Track Check: Birdman & Lil Wayne "Stuntin' Like My Daddy"

A little boy needs Daddy for many, many things:
Like holding him high off the ground, where the sunlight sings!

I am a general in the military and that means that sometimes I gotta take a bullet for my country. In this case my country is hip hop and the bullet is the song Stuntin' Like My Daddy  by Birdman and Lil Wayne. I've got a lot to say about this track so I'm going to break it down to the very last compound. We're going CSI on this piece...Battalion, TEN HUT!

BACKGROUND



Fathers wipe the tears of your broken heart
And they hold your hand when you don't know how to start

Artists: 

Lil Wayne is extremely well known in all music circles as "the best rapper ever". I strongly disagree with this statement but I can understand where it's coming from. Lil Wayne is clever with his wordplay and he's got incredible punchlines and he hails from an underrepresented part of the country that really demands that a good rapper to represent it. He's established a very unique flow and sound that gives him almost complete freedom on any track (which he takes full advantage of). He's very popular and unavoidable. I've found Wayne to be insubstantial in general (unless you like to hear about money) and somewhat unbearable. I don't really mind him but I don't listen to him. I've found that when he comes in on a non-Cash Money collaboration song, the track tends to stop dead as soon as I hear his voice. He's like some sort of emergency break. Now thats probably the fault of producers who don't know how to handle him, but still...I hate that.  Plus, he's a pretty shallow rapper and a lot of his clever punchlines are pretty corny when you think about them, but he makes a lot of sound effects with his mouth which is cool. Okay, so now that I've lost all of my readers with str8 hatin', let's move on to Birdman who is way worse on the mic but makes bird sounds.

Birdman founded Cash Money records many, many years ago and took on Lil Wayne at the young age of 11. One of his nicknames is B-32, which is honestly one of my favorite rap aliases ever because wtf?. His favorite rap topics include guns, having money, getting money, bird sounds, and women, and he rarely goes off topic. I guess he does have something to brag about, he is like the fifth richest rapper of all time - but who wants to hear about that in every fucking verse of every fucking song? Nobody.

Also these guys have a devoted fan base, have sold a ton of records, and have both won a Grammy (you care, I know it). Also, when Lil Wayne drops anything, everyone knows.

BFF Pals

Even though Birdman and Wayne often work together, Like Father, Like Son is their first "duet" (their words, not mine, I would never call anything a duet). The album overall was well received by fans and critics and sold like a billion copies. This song was a single off of the album.

"Stuntin' Like My Daddy" (Air Horn!!!)

Title

I've asked this before, but I'll ask it again at every opportunity that I get: What the hell is with Wayne calling Birdman his Daddy? I mean it's weird for one grown man to call another man daddy, especially in hip hop. I mean WWTTFFF? This is the edge, right? It's like you're walking along and everything is normal, then you get to come to a weird edge and beyond is this type of shit. Friends or business associates calling each other daddy. Think about it. These guys are probably friends (which is great I guess), in some ways Birdman is Lil Wayne's boss and mentor, and then Lill Wayne calls him daddy a million times on record. WEIRD! AND that's just the title. I hate it. Also, is there a Big Wayne? Would that be Birdman? Big Wayne Birdman? BWB? BWB-32! "You lost me there"-You.

Beat

I'm a professional reviewer and all I can say is that this is just a typical Cash Money beat. It's got all the elements that fans of Cash Money music have come to love. You know what I'm talking about. Actually, it's a bit more catchy than a lot of the songs on this album (yeah, I listened to the whole thing...I HAD TO for work, this shit doesn't listen to itself). But I would in no way call it "good" or "tolerable", it's terrible but also expected.

Chorus

Okay here are the lyrics for the extremely odd chorus

(Wayne 's words in Black, Birdman in Green):

Vrooom! On A Yamaha.

Chromed Out Eleven-Hundred
What I'm Doing? Getting Money.

What We Doing? Getting Money.
What They Doing? Hating on us.

But They Neva Cross. Cash Money still a company

and Bitch I'm The Boss.
 

And I Be Stuntin' Like My Daddy, Stuntin' Like My Daddy, Stuntin' Like My Daddy, I Be Stuntin' Like My Daddy

I'm The Young Stunna, Stuntin' Like My Daddy Stuntin' Like My Daddy, I Be Stuntin' Like My Daddy

Believe it or not, the back-and-forth is actually good. That is until Birdman points out that Cash Money is "still a company". What? Was it not a company at some point? Was it in receivership (what is receivership)? Whatever. This is still a blog.

