Lil Wayne vs World Essay Example for Free

Lil Wayne vs World Essay During a CBS interview with rapper Lil Wayne, Katie Couric asks What does that mean, when you say Im a gangster? Wayne replied, â€Å"I dont take nothin from no one. I do what I wanna do, And Im gonna do that until the day I die. And if I cant do that, then Ill just die(All Access). Katie Couric and Lil Wayne sat down together on national television for an interview where two people of vastly different backgrounds had a conversation. Kwame Anthony Appiah, a professor in top Universities across the world, describes a conversation to be engagement with the experience and ideas of others. Also, the more dissimilar the backgrounds are the more information can be exchanged between two people. â€Å"America’s Sweetheart† Katie Couric and ‘Weezy’ (Lil Wayne) are undeniably two very different people. Seemingly their only similarity is their fame. Although as their interview progresses one can see how they are able to connect and exchange their own cultures with one another. The famous Lil Wayne is far from average, making this and all of his exchanges other extremely valuable to cosmopolitanism exposing his miscellany to the masses. By the end of the interview, although not necessarily in agreement, they both seem to have an understanding of one another accomplishing the main goal of conversation. Any person who is somewhat familiar with hip-hop should know who Lil Wayne is. 28-year-old Lil Wayne is loved by millions of teenagers for his music with his recent album The Carter III being the highest selling album in 2009. By default Lil Wayne is a role model, anyone with his amount of fame and recognition is going to have influence on others. What makes Lil Wayne a unique role model is that he is not the standard ‘liked by all’ leader that most mothers would approve of. Rapper Lil Wayne has been arrested for possession of drugs and illegal weapons three times with the third putting him in jail. A majority of his raps consist of drugs, money, and sex. Is this a role model teenage fans should follow? These aren’t typical traits that one would normally see in a role model but his unconformity is what defines him and makes him the icon he is. In countless interviews and talk shows Lil Wayne is asked about his notorious drug abuse. He gives the same response each time showing no shame, I will stand up for marijuana any day Im a rapper. That’s who I am†¦ I am a gangster and I do what I want. And I love to smoke. And I smoke(all access). In his mind what he does is not wrong and as Kwame Anthony Appiah understands, â€Å"A good deal of what we intuitively take to be right, we take to be right just because it is what we are used to.† Who can say that what Lil Wayne does is wrong? Right and wrong at the most basic level is man made. What he believes is right is what makes him happy, and it is only because we are used to marijuana being illegal or we are used to frowning upon his life style that it is considered â€Å"wrong.† For someone who does a lot of ‘wrongs,’ he is overwhelmingly successful. Lil Wayne has a net worth of 75 million dollars, â€Å"Following the drop of his sixth studio album Tha Carter III in 2008 he was nominated for eight Grammy’s, the most for any artist that year taking home four awards. Wayne†¦ was named #2 on MTV’s list of hottest MC’s in the game behind Brooklyn bred rapper Jay-Z† (Celebnetworth). Lil Wayne is only 28 years old yet h as more success than most can ever dream of obtaining. â€Å"Some call him the best rapper to ever live others say he’s self-destructive but whatever you believe Lil Wayne has become a staple in American music and will remain there, indefinitely†(Celebnetworth). People aren’t used to a successful â€Å"gangster† like Lil Wayne coming from nothing and breaking the law while reaching the top. Lil Wayne embraces his vice-filled lifestyle, and thrives off of it. Like his hit song ‘I’m me’ expresses â€Å"Baby, Im me, so who you? Youre not me, youre not me.†(metrolyrics) He knows he is one of a kind and he knows he is the best. This is the attitude that attracts so many of his fans. His confidence and arrogance is what really defines him and his success just adds to his ego. While arrogance is not usually good, he gives off a confidence that many people can learn from when engaging in any of his conversations. At first look he may not appear to be very intelligent, but what many people do not realize is that Lil Wayne received straight A’s while in school. For me, it was always a way of showing someone my intelligence, a way of showing someone who I really am, Wayne says about his music(all access). When listening to Lil Wayne converse with Katie Couric, he is actually a very articulate speaker. Even through his lyrics one can see how descriptively he express his mind. Even the way he creates his rhymes is impressive. Lil Wayne never writes lyrics down before he records his songs. Every time he records a new song he raps impromptu, putting together rhymes as he goes. The ability to think that quickly and produce coherent thoughts unrehearsed in the form of music is astounding. The majority of people I’m sure do not know this about Lil Wayne and would never think of him as genuinely very intelligent. His intelligence confuses most people who immediately profile this black thuggish rapper as brainless. As Appiah understands â€Å"Understanding one another may be hard†(25). To fully understand Lil Wayne or any person is not easy, and those hidden characteristic of people, such as Lil Wayne’s genius, is what conversation can unveil. The complexity of this 28-year-old rapper allows for extremely beneficial conversation, changing first impressions and providing new perceptions. Lil Wayne uses music to reach the world exposing his intelligence and talent to millions. I believe that music is another form of news, he tells CBS News anchor Katie Couric. Music is another form of journalism to me so I have to cover all the areas with my album(allaccess). In many of his songs Lil Wayne will address current events. Katrina was a very sensitive subject to many and Lil Wayne having grown up there and lost ones who were close to him as shown in his lyrics. â€Å"To those restin in peace, those dead and deceased, soon again we meet†(metrolyrics). Lil Wayne donated $200,000 To Hurricane Katrina Relief Project to help the area where he grew up(Gigwise). Through the medium of his music he expresses his feelings, and has a vast amount of influence. This is what Appiah believes is necessary; to influence others and exchange ones own ideas like little Wayne does through his music quoted above. Whether people like it or not Lil Wayne is a leader. There is a reason he is so loved by his fans and has had so much success. He is a success himself and what people all over the globe strive to achieve. Alternatively when examining his habits and way of going about life it is hard see him as a positive influence in any respect. He does illegal drugs, possesses illegal weapons, and is known to be a womanizer in many of his lyrics. Recently he was arrested for possession of weapons without a permit. To many teens this looks â€Å"cool† and just adds to his notoriety. Illegal activity isn’t the key to success for most people, yet as he proclaimed, he is a gangster and can do what he wants when he wants. This cocky attitude gets him in a lot of trouble, but it also fuels his greatness. With every hero there is a flaw and Lil Wayne’s flaw is breaking the law. Most of his followers understand that some of his actions we should follow; instead following his confidence and individualism that yield success in an increasin gly competitive world. During the CBS interview Katie Couric asked if he views himself as a positive role model, Lil Wayne replied, I’m not an example for how people should live their lives, Never in my life would I ever set out to be an example for people on how to live their lives. If you need an example for how to live, then you just shouldn’t have been born.† Practicing what he preaches Lil Wayne does not live for anyone but himself. It is this attitude that intrigues people and causes conversation. Every time he makes a new song that tops the billboard charts he is reaching out and sharing himself with the world. Lil Wayne has conversation everyday when he makes his music, sharing himself with many different types of people each with their own varying backgrounds. Appiah would agree that Lil Wayne is someone people of differing cultures can learn from being as unique as he is. His uniqueness allows for good conversation by crossing boundaries like done in the CBS interview with Katie Couric, while still being able to connect easily with society as shown through his fame. Lil Wayne has always been himself and while many times misunderstood he will keep being Weezy F Baby, â€Å"The Best Rapper Alive.†