Another month, another surprise release by one of the biggest names in the music world. Today, Lil Wayne has dropped his latest album, Free Weezy Album (or FWA as it appears to have been shortened to), exclusively on Tidal. FWA is technically a mixtape, as it isn’t going to be for sale, but rather just a free gift to fans.
The rapper is in the middle of a very nasty battle with his record label, Cash Money Records, which he has been with since the beginning of his career. He claims that the label is withholding not only two full albums, but also tens of millions of dollars in money he is owed. He legally can’t put albums up for sale, but he is allowed to release music for free…and that’s exactly what he’s gone and done. FWA is actually the rapper’s second mixtape this year, following January’s Sorry 4 The Wait 2. Both are meant to hold fans off until he can clear up his legal issues and put out another traditional album.
Singer Lil Wayne performs during a free concert in Champ de Mars, downtown Port-au-Prince on June 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO/HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)
A month ago (almost exactly to the day), Wayne signed on as a co-owner of the streaming service, joining forces with fellow hip-hop stars J. Cole, Kanye West, and Jay Z. His inclusion was announced with a welcome surprise for fans and Tidal subscribers: a new track, “Gloryâ€.
Several of the artists that co-own Tidal have given the service exclusive content, but Wayne is the first to upload an entire album to the platform. The rapper is known for being especially prolific, so it isn’t shocking that he’d be the one to release not just one track but fifteen to the site.
As the year progresses, it is seeming like 2015 is going to end up being remembered for the most famous rappers in the business releasing some of their best works with little or no warning. So far, Drake has dropped a full album (when it was supposed to be a free mixtape), and both Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky have moved up the release date of their new albums, turning them into something of a surprise. All three of those records went to number one, so you can’t argue with a working tactic.
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