Knowing Your Boundaries

Of course, as I’m starting delve deep into this “artists doing what they’re created for” idea lately, someone has to go and prove my point by doing the opposite.

Lil’ Wayne, whose latest album I gladly play on repeat, is known for being prolific, always in the studio working on something. That, to me, is the sign of an artist that’s found their niche, and his is clever, fresh hip hop. Except now he’s decided to make a rock album. One listen will tell you this probably isn’t going to turn out well. It sounds like a natural-born rapper trying to not be a rapper and overlooking some genre “rules” in the process.

It’s an artist exploring. That has to be respected. If artists didn’t explore, nothing would ever change. But to release those explorations to the public could tarnish his image, and thus his art.

Maybe some artists are prolific in their niche because they are one-trick ponies that are particularly good at that one trick. If they didn’t explore, they wouldn’t ever know where the boundary was. But once they hit it, why venture across it to a place where judgment will be swift and painful?