several mixtapes — records not sold in stores and largely available on the Internet. Maybe all that free downloading explains the high ticket prices; he thinks we owe him something.
To help show you why this underdog is one of the hottest rappers in the country right now, we've picked out a couple printable lines for your perusal.
"I'm rapping when you sleep/ I was rapping when you were in jammies/ Mel Gibson flow/ Lethal Weapon/ Book 'em Danny!"
— "I'm Me," from "The Leak EP"
"We all not the same/ I'm a Martian/ You can be my Jane/ I'm your Tarzan/ I'm from the jungle where the snakes is all poison."
— "Dough Is What I Got," from "Da Drought 3"
"So many doubt/ Cuz I come from the South/ But when I open up my mouth/ All bullets come out."
— "Shooter," from "Tha Carter II"
"I'm a dog/ I should rap with a muzzle/ Peyton Manning flow/ I just go/ No huddle."
— "Put Some Keys On It," from "Da Drought 3"
"I'm from New Orleans/ They trying to make a whole new map without us/ But the tourists come down and spend too many dollars/ And no matter how you change it/ It'll still be ours."
— "Ride for My Niggaz," from "Da Drought 3"
• What: Tucson Takeover 2008 featuring Lil Wayne with Yung Berg, The Pack, Dolla and guests.
• When: 8 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: Tucson Arena, 260 S. Church Ave.
• Cost: $45 to $75, from ticketmaster.com.
• Hear it: myspace.com/lilwayne.
