Review Summary: A subpar, but interesting look at the start of the career of one of the most popular rappers of the 2000s.
Tha Block is Hot, Lil Wayne's debut, was a rather interesting start to a great MC's career. Way before his HUGE success he attained in the mid-2000s, Wayne put out a few albums while with the Hot Boys, one of them being this one. Lil Wayne shined at moments on here, and showed he could shine alone without the Hot Boys. However, this album clearly showed an MC with much improvement needed to be done. Wayne's flow was pretty solid, but his delivery was kiddish and high pitched, as well as him not having a high amount of skill yet. However, Wayne clearly had some potential. As I said previously, Wayne has some moments of greatness with his charisma and lyrics, and a few moments of introspectiveness.
One of the standout tracks here is "Tha Block is Hot", where Wayne just goes off, with a very engaging flow and energy. The beat is a high-energy head-nodder, and just sounds great. Wayne also has moments of introspectiveness, such as on "F**k Tha World". On this song, Wayne talks about the troubles in his life, and how his father died when he was a child. Wayne also talks about how he has a daughter to raise, and he takes care of his mother, and does what he feels he needs to to support his family. "Up to Me" talks about the same thing as well.
Despite the moments of brilliance, Wayne has a few tracks on here that will make you wonder if this is the same guy who later made songs like "Best Rapper Alive" and "Dr. Carter". Songs like "Drop it Like It's Hot" and "Loud Pipes" are extremely forgettable, with nothing interesting to say, and lukewarm, dated production. "Kisha" is clearly what Wayne thought was a deep storytelling song. While the rapper does tell a story on the track, it's not an interesting story, as it's simply him talking about how he's trying to have sex with a girl, and the uninteresting beat doesn't help matters either. Despite my aforementioned production gripes with those tracks, Mannie Fresh's production helps the album a little bit. I wouldn't call it a saving grace for the album. The production is rather dated at times, but it gets the job done for the most part.
Tha Block is Hot is an interesting album, and some may hate it, some may love it. Diehard Cash Money fans may love this, as it's their signature sound for the most part, just a bit watered down. Underground heads may hate this, as it lacks lyrical content and substance, and Wayne has nothing interesting to say here for the most part. Either way though, this is a somewhat solid start to Wayne's career, but a forgettable album overall. This isn't an album you revisit, or a must-listen, or an album that has a high replay value like some of the rapper's later material, but it's still decent nonetheless. Overall a solid album, just don't expect greatness.
Ratings:
1. Intro (feat. Big Tymers)
2. Tha Block is Hot: 4/5
3. Loud Pipes (feat. Big Tymers, Juvenile, and B.G.): 2.5/5
4. Watcha Wanna Do: 3.5/5
5. Kisha (feat. Hot Boys): 2.5/5
6. High Beamin' (feat. B.G.): 3.5/5
7. Lights Off: 4/5
8. F**k Tha World: 4.5/5
9. Remember Me: 3/5
10. Respect Us (feat. Juvenile): 3/5
11. Drop it Like It's Hot (feat. B.G. and Mannie Fresh): 2/5
12. Young Playa (feat. Big Tymers): 2.5/5
13. Enemy Turf (feat. Juvenile): 3/5
14. Not Like Me (feat. Big Tymers): 3.5/5
15. Come On (feat. B.G.): 3/5
16. Up to Me: 4/5
17. You Want War (feat. Turk): 3/5
Best songs:
F**k Tha World
Up to Me
Tha Block is Hot
Lights Off
Watcha Wanna Do
Weakest song: Drop it Like It's Hot
Production: 7.3/10
Lyrics: 6.4/10
Overall rating 69/100
Grade: D+
