“If I Die Today†is, after “6 Foot 7 Foot,†the second track to be confirmed for Tha Carter IV. And, well, “If I Die Todayâ€? — we knew “6 Foot 7 Foot†and you, sir, are no “6 Foot 7 Foot.â€
For one: Wayne just full-on ganks the beat for Rick Ross’s “I’m Not a Star,†mix tape style. He does so under the cover of a new Ross verse and tweaked production of the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League’s original beat by Polow Da Don. But we have come to accept certain fundamental facts in the division between mix tapes and albums, and one of those things is that albums always get brand new beats. We’d almost understand if Wayne tucked it in on the tail end of Carter IV, maybe as a bonus track. But releasing it in the second spot is confusing.
Then again, there might be a good reason for that: MTV reports that “I’m Not a Star†was one of the first bits of music Wayne heard when he got out of the big house and was so enamored he was compelled to do his own take; if that’s the case, then dropping “If I Die Today†early is sort of endearing. Also on the plus side for the track: Wayne mostly channels Ross’s flow, but also cribs Kanye’s “huhâ€s from “H.A.M.â€; at one point, he dismisses a few anonymous haters by comparing them to Cinnabon. Anyway, let’s wrap things up by focusing on the important stuff. Namely, Wayne’s post-mortem instructions: “If I die today, remember me like John Lennon/ Buried in Louis, I’m talking all brown linen.†Noted!
Hear the song at LilWayneHQ