Tha Block Is Hot (album)

## ***Tha Block Is Hot***

***Tha Block Is Hot*** is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on November 2, 1999, by Universal Records and Cash Money Records.

## Synopsis

The sky's the limit on *Tha Block Is Hot*, the debut album from the youngest former Hot Boy. These were Wayne's proving grounds, and he delivers, spitting in staccato blasts over bouncy Mannie Fresh beats. His Cash Money family provides plenty of assists; B.G.'s free-verse flow is the perfect foil for Wayne's sharpness on "High Beamin'." But Wayne shines brightest on "F\*\*\* Tha World," memorializing his father's death and his daughter's birth (and breaking his mom's one rule: no cursing).

## Critical reception

Writing for AllMusic, Jason Birchmeier believed the project not being "much different from other late-'90s Cash Money releases" due to former Hot Boys members being featured, though added it "has its moments." *Chicago Tribune* weighed in, "puts a slight twist on the materialistic, street-driven lyrics and easily danceable beats of hip-hop's reigning kings." *The Harvard Crimson* was less positive, opining, "there is little in the lyrics department worthy of the rewind button, although dwell on the bounce beat in the background and everything will be all right."

Yoh Phillips of *DJBooth* wrote an analysis in the 20th anniversary of the record, "*Tha Block Is Hot* internalizes the spirit of boys who become men before their time. [...] That is what Lil Wayne has accomplished throughout his career, the metamorphosis from Hot Boy to a God. Yet nothing about *Tha Block Is Hot* informs listeners of who or what Lil Wayne will become: a rapper-eating Martian with love for Auto-Tune and oral sex." *Complex* stated in a retrospective review the same year, "As a body of work, it pales in comparison to the first three entries in the *Carter* series, or his iconic late 2000s mixtape run, but it certainly has its share of standout moments. Most enduring among them are the ways *Tha Block* showcases many of Wayne's musical predilections that would come to the fore during his time as the world's biggest rapper." *Stereogum* remarked of how it "does not offer too much indication that Wayne would eventually become the greatest, most popular, most influential rapper of his generation." In *The Guardian*'s 2018 ranked list of Wayne albums, they placed *Tha Block* at No. 8. They penned, "His froggy flow would smooth out, and quotable lines would become more cutting, but there's plenty of no-nonsense street bars and plaintive musings from a kid who was already a father."

## Track listing

**Sample credits**

* "Loud Pipes" contains a sample of "Rich N\*ggaz" performed by Juvenile.

## References

1. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s". *FACT*. September 3, 2012.
2. ↑ "Tha Block Is Hot Review by Jason Birchmeier". *AllMusic*.
3. ↑ Baker, Soren (November 14, 1999). "Lil Wayne Tha Block Is Hot (Cash Money/Universal)". *Chicago Tribune*.
4. ↑ Leonard, Franklin (November 19, 1999). "Album Review: Lil Wayne". *The Harvard Crimson*.
5. ↑ Phillips, Yoh (November 2, 2019). "Lil Wayne's 'Tha Block Is Hot' Turns 20". *Tidal*.
6. ↑ Rindner, Grant (November 2, 2019). "20 Years Ago, Lil Wayne Flashed Brilliance on Debut Solo Album 'Tha Block Is Hot'". *Complex*.
7. ↑ Breihan, Tom (November 1, 2019). "*Tha Block Is Hot* Turns 20". *Stereogum*.
8. ↑ Nguyen, Dean (October 4, 2018). "Lil Wyane's Albums - Ranked!". *The Guardian*.

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