By 2006,
Lil Wayne was in a state of ascension. Two volumes into his The Carter album series,
Wayne was already boldly classifying himself as "the best rapper alive" and almost no one could contest his claim. Using mixtapes as the testing grounds for ideas that led to more refined album material,
Wayne often struck gold while experimenting. The
DJ Drama-hosted
Dedication 2 found
Lil Wayne deep in a hot streak of spontaneity, lyrical mastery, and creative brilliance that would go on to define him. Displaying an unmatched hunger to push rap to new places,
Wayne switches between complex wordplay and bloodthirsty street rhymes with a knowing wink, making it all look easy.
Drama's choppy, lean-flavored mixes add a spiky bounce to the tracks, and guest spots from
Freeway,
Currency,
Remy Ma, and several others add to the loose, confident, and fun tone of the tape. Not even the best of
Wayne's offhanded mixtapes from this time,
Dedication 2 is still excellent, just one of several examples of
Lil Wayne reaching his artistic peak during this period.