Lyricism is the backbone of hip hop. Although there are a ton of rappers who aren’t saying a gotdamn thing, there are those who are exceptionally gifted at putting words together over a beat. And with so many songs dropping during any given month, we feel that those rhymes that combine lyrical dexterity and cleverness with verbal gymnastics should be celebrated. Enter: Verse of the Month.
Past winners have included Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, André 3000, and Eminem. And for January, we’re rolling with Lil Wayne for his D6: Reloaded highlight.
Weezy is our first Verse Of The Month winner of the year, though he had some heavy competition.
Yes, Eminem showed that he still has it (taking the fan-vote, because of course), but, for reasons unknown, “it” really didn’t show too much on Revival. Drake.. was okay, but he wasn’t near the level of Lloyd Banks (who had Shake’s vote), Royce 5’9″ or Kendrick Lamar‘s verses.
Which left one winner: Lil Wayne. Dedication 6 D6: Reloaded was pretty good, but none of us were ready for what he had in store with “Big Bad Wolf.” Absolutely manhandling Blacc Youngsta‘s “Hip Hopper,” Wayne flashed the brilliance that inspired countless emcees, including Kendrick (who even praised the verse on Twitter). In between a dizzying array of double-entendres, Wayne even managed to find a way to rhyme Giannis “Antetokounmpo” for a clean 60 seconds; meanwhile, we’re still having trouble just pronouncing the NBA All-Star’s name. The rhyme pattern alone all but secured the proverbial bag.
From viral TikToks, to global Top 40 charts, to the lips of the Jamaican Prime Minister in a nationally televised debate, “Dansa” has been everywhere over the past 15 months.
Hill tells us about her Blur and Prodigy-inspired new album, hitting back at Jack Whitehall for "punching down" in calling her 'Wetherspoons Whitney' and feeling inspired by "watching other pop girlies have their authentic moment"
There’s a calm assurance woven into Brian Turner’s latest single, “Come To Pass.”
A multi-instrumentalist, she brings her songs to life through vocals as well as harp, piano, guitar, and more, creating rich, layered compositions that reflect her diverse influences.
Songwriter. Performer. Inheritor of a family tradition. California-based musician Matt Axton is many things.
For about a year, Lettie Law felt she was dying. When she began to make music, her life turned around.
“We wanted to make a record closer to the dancefloor than recent ones. But the primary motivation was that we wanted to make our best album. If you’re not aiming for that then there is no point.”
Advertisement
Leave a comment