ARTIST: lil Wayne
ALBUM: Tha Carter IV
LABEL: Young Money/Cash Money
RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2011
Mr. Carter’s Home
Photo by Nabil
Written by Jeremy Weeden
“See me, I got the world in my hands” declares Lil Wayne on his newly released album, Tha Carter IV, and it is not just the usual bragging one expects in hip-hop. Lil Wayne is actually telling the truth. The anticipation leading up to Tha Carter III‘s release seemingly never subsided as Wayne reached new heights of popularity, and that and has yet to cease. While maybe not technically “the best rapper alive” anymore (Jay-Z seems to have reclaimed that mantle for the time being), Lil Wayne is still one of the best and unquestionably the most popular rapper currently. Tha Carter IV should not disappoint any of his fans, from the ones who may believe this to be Wayne’s fourth album to his diehard fans who know this is actually his ninth album. Due to such a long career and the different musical styles he has taken on at different times, it can be hard for a veteran artist to please everyone, but Lil Wayne does a good job of mixing his different styles on Tha Carter IV. The result is an album that is not as hard as Tha Carter II or as commercially pleasing as Tha Carter III, but still a very good album that draws influences from Wayne’s history, as well as the newer sound of his protégé, Drake.
The album begins with Wayne rapping over a horn-laden beat produced by Willy Will. This same track will be heard twice more on the album with other rappers, including Andre 3000, Nas, Tech N9ne, Busta Rhymes and others. Lil Wayne gets it first, however, and while he spits a nice verse, the other rappers who flow over it later on the album rip the track much harder. Perhaps Lil Wayne knew his verse did not measure up and this could be the reason why what could have been an epic posse cut is broken down in to three separate tracks: the intro, interlude and outro.
The next track on the album, “Blunt Blowing,” truly starts “the Weezy show” as the clever lyrics and catchy hooks one is accustomed to hearing from Lil Wayne take flight on this song. The hook is very repeatable and with witty lyrics like, “Yeah, I put it down like my hands hurting/I’m on a natural high, but I land perfect/Some of us are lovers, most of y’all haters/But I put up a wall, and they just wallpaper,” it is easy to see this song as a possible single. Another standout track on the album is the Drake-assisted “She Will.” This is Lil Wayne’s tribute to the strippers, and between the bass-heavy beat from T-Minus and the vivid lyrics Drake sings in the chorus, one can effortlessly picture the scene being painted. “How to Hate” featuring T-Pain is a humorous look at philandering women and women who put you in the dreaded “friend zone.” T-Pain sings about a woman who always leaned on him for emotional support while going through things with other guys, but never giving him a chance to date her. Lil Wayne raps about a cheating lover, roasting her with clever lines like, “You used to be the shit/ But now you ain’t shit, bitch.”
Tha Carter IV may not end up Grammy-nominated for album of the year like its predecessor. It’s no hip-hop classic like Tha Carter II, but it is still a good album. The album features good production, good choruses and better-than-average lyrics. That coupled with Lil Wayne’s immense popularity ensures Tha Carter IV will be one of 2011’s biggest albums. As he says on the second track, “Hello, Weezy, welcome home!”