With ten successful studio albums and plethora of mixtapes under his belt (although plethora may be putting it lightly), Lil’ Wayne revealed to DJ Drama over an interview with Hot 107.9 that after the Dedication 4 he plans to go on a “rap hiatus” and focus on things he is currently more passionate about, like skateboarding.

I picked up the skateboard and I thought it’d be a hobby and what happened is it’s a lifestyle. You have to be fully committed because its super scary. In order to be fully committed you have to live that lifestyle. Like the young kids say, “You have to be about that life.” It’s kind of putting rap on the back burner.

Not only has skateboarding become more of a lifestyle than a hobby, but he states that in a way he’s “tired of rapping”. It has been something he’s been doing since he was eight years old. And just like kids become tired of school by the time they finish college and adults get tired of waking up to the same job and routine everyday and Snoop Dogg gets tired of being Snoop Dogg (and becomes Snoop Lion), Lil’ Wayne feels like he deserves a break. But not only does he believe he needs a break from rapping, he also believes the fans need a break of him:

I think fans deserve a little-to-no Wayne. I’ve been everywhere. I’ve been out on everybody’s song. I’m still on everybody’s song. My artists have been doing awesome. I believe the fans deserve some peace from me. So I’ll be on my skateboard in the meantime.

Fair enough. In light of this recent news, we here at DopeDrops have decided to commemorate  Lil’ Wayne, the rapper we all fell in love with, and have come up with a list of what we believe to be his top ten tracks of all time:

10. Fireman

By this point, Lil’ Wayne was at an all time in his career. With everyone eagerly waiting for what he would drop next, he did not disappoint with his hit single off of Tha Carter II: “Fireman”. Everyone knew this song, everyone loved it, and everyone could recite all the lyrics. Fireman eventually went on to become platinum.

9. The Sky Is the Limit

Off of Da Drought 3, which was an unintentional 2 disc mixtape simply because Wayne was not aware he had as many songs as he did when this was about to be released. Out of the 29 songs off this project, “The Sky Is the Limit” was one of the best and truly a fan favorite. Sampling Mike Jones‘ single “Mr. Jones”, Weezy takes a hit and makes another hit out of it, a common theme of Da Drought 3.

8. Dr. Carter

Dr. Carter is one of those tracks off the Carter III that we here at Dope Drops believe deserves a lot more recognition as one of the most dope Hip Hop songs to be released in 2008, and maybe even the entire latter part of the decade. It’s song that would be on any true Hip Hop enthusiast’s playlist or iPod. Poetic wordplay, great substance, and a sick, one of a kind beat by Swizz Beats.. You already know why this is on this list.

7. Go DJ

Off the first installment of Tha Carter series, “Go D.J.” is the first solo hit from Weezy to peak on the Billboard charts. At this point in his career, Wayne was beginning to show a huge amount of progression in his flow and lyrics. With Mannie Fresh on the beat (and for most of the production on Tha Carter), this track is a highlight of their success together. Wayne never managed to have a hit as huge as this for the next four years until he released the track “Lollipop” with the late Static Major.

6. Let the Beat Build

This was just one of the many hits off Tha Carter III, and it was quite inevitable to happen with all the talent on one track. With Kanye West and DEEZLE on the production, all Wayne had to do was put a few great verses on to make this an instant hit. Weezy wasn’t lying on this track, he was truly the best rapper alive at this time.

5. I Feel Like Dying

Originally slated to be on Tha Carter III, “I Feel Like Dying” was one of the many tracks that were leaked and placed on Da Drought Is Over 2: Tha Carter III Sessions mixtape. Regardless, this track ended up taking on its own popularity. Weezy paints a picture of a drug-like euphoria, with imagery such as being on a “marijuana field”, “a sea of Codeine”, “a prisoner locked behind Xanax bars”, and “boarding a plane without a pilot”. Matching these lyrics to a perfect beat, this is a song Wayne fans will ever forget.

4. Drop the World

Arguably the most anticipated track off of Lil Wayne’s seventh studio album entitled “Rebirth“. Drop the World, the third single off Rebirth, was released on iTunes in December 2009 and features Eminem. Although Rebirth didn’t receive much special attention from critics, Drop the World went double platinum in February 2012. The instrumental to this track was actually produced by future G.O.O.D Music affiliate Hit-Boy entirely through Fruity Loops, a novice producing software used by many aspiring producers.

3. Georgia… Bush

“Georgia… Bush” is off one of Wayne’s most popular mixtapes Dedication 2. Despite the already immense hype over the mixtape, the context of Georgia… Bush had enough hype of its own. As a response to the way George W. Bush reacted and handled Hurricane Katrina, Wayne not only critiques the former president’s actions, but also describes the reality of what New Orleans actually went through.

2. Shoot Me Down

Although one of the more emotional tracks (and a little more soft spoken compared to some of the other songs, so to speak), this track is not likely to be absent from anybody’s top 5 list of the Carter III, the album most fans would call the most significant studio album release from Lil Wayne. Producer D. Smith played a magnificent role by laying down this epic instrumental, as well as performing the smooth toned chorus. It may not be number one on this list, but it’s definitely a song we will never get tired of listening to.

1. A Milli

This track was released as the second single off of Tha Carter III, although they were originally just going to be used as skit-like tracks throughout the album. Arguably one of Weezy’s most popular songs of all time, Jay-Z, Drake, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, and plenty more (including a young Tyler, The Creator all felt the need to remix this track. Selling over 2 million copies to date, A Milli ended up going double platinum.