It’s Mixtape Monday. Dwayne Carter inaugurates. (NSFW.)

“I must be LeBron James if he’s Jordan.” Maybe.

This bit is off a mixtape called Da Drought 3, and you can download it here for free or elsewhere for less than $5.

Basically, the concept of a mixtape is as follows: rapper is bored between studio albums; rapper hears others’ beats and enjoys them; rapper books studio time and raps over said beats; rapper releases mixtape for free or cheap via streets; rapper builds cred and supplements income.

The idea is old, as MC Hammer selling CDs out of his trunk in Oakland probably counts as part of the mixtape game, but Lil Wayne (who necessitates the phrase “smokes copious amounts of marijuana and drinks spiked Robitussin” before every one of the above steps) has been prolific enough to give the game new life.

He’s got some of the most out-there metaphors (”I hit n—-s in the head like Vonage,” seriously?) and he rides a beat like no other currently rapping; as far as I’m concerned, he’s in the top 10 of breathing MCs, though he’s not quite #1.

Tomorrow, the debut of New Music and Together Tuesday.