anybody who knows me will back me up on this: i used to be RIDICULOUSLY obsessed with this song. all 5 min 24 seconds of it. i'm still in awe of it to be honest. it's one of those storytelling songs that explains itself; so well that i probably don't need to b doing this, but here we are.
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| album cover- 'Tha Carter V'- Lil Wayne |
'i gotta story to tell' is a fitting first line to this song. lil wayne takes us on a ride with him through mona lisa, as he gets liz, a girl in his clique, to flirt with rich guys and let them take her back to their fancy houses; where liz would leave the doors open and the house, filled with valuables, vulnerable to wayne and wayne's. (real quick i'm not condoning robbing rich old guys' houses, don't b doing that.) each verse paints a scenario where this kinda thing happens, and the second wayne verse ends with the death of said rich guy. the painting by leonardo da vinci was infamously stolen, so perhaps this is where the theme of robbery ties to the title. the chorus literally sums the stories up perfectly, but so does this bar, 'cause you thought she was an angel? that bitch ain't no angel, i treat her halo like a frisbee.' i'm not even about to go all analysis on you but i know you clocked it. she's an 'angel' wherever wayne wants her to be; wherever he throws her halo. in retrospect there are a lot of misogynistic ideas woven into this song, which i really don't mess with but unfortunately are so prevalent in some rap/hip-hop music. but i'm just infatuated with how he tells the story, not even really the story itself. it's something about the contrast between wayne's raw voice and stories and the soothing piano in the back that works so well, too.
when KENDRICK comes on, after the weirdly long break that always makes me think the song ended, the song gains about 7 trillion points. he starts off with a quick flow, followed by a slower, dreamier one (you'll hear what i mean) with goosebump-worthy lyrics throughout. meanwhile, he's telling the story of a girl swept up by a rich guy and who becomes infatuated by him; despite her having a partner already. he then switches up AGAIN to portray the partner's p.o.v in the situation, which is the part of the song i like the least, only because the voice he puts on low-key (high-key) irritates my brain. i'm not even gunna say too much, but if you've read this far, just go & give it a listen. it's amaze, even if it's kinda (very) intense at several points. the way it tells a story is insanely vivid.
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| "Mona Lisa" - Leonardo Da Vinci (wearing her famous smile) |
the story and song end with a final link to leonardo da vinci's mona lisa, with the lyrics 'fake smile ' & ' no emotion.' these, along with so many more subtle hints throughout the entire story, show the female characters to wear the notorious 'mona lisa smile': they're deceitful, difficult to figure out and able to have a certain lure over men, even if the men don't realise they're being manipulated. despite wayne's sometimes problematic language regarding the women in mona lisa, he ends up in awe of their ability to influence and distract others, admiring their skilful deceit.
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