So they are pointing out that Wayne and B-32 are "getting money" and that's fine. At the same time "they" are "hating" which is also fine. But, in response to the hate, Birdman says that although they're hating, they "neva cross". Why? Because Cash Money is still a company, and Lil Wayne is the boss. I would argue that haters don't cross because they don't care. For example, there are a ton of companies that I hate (all the record companies for one) but the fact that they're a company (or still a company) doesn't make me hate them less or dissuade me from hating at all. In fact, let's say I hated Taco Bell (I don't), I probably wouldn't cross them, I would just avoid them. I don't even know what I'm talking about...and why is Wayne calling himself the boss? Birdman is a co-founder dude, you were hired when you were eleven (bird sounds).

Then the whole "young stunna" thing and the repeating of the title a hundred times. It's just odd. It's an odd combination of words. Imagine walking down the street singing this over and over: "I be stuntin' like my daddy"...you'd be mocked and jumped. Nobody would put up with that dumb shit in any neighborhood...even affluent ones.

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God - I call him Dad!

Lyrics

Well, if Lil Wayne is known for his clever punchlines, he isn't pleasing his fans here. He's got a few, but they're few a far between. He's got nothing for this track. Birdman is even weaker.



A Fathers Love is in Fun Times Together, Camping under the Trees, Enjoying a picnic, and Walking through the Leaves...

Wayne comes to bat on the first verse and what the hell is he talking about? Getting paid, being rich, murdering his adversaries, being from a bad part of town, and taking your girl. Of course! The only clever line is "It ain't my birthday, but I got my name on the cake"...but that's money related and WE GET IT!

The second verse goes to Birdman who raps about (surprise) Money. $! It's a lot of that. "Spend 50 On A Caddy, 25 On The Pinky". Honestly, who cares? We get it okay? Money! I'm not even hating for the money thing, I'm hating for the bragging. It's a whole verse of this trash. It's just boring and boring to hear about. Boring! And I can't relate. I got $0.00 on my pinky.

Okay, the final verse goes back to Wayne and what do we have this time? Actually, let's try to answer the main question of this song: how is Lil Wayne like his daddy? Well, he basically rhymes the exact same verse as his daddy. They're saying the same thing. They both get and spend money! Great. Just a nice song. Like father like son. One of those established classics.

Final Verdict

This is vintage Cash Money, and by that I mean it's terrible. How does this shit sell? Vrooom!

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." 

Score: 0/10





Photo Edited by Staff





Check the Bio, Son: Birdman

Check the Bio, Son: Birdman

--Official Stats--
Artist: Birdman
Item: "Bio" portion of official website

Aliases: B-32 Baby Birdman

Affiliations: Cash Money Records, Big Tymers, Lil Wayne

Estimated Net Worth: $100 Million (Forbes)

Okay, so Birdman right?  What’s up with this guy?  For one, he’s the fourth wealthiest rapper!  Second, he’s got an oil pumpjack tattooed on the side of his head because he owns (owned) a failed oil exploration company. Business! Also, WTFFFFF?  I'm going to be as unbiased as I can be, but I hate Birdman. I mean, how is he famous? How did he do what he did and make a ton of money? Like Jay-Z levels? I guess that's what bio's are for, to find out things. Well, let's see: he co-founded Cash Money Records and was somehow nominated for a Grammy. If you count his work with the Big Tymers, he has sold more albums than all of your favorite artists combined forever. So he is just the best. But what do I really know about him? Nothing. So following my tradition of learning about a rapper by looking at their official bio I have decided to learn about Birdman that way. I’m sure his bio will be down to earth and charming, like my review. Why wouldn’t they be? We're all adults here (even though one of us tattooed an oil rig on his head (not me)).

OKAY! Well, Honestly I’m one word into the bio and I’m not happy. Why? He calls himself “5* Stunna”. That’s an alias I'm sure, and that’s fine, but still it could be a description as well. It's like if I started calling myself ultrasurpriser (just an example). So, B-32, what if a “6* Stunna” came along? Or even a “10* Stunna”? That would be a problem right? Didn't think that one through did ya B-32? Or maybe you did, I mean I've never met anyone with a "*" in thier name so we'll call this a draw. Now, let’s check out the (long) first paragraph:

With all of his elaborate possessions - from jewels to cars and homes; his cash money making ventures- from music to videogames to shoes and clothing; Bryan "Birdman aka Baby" Williams is poised to continue shining in everything he does. The New Orleans bred, Miami loving and living, artist slash entrepreneur, has spent over a decade perfecting his hustle and adjusting his swagger to the beat of his own drum. The mega-house that Birdman helped to build, alongside his brother Ronald "Slim" Williams, is known to legions of fans as Cash Money. As they celebrate the tenth anniversary of the 45 million selling, gold and platinum plaque adorning, Cash Money Empire and reputation, the man with many nicknames unleashes his third solo effort, 5* Stunna, to hip-hop fans everywhere. "My nicknames went with the time I put in with my music. Five star stunna, that's me doing me, just Bryan Williams, the stunna man."

