Lil Wayne’s Top Topps Cards
Welcome to a celebration like no other – a tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. In honor of this momentous anniversary, we’re looking at the two most important American creations of the late 20th century: modern trading card collecting and hip-hop. Join us all month (and beyond) as we spotlight how hip-hop and the Hobby have connected to create singular and enduring cultural moments.
Lil Wayne had one of, if not the most, legendary runs in hip-hop history. Weezy so enraptured fans they began calling themselves “Wayneheads,” growing dreads, and dressing like the Hollygrove native down to the wallet chains. From 2002-08, Lil Wayne was untouchable. I repeat, untouchable. He released a string of classic mixtapes and albums, dominating the hip-hop scene as if he were the Usain Bolt of rap – in fact, Usain Bolt should consider himself the Lil Wayne of sprinting. Even after his hallowed period, he continued to rack up awards and drop platinum projects, including the Tha Carter IV. In 2021, Topps commemorated the 10th anniversary of his 5x platinum album. And Wayne? He absolutely loved it. Here are the 10 best cards from the 2021 Topps x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary set.
See the top five cards from the 2021 x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary at Hip-Hop and the Hobby | Lil Wayne x Topps, Pt. 2.
Top Lil Wayne Cards #s 10-6
10: 2021 Topps x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary “Mirror” Gold
“Mirror” is the final single of Tha Carter IV. It features singer-songwriter Bruno Mars and was co-produced by REO of the Soundkillers & the Smeezingtons. Antoine Fuqua directed the music video, with visual effects by GloriaFX.
9: 2021 Topps x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary “Megaman” Gold
Although not released as an official singDJ, “MegaMan” peaked at #52 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s named after its producer, MegaMan, who connected with Wayne via Young Jeezy’s DJ Folk.
8: 2021 Topps x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary “How to Hate”
T-Pain was criticized for his use of auto-tune, but as one of the artists who made the technique globally popular, Wayne used this song as a platform to respond to the haters. On the track, Wayne talks about love gone wrong and how he’s moving on, but the song could also be interpreted as his fans’ reaction to his use of auto-tune.
7: 2021 Topps x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary “Novacane”
Produced by legendary composer and songwriter Emile Haynie, this song also contains a sample of “Everything Must Change by Jazz great Benard Ighner for Quincy Jones’ 1974 album “Body Heat.” The track was delivered digitally for the first time on the Complete Edition of the album in honor of its 10th anniversary.
6: 2021 Topps x Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV 10th Anniversary “MegaMan”
Another photo from the “Megaman” music video makes this list, and it has everything to do with the shot used. Wayne’s M.O.B. tattoo is iconic in the same manner as Tupac’s “Thug Life” ink. A generation of kids copied this tattoo just because Wayne had it. I’d tell you what the M.O.B. stands for, but using Google for the explanation is satisfactory. Enjoy.
