“No Ceilings 2" by Lil Wayne: Is The Mixtape Weezy Back?

Whenever Lil Wayne decides to drop a new project the debate begins, is he back or has he fallen off?  The internet goes into a frenzy when Lil Wayne drops any new music and none might be bigger than his release of No Ceilings 2  the sequel to the acclaimed No Ceilings  mixtape which some say is possibly one of the greatest mixtapes ever. For me, the first No Ceilings  is probably one of my favorite Lil Wayne albums/mixtapes to date and is what really lead me to become such a tremendously huge die hard Lil Wayne fan. However, though there were some highlights on this mixtape, I was left a little disappointed with a majority of this project and it made me start to think “has Lil Wayne finally fallen off as a rapper?”

 

Way Too Much Autotune

The first thing that stands out with No Ceilings 2  is the overwhelming use of autotune. As a listener I just found it annoying and very repetitive.  One example is the song “The Hills” which is a cover of the popular song by The Weeknd. In an effort to copy the flow and style The Weeknd created on the song he uses the autotune to make his voice stand out more, but in my opinion it comes off as awkward and odd. Makes you wonder at times, what was Lil Wayne thinking? I wanted to hear Lil Wayne rapping with a purpose and with a hunger to quiet the haters who said he had fallen off.

Weezy Ain’t Dead Yet

Although there were a number of songs that were a letdown for me on this project, there were also a number of memorable songs that I loved. One of my favorite songs off the mixtape is “Fresh” which finds Lil Wayne teaming up with his old producer and friend Mannie Fresh. This is the first time these two have teamed up in almost 10 years and Mannie had Weezy rapping like the young hungry MC he once was. Another standout track on this mixtape for me was “No Reason” with King Los, which finds Lil Wayne using his famous wordplay and similes to drop a number of memorable lines that I think any hip hop fan would appreciate and enjoy. Songs like this reminded me why Lil Wayne is truly considered one of the all-time greats in hip-hop and makes it look so easy.

In the end, in my opinion No Ceilings 2  is pretty underwhelming, especially if compared solely to the first No Ceilings. It wasn’t a bad project from Wayne however, with so many great albums and mixtapes under his catalog this wasn’t up to what I expect from Lil Wayne as far as his abilities as a rapper and as an artist. Overall, I hope Wayne finds new inspiration and comes back hungrier in 2016 and can bounce back from this lackluster project.

Overall: 2.5 out of 5
Essential Tracks: “No Reason”, “Fresh” & “Destroyed”