Well, it just continues to bother me because I have a problem with the next twelve words as well: “With all of his elaborate possessions - from jewels to cars and homes”.  Seriously, that’s how to start a bio.  Brag about how rich you are! We NEED to know. Do you have “elaborate possessions”? YES. Good I can respect you now. But wait, do you have jewels? YES. Okay.  I’m officially a fan. I have a car (singular), I have a house (rental), but I don’t have jewels. We're different, but similar (I can’t afford jewels). Maybe if I perfected my hustle and adjusted my swagger to the beat of my own drum I could afford some jewels. Oh, and I love that he built a “mega-house” instead of just a “house” or “label”. Mega-Awesome. I am 5* Stunnaed. Now wait, I’ve noticed another problem. The end of that paragraph starts promoting Birdman’s “third solo effort, 5* Stunna, an album that came out over four years ago. Uh-oh, outdated bio alert! Since this bio was written Birdman has dropped the following albums: 5* Stunna (lool), Pricele$$ (loool), and Bigger Than Life (soon I guess). So, time to update that bio, B-32 Baby (his actual nickname)!

Evidence of Success

Well, the biopromotion continues, but not before Birdman dips into another rap cliché: hard times: “Having suffered loss and persevered to regain himself, Birdman spent the past two years performing with Cash Money signature superstar Lil Wayne.” So that really turns a negative into a positive doesn't it? He went from some generic “loss” to great success in one sentence. So, Lil Wayne right? Streets is talking. We get to see what Birdman thinks are the highlights of this relationship: a pairing called “Like Father, Like Son” and a “wildly successful single” called Stuntin’ Like My Daddy. Whaaaat? I mean, WHAAAAT! They are not actually related and it is weird to call someone dad who isn’t your dad. Am I right? And also, shouldn’t it be “5* Stunnin’ Like My Daddy”? I don’t know.

I get it. You’re saying, “Dag don’t understand the southern culture or rap at all”. And you know what? You’re right: I don’t understand any of this. For example, the next line starts talking about something like “my nickames went with the time I put in with my music. Five star stunna, that's me doing me” What? I don't understand. Help me.

So now we get to learn a bit more about our avian hero:

In his music as in life, Birdman injects himself fully into the mix at an aggressive, accelerated rate. "When I do an album I want it to be me, my personality, my character, what I love, what I live for and I think in my music, that's what I bring across," explains the high ranking influential. "I'm into cars, nice beautiful things, and I think on this album, I brought you along into my personal life. I went into more depth about the things I've been through and our life experiences."

Yep, he calls himself a “high ranking influential”, that sounds important. Once again we have “cars, nice beautiful things”, the trappings of wealth (I’m sure we can all relate, right?). I’m guessing he’s talking about his upcoming 2007 album, because he says “I went into more depth about the things I've been through and our life experiences." Sure. Nice quote.

Back to the promotion:

The first single and video from 5* Stunna, "Pop Bottles" featuring Lil Wayne, sounds like classic Cash Money. Reminiscent of the archives from the CM vault, time spent with the Hot Boyz and Big Tymers, the speeded up synthesizer that pounces like a southern bounce record, yet creeps in on the low, is contemporary, five-star quality. When Birdman and Wayne crafted the lyrics for the track, they were doing what they do, toasting their recent success 'poppin' bottles.'

Pop Bottles indeed. “Speeded up synthesizer that pounces like a southern bounce record” does sound like classic Cash Money. Just timeless. 5* quality. Do what you do. Pop those bottles, you earned it fellas. Confession time: even thought 5* Stunna has been out for years and sold like crazy, I haven’t heard it (which is why I’m the worst reviewer on earth). Anyway, no need to hear it because it is summarized here:

5* Stunna carefully weaves a cautionary tale not only from the perspective of its official G, but also from the perspective of the old man narrator from the Like Father, Like Son album. As the Italian wise guy walks with Birdman intermittently throughout his five star excursions, he drops gems along the way about the game, loyalty and family business. "I wanted that input from him, like I was just going to see the old man to get the blessing."

