Piece Description

Last July, Time’s online editor Josh Tyrangiel said Lil’Waynes rhymes were Dylanesque

Dylanesque, as in Bob Dylan, and that got me wondering about the validity of that statement.  I decided to do an investigation of my own.

Is Lil Wayne the new Bob Dylan?

Throughout the five decades that Robert Allen Zimmerman, best known as Bob Dylan, has been an active musician, he has been able to define himself by unmistakable wit, and social relevance. In the song "The times they are-a changing", over a simple guitar melody, Dylan sings about the progression of society and crystallizes the sentiments of a generation.

Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in 1986, Lil Wayne a New Orleans native while emulating the lyrical style of Dylan has risen to the top of the music industry. By this February, Lil’ Wayne’s latest album had sold over three million copies in the U.S. making it the highest selling album of 2008.

Whether Wayne is rapping about hip-hop music’s prerequisites -- cars, cash, and the ubiquitous bling-bling - a term which he actually coined.  Or croaking through a song about “licking lollipops" which is a metaphor for something far less innocent than it sounds, his words are reminiscent of Dylan’s lyrics. Similarly scattered and seemingly disconnected, and yet they are refreshing and edgy.

Sixteen-year-old Millie Cripe a fan of Lil’ Wayne, also heard Bob Dylan’s music growing up also finds a uniqueness in Lil’ Wayne’s lyrics and delivery.

CRIPE:  I think he has unique lyrics and I think even though he does sing about some things that I might not necessarily agree with, I think he makes the songs funny and his lyrics are always different and always make me laugh”

David Lindquist, the pop-music writer for the Indianapolis Star admits that Wayne is “creative” in similar ways to Dylan, but questions whether he has the same impact outside the music scene.

LINDQUIST: “With Bob Dylan, cultural impact and artistry were hand in hand, if Lil’ Wayne is mobilizing millions of his listeners to try to change America or better situations I’m not aware of that mobilization.”

Wayne has not had the same impact that Dylan had, he’s making an effort.  In July of 2007, he founded the “One Family Foundation” to engage urban youth in opportunities to cultivate skills and teach them how to be financially self-sufficient. This year, the foundation plans to provide grants to grass-roots organizations across the country. 

Although there are many differences between the two artists, namely Bob Dylan’s social impact, both artists seem to seamlessly unify creativity with popularity and commercial success.  They possess very diverse fan basses and write lyrics that make me wonder if anyone else but them could have written something– spastic  yet coherent .