Meaning of “Open Letter” by Lil Wayne
“Open Letter” is a hip hop song by hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne. The lyrics of “Open Letter” are addressed to Wayne’s fans, his loved ones and the world at large. In one giant verse, Wayne reveals some of the most personal challenges and moments in his life. Among the numerous things he talks about, four things stand out. They are: suicide contemplation, self-loathing, drug use and fatherhood.
Suicide contemplation
In the lines below, Wayne (aka Weezy) talks about the challenges in life being so severe that he contemplated taking his own life.
“Pain inside me got me thinkin’ ’bout me
Tryna hang my body, sanctifyin’”
It should be mentioned that this isn’t the only time Wayne has opened up about his attempts to take his own life. He also discusses this shocking issue in the lyrics of the song “Let It All Work Out”.
Self-loathing
Wayne actually starts the song by telling the world how sometimes self-loathing thoughts fill his head. The line below says it all.
“Sometimes a ni**a feel like sh*t”
Drug use
This isn’t the first time Wayne has discussed his addiction to prescription drugs in a song. Wayne’s addiction to prescription cough syrups is almost as well known as his career. Many have even speculated that his excessive consumption of this concoction is a contributing factor to his frequent seizures. Wayne addresses his addiction problems in the following lyrics:
Relationship with his children
Wayne devotes a significant part of the lyrics of the track to shed some light on his relationship with his kids. According to him, his kids are more concerned with how much wealth he leaves them than what he can teach them.
Song features appearance of Wayne’s mother
One of the highlights of this song is the appearance of Jacida Carter, Wayne’s biological mother. Jacida handles the song’s outro where she talks about the day her son Wayne told her he was becoming a father. Wayne became a father for the first time at the age of 16.
According to Jacida, upon hearing the news, she told Wayne to be the best father he can be. “And truly, he is that,” she said.
But what really is an “Open Letter”?
If you are wondering what the term open letter is, it is a type of letter written to be read by the general public.
Facts about “Open Letter”
- Lil Wayne composed this song with songwriters Ben Billions and Marco Rodriguez.
- A total of three music producers produced this track. They are as follows: Ben Billions (the song’s co-writer), Nick the Piff and Infamous.
- “Open Letter” came out on September 28, 2018 – a day after Wayne’s 36th birthday. It is the 10th track from his 2018 album Tha Carter V.
- “Open Letter” consists of an intro, a single verse and an outro. It has no chorus.
- The only vocals on this track are those of Lil Wayne and his mother. Wayne handles the intro and the song’s only verse.
Does “Open Letter” use samples?
No. The song was produced from the beginning to the end without a sample.
