As much as I would love to say that someone like Lil' Wayne is merely a producer of the auditory junk food plaguing music's good name, I admittedly cannot deny that he is a talented individual. Or at least whoever writes his songs is at the top of their game. Yes (ft. Pharrell) by Lil' Wayne, which you can listen to here is upon careful listening full of extremely witty puns. The task of exegisizing rap may not be as respected as considering Melville or Marx, but it's integral in proving my point.
Let's examine the following lyrics:
"Yes I make money I'm a paper machine
And you can catch me in the newest not the latest machine
Now weezy why you drive so fast? because I’m chasin’ the dream
And when I catch that motherfucker ima rape it and leave"
Aside from rhyming "machine" with "machine"-which in any traditional sense is a huge literary offense-there's a lot to unpack from this rhyme. The first pun comes from his admission that Lil' Wayne drives the newest, not the latest machine. In the traditional sense of referring to one's wealth, it's important to have the latest Mercedes Benz, iPhone, etc. However, if something is "the latest" that is to imply that it's already old and something new is already just around the bend.
In reference to the speed at which Lil' Wayne drives his expensive automobiles, he states that he drives so fast because he's chasing the dream. Which dream is Lil' Wayne chasing? My assumption would be that he is chasing the American Dream, the same dream presented by countless demagogues and even in great 20th century American literature, namely The Great Gatsby. To liken the speed of his chase of the American dream to the speed at which he drives his expensive (most likely European) vehicle is incredibly witty! Lil' Wayne is condoning speeding and breaking countless state speed limits, but to put an American ideology into actual use--to convince his listeners that if you only try and move faster that they'll be able to achieve that dream--well, it's amazing.
One more quote to consider:
"Type of nigga go and get his hood cross his abdominal
you could check my watch I been rich a long time ago"
I have kept the rhyme intact, but it's only the second half that I will be considering. In short, this line acts similarly to the previously lyrics I have analyzed. The idea that a watch, a unit through which one can measure the twenty-four hours of a calendar day (sometimes coupled with a back-light and date feature) can be employed to track when someone gains their wealth is an interesting notion. However, in this instance Lil' Wayne probably has an outrageously priced Rolex (notes the above photo), which he can use to check the time. If we follow through with this assumption, the time he acquired the Rolex likely corroborates with when he began to make his stacks, which in turn you tell us how long Lil' Wayne has been rich.
Wow...
