Right Above It

It’s been a while, but here’s another blog post. The next song I am going to talk about is Right Above It, by my favorite rapper Lil’ Wayne. The lyrics can be found here. This song is from Lil’ Wayne’s 2010 album I Am Not a Human Being. I’m going to try a new approach and write an analysis and rap-up for this song, but then I will follow up with another blog explaining the slang and different references made in the song, for anyone that would like to understand exactly what Drake and Wayne are talking about.

Analysis

1st Verse – Drake’s 1st verse is saying he is one of the best rappers. He then goes on to compare his rise to success to the movie Slumdog Millionaire. He also talks about the fact that some of the people around him are fake and try to get him to make the wrong decisions. But he keeps a clear head and picks the right thing. He then talks about how he only has a close circle of friends (Young Money) and talks some more about his success.

Chorus – Wayne talks about the fact that him and his crew (Young Money) are at the top of the rap game, and basically if your not with them, then your against them.

2nd Verse – Wayne’s verse is basically reinforcing the fact that he is at the top of the game. He talks about how he represents his  gang, gets money, gets girls, and has a successful life doing what he wants. And you better not get in his way.

3rd Verse – Wayne’s 2nd verse is saying much of the same from his last verse. He speaks on the fact that Drake is also one of the best rappers, and he can help Wayne out when he needs it.

The Rap Up

I wanted to do an analysis on this song because it is typical of rap songs these days. Most rap songs that come out today are just about how successful an artist has become. A lot of people dislike the fact that hip-hop is going in this direction. I can see both sides of the argument. But seeing as I said Lil Wayne is my favorite rapper, I must represent the side that is for this rap. The way that I see it is this: Not all songs are about these topics. The songs that are about these topics are not made to be deep analytical songs. Just like there are different genres of music, there are different genres of rap. A song like this is meant to be enjoyed for the beat, the ingenious use of punchlines, similes, metaphors, and homophones. There is still music out there for the people that want a deep message from rap. Also the artists that rap about these topics mostly have other songs that have deep messages.
As for the violence in the song, I believe that most of it is jokes and metaphors not made to take seriously at all. But this is the environment that most of these artists grew up in, and so this is what they know. And you can only speak on what you know.

So the message to take from this song really is just that Lil’ Wayne and Drake are some of the best rappers out there. You get to see into their lives by listening to their lyrics. And is this so bad, just because the message isn’t deep. I don’t believe so, and I enjoy listening to it. If you don’t, then stop complaining, and listen to something else.

Just Livin’ My Life

Hey everyone, this is my 1st blog post, so here goes nothing. The 1st song I decided to blog about is Live Your Life by T.I. featuring Rihanna. This song is  off of T.I’s 2008 album Paper Trail. The lyrics can be found here. You may recognize the Numa Numa song sampled in the song.

Analyses

The song begins with T.I giving a shout out to the soldiers in Iraq. He then goes on and states that you should be thankful for the life you have, and not worry about the things you don’t have.

Chorus– In the chorus Rihanna sings about aspiring to be someone successful. To get to where you want to get, you just have to live your life, and go after the money.

Verse 1– In this verse T.I. is describing how he’s successful and how he feels about his success and his “haters” (critics). He starts out talking about his haters and how he ignores them, but still loves them. That’s because the haters he’s talking about are people from the hood, and he believes that he helped some of them to get their success. He then talks about the fact that he used to be where they’re at, and he remembers where he came from. He didn’t change just because of the success, and he’s going to use his success to give back and bring a positive message to the hood.(“Now I could make ’em put the K’s away.”) K = AK47 rifle.

Verse 2– This verse sees Tip talking about how he feels about the rap game. He’s saying that a lot of things in the game are messed up right now. He’s successful because he spits intelligent lines, and other rappers are being fake and worrying about beef, and all the material things that they have. They have lost sight of what they were aspiring to and aren’t really happy anymore with what they have.

Rihanna then concludes by saying that she’s successful and she’s going to stay successful. So if you want to get like her, then just keep your mind on the money, keep climbing to the top, and live your life.

The Rap Up

So I think it’s easy to see that the message of this song is to live your life. Its basically saying don’t let anyone bring you down and aspire for great things. When the song says you steady chasin’ that paper, or money, it really means chase your dreams. Let’s face it, success=money these days and therefore chasing your dreams is going to get you the money. This song has a very positive message. It’s kind of an anthem for anyone inspiring to greatness. I know personally when I listen to the lyrics of this song, I think yea, I’m going to make it. I’m going to be that successful one day, and can’t nobody stop me.

Now admittedly this was a very easy song to take a positive message from. But I will write about “gangster” rap songs that if interpreted in the right way, can have good messages too. Stay tuned. Deuces.