“If I die today, remember me like John Lennon,” Lil’ Wayne once rapped. Just a few weeks ago, on his new album, King’s Disease, Nas lamented the pressures put on veteran artists, concluding that “the McCartneys live past the Lennons, but Lennon’s the hardest.”Beatle shout-outs have long been a staple in hip-hop (Rae Sremmurd hit Number One with “Black Beatles” in 2016), as they are throughout our culture, in books and movies and daily life. But how exactly do we remember John Lennon? In recent years, the legacy of this revered icon has gotten more complicated, and more problematic. This season will be presenting us with multiple opportunities to assess his current reputation: October 9 would have been his 80th birthday, with a tragic twin anniversary just a few months away, as this December 8 will mark forty years since Lennon’s murder. The dates are being commemorated by a number of new projects: a new box set called Gimme Some Truth, The Ultimate Mixes, on which 36 of his best-known songs have been completely remixed from scratch; a BBC radio special hosted by his son Sean and an upcoming BBC TV documentary; tribute albums and shows; and multiple books, mostly looking at the final years of his life. Yet it seems that in recent years, Lennon’s standing in the rock & roll stratosphere has started to drop off.Paul McCartney continues to tour, heroically and tirelessly, still filling stadiums and thrilling multiple generations (until our current circumstances struck) and making well… Click below to read the full story from Esquire
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