Lights Out

1	Watch Them People (Intro) 0:33
2	Get off the Corner 4:45
3	On the Grind 3:51
4	Hit U Up / The Hot Boys 5:11
5	Everything 4:42
6	F**K Wit Me Now 4:33
7	Lil One / Big Tymers 3:11
8	Break Me Off / Big Tymers 4:25
9	Skit 0:42
10	Wish You Would 4:14
11	Grown Man 4:33
12	Shine / The Hot Boys 5:04
13	Jump Jiggy 4:13
14	Realized 4:24
15	Tha Blues 4:00
16	Let's Go / Big Tymers 3:49
17	Biznite 4:22
18	Act a A** / B.G. Knocc out & Dresta 4:44
19	Beef 4:08

Barnes & Noble

In 2000, Lil Wayne's trademark pubescent drawl helped the Cash Money Billionaires ascend and dominate the rap charts with bounce-inspiring hits such as "Back That Azz Up" and "Bling Bling." Thematically, Lights Out picks up where his platinum-selling solo debut, Tha Block Is Hot, left off. Lil Wayne still chronicles New Orleans' inner city strife and glorifies the drug slangin' game. This time around, however, as a storyteller Wayne is not a detached observer, and as an MC he is not the new kid on the block. With Lights Out, Wayne portrays himself as a drug kingpin (on "Get off the Corner," he taunts "come get this candy") and proves himself to be the most dynamic rapper in his clique. As he skillfully exhibits throughout Lights Out, Wayne can flip styles easily -- from the playful posse cut "Shine" to the jazzy tribute to his father, "Everything." Cash Money's Mannie Fresh, the hottest producer on the Third Coast, punctuates "Tha Blues" with piercing bluegrass guitar and "Act a Ass," featuring B. G., with sinister synth sounds. Although he's still a rookie in the rap game, with his knack for telling poetic street stories, Lil Wayne's future looks brighter than a platinum Rolex. Ryan Crosby

All Music Guide

Lil Wayne may still be a youngster on his second album, Lights Out, but he shows substantial growth, dropping serious lyrics over some of Mannie Fresh's wildest production to date. More than anything, the serious tone and the wild beats come as somewhat of a surprise. Up until this point, the Cash Money camp had churned out a staggering number of releases during the late '90s. These releases were anything but serious or wild, instead prototypically Dirty South with their big, bass-heavy bounce beats and brash, bling-bling boastful banter. Lights Out retains plenty of this but is notably ambitious. Wayne is out to prove himself as more than a teen phenomenon, showcasing a socially conscious side largely absent on his debut, and Fresh is out to prove himself as a versatile producer, crafting a sonically adventurous sound denser than his past work. This ambition is somewhat fascinating, particularly for anyone who has followed Cash Money's evolution to here; however, it's also a bit overreaching. Wayne is deep on heartfelt songs like "Everything" and "Grown Man," and he is street-smart on insightful songs like "Lil One" and "Get Off the Corner." He's much more effective, though, when he lightens up his lyrics and has fun, as on "Shine," "Let's Go," and "Hit U Up," three album highlights. Similarly, Mannie Fresh misfires here and there on Lights Out, like on the oddly bluesy "Fuck Wit Me Now" but, for the most part, has never been more creative. His stuttering beats on "Tha Blues" are breathtaking, as are the Eastern-style ones on "Hit U Up," and the album-opener, "Get Off the Corner," sounds absolutely massive. The only problem with all of these is that you have to find them among the whopping 19 songs on Lights Out, making it somewhat of a frustrating album despite its several highlights. Jason Birchmeier

Vibe

On Lights Out, Wayne quits describing the thug life and starts living it. From the outset, "Get Off the Corner" takes him back to the same hot New Orleans block, this time as the 'hood's number one supplier. The first-person drug-dealer perspective continues throughout the CD, as Wayne peddles everything from "crack to Viagra" ("On the Grind") and boasts "more white than the Backstreet Boys" ("Realized").