Crank That Weezy Wee

Lil Wayne brings the funk to Gary Amp

TAMPA

Pre-concert music has long been a chance for headlining acts to honor their heroes, to highlight musical trailblazers who helped pave the way. So in the half-hour before rapper Lil Wayne took to the stage at 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre on Wednesday, he made sure to crank the tunes of the man he loves the most: Lil Wayne!

Haha! This guy is bonkers! But before you go thinking the 28-year-old Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. a.k.a. Weezy F. Baby (a.k.a 500 other goofy monikers) is merely a so-serious vanity case, let it be known that he's also the only rapper alive who can pull off the braggadocio of a cut called We Be Steady Mobbin' while wearing furry-animal sneakers.

But in front of 12,500 fans who knew every clever, twisted, filthy lyric, Lil Wayne did just that, grinning that megawatt smile and hopping about like a wee tattooed sprite — and not a dude who just did serious prison time for firearm shenanigans.

Bounding about on a flashing three-tiered stage that also held a DJ, a full wailing rock band and plenty of writhing backup singers, the New Orleans-born emcee was a self-deprecating chatterbox for 90 minutes, flirting with fans and ferociously spitting cutthroat hits in a voice borrowed from Froggy in the Little Rascals.

He's cuddly! Adorable even! He's also a heck of a showman, making sure people got bang for bucks. A steady brigade of four opening acts warmed up the already sweat-streaked young throngs. R&B upstart Lloyd and crooning counterpart Keri "Pretty Girl Rock" Hilson failed to get much of a rise from the crowd. But electro-clashing producer Far East Movement was much more than ubiquitous hit Like a G6 . And big, booming Rick Ross, Florida's Teflon Don, was hustlin' to get the crowd amped with thunderclap raps like 9 Piece .

But with all due respect to the openers — not to mention most other rappers, save maybe Jay-Z and Kanye West — there is no one like Lil Wayne. He's one of the few acts these days, in any genre, that can move a million copies of a new album in its first week of release. And when he drops upcoming Tha Carter IV on Aug. 29, he'll no doubt do it again.

Why? Because he's an original, a transcender of genre for whom rhyming is a full-body pursuit. He first appeared onstage wearing one red shoe, one blue shoe, rocketing out the fury of I'm Goin' In and Bill Gates . He's a self-made millionaire who sees opportunity on one side, violence on the other — but has a Bugs Bunny cartoon rolling in the cinema of his brain at all times.

Lil Wayne Music Lil Wayne – Crank Dat Weezy Wee (Broken Equipment ...

Wayne...FILNO MADE THIS IDIOTS ITS NOT LIL WAYNE!...1000000 IDIOTS!!! lol Lyrics weezy wee off in this hoe watch me give your hoe some blow watch her put her nose in my shit then she blow now watch her crank that weezy wee crank that weezy wee crank that weezy wee crank that weezy wee weezy wee off in this hoe watch me give your hoe some blow watch her put her nose in my shit then she blow now watch her crank that weezy wee crank that weezy wee crank that weezy wee crank that weezy wee i get nasty with them hoes but i dont piss on them thats r kelly but weezy he take a shit on them watch me throw a mothafuckin brick on em im in the club two steppin with my dick on em i snort dope i aint a dopehead i get this mothafucka runnin with both legs i dont sleep i got no bed and i dont make no sense i got no head im still on cash money not them other bitches i like to eat chicken like them other niggas and i like watermellon grape koolaid i be yellin weezys a mess and weezys the F and i got stupid bitches sayin weezys the best whats wrong with you? i wouldn't even saying that weezy got a dirty dick and he need ajax Yeah i need to clean my pipes like bitch what the fuck you lookin at? i dont like that shit i only love birdman talkin that shit like a turd man and this is the worst i will ever rap cause i never sleep i never take a nap what? why did the fuck i say that i dunno but its weezy and you listening to me speakin and um, while you're listening to me speakin imma say whatever ...