Lil Wayne Research Paper

For over 25 years, American rapper Lil Wayne has grown to be one of the biggest and most influential lyricists in the hip-hop music industry. Wayne started rapping at the age of 12 and since then has discussed gang violence, guns, women, drugs, and his abundant wealth. In recent news Lil Wayne has stated that he has never dealt with racism. His defense is that because he is a young rich black man, that America must see clearly that black lives do matter. These statements didn’t come by surprise to most since many people see Lil Wayne (and many other rappers) as vulgar and degrading. Many critics see this type of lyrical content to be paralleled with a lack of education regarding social interactions and norms. Lil Wayne was questioned about his stance on the BLM movement on Fox Sports’ Undisputed on which he was questioned about Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the national anthem. Wayne is unable to see
Due to Wayne’s enormously diverse fan base it is likely that he is experiencing complete inclusion, where he sees all people belonging to one race. (Wade) Wayne also attempts to avoid racists issues such as enlightened by the Black Lives Matter movement. Believing that his life matters to Americans because he is black and rich is being largely indifferent to the other oppressed black lives around him. Wayne has likely experienced the avoidance of racial language. Under the very large umbrella that the hip-hop industry has influenced, the usage of the the “N” word and other such language is often seen as a term of endearment and friendship. Wayne may not see that the origin of those terms are from a racist time and place. Finally, Lil Wayne obviously denies the structures of racism in which he believes that working hard, being successful and making a lot of money has made him immune to the influence of racism and racial inequality.