That sounds good!  I love when “old man narrator” joins an "Official G" for "5* excursions".  I need to know about loyalty and family business. I love how Birdman made up "old man narrator" and then sought his blessing, I hope he got it otherwise he might lose a star, and everybody knows that 4* Stunnas don’t pop bottles ever.

Whooooaaaaa this is a long bio and bio review.  Intermission.

So now we’re on to the next single from the album:100 Million, which (honestly) represents Birdmans proudest accomplishement: spending $100 Million! Big Tymer! Money ain’t a thang!  Now, if you haven’t heard this song (I have not) then you might want to check out “the new Cash Money, coupled with the vibe and beauty of Miami” in a song. That’s good. But DJ Khaled providing the ad libs over an airy track? That’s 5*, baby.  We are learning so much about Birdman aren’t we? This is just like Harry Truman’s biography!  American success stories! Braggadocio and whatevers!

I may have spoke sarcastically to soon, because the next paragraph actually lists some of Birdman’s character attributes:

Birdman wears his confidence like a five star general wears his medal of honor. Between swank talk – "I'm A Stunna" and "Believe Dat" featuring Lil Wayne; preparedness – "Fully Loaded" ; work ethic – "Grind" featuring Lil Wayne and Cash Money newcomer Brisco; passing the torch – "I Run This" featuring Lil Wayne and power play takeover techniques – "Make Way" featuring Lil Wayne and Fat Joe,

So we’ve got the 5* General comparison (apt), and his strongest personality traits: confidence (obviously), swank talk (necessary), preparedness, work ethic, passing the torch, and “power play takeover techniques”.  Me: “Impressive. You’re hired, B-32 Baby, here is your cubicle. Wait, what’s that? You say you’re already a legend with the stuntin, the jewelry, cars, Cash Money, and Hot Boys…but you can’t take the job?  Because you need to ‘re-do’ things? Oh, that really is too bad.  We could use a stunna like you (sad face).”

And it goes on.  Birdman loves tattoos and uses utilizes them to “heal beyond the suffering”.  Yep, 100 Million dollar, 5* suffering. What a jerk, I…oh, wait, he’s talking about Hurricane Katrina. That is real suffering for a lot of people. I'm the jerk. Katrina was terrible. Birdman is practicing real talk, and he wrote a song called Love My Hood to help.  Good for everyone (I guess everyone needs to heal somehow). “What it's like for the Birdman is a constant grind with him at the helm of his ship and in control of it all.”  My heart goes out to Birdman on that (also, WTF).

The CEO of BP? Nope. That's just Birdman, you can tell by the "5*G".

Now we have a paragraph about shoes.  A “wildly successful Birdman Shoe Collection” with Lugz in 2008 (lol).

And finally, two paragraphs left.  FINALLY.  We read about Baby’s “game face”, “focus”, “laser-like precision”.  Some inspirational quotes “blah, blah, keep walking”. Boring.

Last paragraph: Birdman has an “open-mind and a hustle mentality”, a 5* Stunna way of life that works to keep Cash Money a “valuable commodity” and, finally, we have Birdman describe his legacy: "we won't stop, slow down or change. We're about to get bigger and better. And that's how real 5 G puts in the work."  Word.  5 G.  G* Stunna. Great Bio. The Best Bio?  5* Bio.

The oil thing is gone.  Now he's got the 5*'s on his head like a 5* crown.

Now for some thoughs on that whole "we won't...change" legacy...

“Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times." — Niccolo Machiavelli (6* Stunna)

"It is a bad plan that admits of no modification." — Publilius Syrus (Not a Stunna)

"Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." —John F. Kennedy (4* Stunna)

So that was a lot of out of date promotion and a lot of bragging.  But it was also introspective and confusing and amazing.  You win B-32. Take your billion dollars and live the good life.

Required name dropping: Lil Wayne (of course), Ronald "Slim" Williams, Cool & Dre, DJ Khaled, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Brisco, Fat Joe.

