Those pocket quotables-'toss you like a fruit salad / strawberry grape ya' 'ridin' by myself well really not really / so heavy in the trunk make the car pop a wheelie' 'quick draw McGraw, I went to art school' 'money too long, teachers put away your rulers' etc.-are the kinds of lines that stick with you, the kinds that JAY-Z and Kanye excel at and extol the virtues of. After all, that's what sticks on a pop song. Some fans might find that Wayne's flow is a little too pop here compared to the free-associative chaos of his most virtuosic performances, but I think there's a lot to be said for landing so many memorable punchlines. To me, 'Fireman' stands out for the sheer number of moments Wayne seems to have crafted as quotables. It's still, to this day, one of his most electrifying singles. Even as I continue to consider that other Lil Wayne songs might be the best Lil Wayne songs, 'Fireman' is always, in some respects, going to be the best Lil Wayne song. In college, 'Fireman' was a key part of a pump-up mix that also included Rihanna's 'Umbrella' and Thin Lizzy's 'The Boys Are Back in Town.' At house parties, it was always a reliable way to get people into a room to yell along. But for me, it has been a lodestone in my Lil Wayne fandom over the years, a place I can always return to. Just the other day, a friend responded on Twitter to my post about 'Money on My Mind' claiming that that song was superior to the single, 'Fireman.' While, because I had been introduced to it on TV, I assumed that 'Fireman' was the biggest Lil Wayne single since 'Bling Bling,' 'Go DJ' charted substantially higher.

'Fireman' has not fared well in the historical pantheon of Wayne hits.

Oh, you heard 'Make It Rain' and think he's a one-hit wonder? Try 'Fireman.' You think Wayne only spits fire on mixtape tracks? Let's listen to 'Fireman.' In the years that followed, it became my go-to at parties or in conversations about Lil Wayne. When the album finally did come out, the song that grabbed my attention first was 'Money on My Mind.' But then there was 'Fireman,' a hit if I'd ever heard one. I didn't have the music the song wasn't even out yet. And yet, I found that hook reverberating in my head for months. I also remember not being that impressed: This is the guy that people are saying is the best rapper alive? I was used to Wu-Tang Clan and Common Lil Wayne's mic skills didn't impress me much.

Fire man drawing