Lil Wayne’s music isn’t something that is overly pleasing to Quincy Jones’ ears.
Since the rapper’s work is a shock to the system the during the first listen, some people aren’t immediately fans of the guy’s endeavors. This isn’t to say Lil Wayne doesn’t write good music — it’s just a bit abrasive. Even this part-time hip hop fan didn’t know what to make it during his initial run.
Legendary producer Quincy Jones definitely one wasn’t smitten with Weezy music at first glance. When asked how modern artists compared to the sort of people he worked with in the past, Jones admitted that times have certainly changed over the decades.
“Let’s get real, man. When you come from the era of Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, it gets hard to get used to Lil Wayne. I just can’t handle it,” the producer told The National .
He added, “There are some good singers out there. Mary J. Blige can sing, so can Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera. I know who they are. I also know who they aren’t, too.”
It’s highly unlikely that Lil Wayne is walking around with hurt feelings these days. After all, it’s doubtful the rapper ever wanted to take home the trophy for the world’s best crooner. Considering Wayne has his own legion of best-selling artists currently making records for his label, chances are he’s not sweating Jones’ assessment of his vocal abilities.
The rapper apparently has a target on his back these days. Lil Wayne was almost singled about by Eminem in a diss track he was putting together while recording his 2010 record Album . Although Weezy and Kanye West didn’t do anything wrong, Em was so insecure in his life and career that he felt the need to take a few cheap shots at his competitors.
He explained during an interview with Power 106.5’s The Breakfast Club :
“”It wasn’t just — you know, singling Kanye and Lil Wayne out at that time period, I mean they were the one’s who were the killing it the most to me. I’d pop the CD in and be like, ‘Fuck man, I’m not doing this no more.’ I felt like I came very close to like, for me it would have been career suicide because I felt like, ‘I should make a song just dissing everybody who’s doing in it the game right now.’”
Do you agree with Quincy Jones that Lil Wayne’s music isn’t the easiest stuff to digest?
[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com ]