BIO SCORE: 5*/10

The full text of the original bio:

5* Stunna
With all of his elaborate possessions - from jewels to cars and homes; his cash money making ventures- from music to videogames to shoes and clothing; Bryan "Birdman aka Baby" Williams is poised to continue shining in everything he does. The New Orleans bred, Miami loving and living, artist slash entrepreneur, has spent over a decade perfecting his hustle and adjusting his swagger to the beat of his own drum. The mega-house that Birdman helped to build, alongside his brother Ronald "Slim" Williams, is known to legions of fans as Cash Money. As they celebrate the tenth anniversary of the 45 million selling, gold and platinum plaque adorning, Cash Money Empire and reputation, the man with many nicknames unleashes his third solo effort, 5* Stunna, to hip-hop fans everywhere. "My nicknames went with the time I put in with my music. Five star stunna, that's me doing me, just Bryan Williams, the stunna man."

In preparation for his latest release, the Cash Money co-founder, CEO and platinum-plus star has kept busy. Having suffered loss and persevered to regain himself, Birdman spent the past two years performing with Cash Money signature superstar Lil Wayne. Fresh from their pairing Like Father, Like Son and the wildly successful single "Stuntin' Like My Daddy," Birdman is clear on whom he represents "we do our music for the people," and the people kindly acknowledge him in return.

In his music as in life, Birdman injects himself fully into the mix at an aggressive, accelerated rate. "When I do an album I want it to be me, my personality, my character, what I love, what I live for and I think in my music, that's what I bring across," explains the high ranking influential. "I'm into cars, nice beautiful things, and I think on this album, I brought you along into my personal life. I went into more depth about the things I've been through and our life experiences."

The first single and video from 5* Stunna, "Pop Bottles" featuring Lil Wayne, sounds like classic Cash Money. Reminiscent of the archives from the CM vault, time spent with the Hot Boyz and Big Tymers, the speeded up synthesizer that pounces like a southern bounce record, yet creeps in on the low, is contemporary, five-star quality. When Birdman and Wayne crafted the lyrics for the track, they were doing what they do, toasting their recent success 'poppin' bottles.'

5* Stunna carefully weaves a cautionary tale not only from the perspective of its official G, but also from the perspective of the old man narrator from the Like Father, Like Son album. As the Italian wise guy walks with Birdman intermittently throughout his five star excursions, he drops gems along the way about the game, loyalty and family business. "I wanted that input from him, like I was just going to see the old man to get the blessing."
One of the blessings Birdman received was a star studded collaboration with the Cool & Dre produced second single and video, "100 Million." Representing the new Cash Money, coupled with the vibe and beauty of Miami, DJ Khaled provides the ad libs over the airy track almost befitting of rock anthem status in sound. Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross lend their own unique brand of braggadocio into the mix lyrically.

Birdman wears his confidence like a five star general wears his medal of honor. Between swank talk – "I'm A Stunna" and "Believe Dat" featuring Lil Wayne; preparedness – "Fully Loaded" ; work ethic – "Grind" featuring Lil Wayne and Cash Money newcomer Brisco; passing the torch – "I Run This" featuring Lil Wayne and power play takeover techniques – "Make Way" featuring Lil Wayne and Fat Joe,
Birdman keeps his skills sharp and his hustle respected inside and out of the studio. "The stuntin, the jewelry, cars, Cash Money, Hot Boyz, I'm already a legend, but right now I feel like I need to re-do this."
Beyond his music, Birdman expresses his feelings through the artistic medium of tattoos. As the teardrops on his face symbolize loss, the rest of his body has been utilized to heal beyond the suffering with each tat representing blood, love and money.

With his hometown still in recovery from the devastation known as Hurricane Katrina, "Love My Hood" is a story Birdman continues to share. The piano creeps in on the TMIX (Cash Money in-house producer) track as Birdman identifies his hometown pride while recognizing his desire to live life to the fullest because you never know when it will be taken away from you.

What it's like for the Birdman is a constant grind with him at the helm of his ship and in control of it all.
"It don't ever stop, you got to be able to wear as many faces as your range can go." 5* Stunna represents his evolving music side while the entrepreneur is preparing for the release the next installment of his wildly successful Birdman Shoe Collection via his endorsement deal with Lugz in the summer of 2008.

When you look at the Birdman and wonder how he balances it all, his game face is on and his focus incorporates laser-like precision. "You gotta go everyday. Nothing happens too fast or too quick. It's a process and everyday I feel like I put something towards it. You don't want it to miss you, so you've got to keep walking."
As the music business continues to change, keeping Cash Money as a valuable commodity is not only a priority for Birdman, but a way of life that 5* Stunna represents. With an open-mind and a hustle mentality, the legacy Birdman wants to leave behind – "we won't stop, slow down or change. We're about to get bigger and better. And that's how real 5 G puts in the work."