“The Carter V” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album was delayed four years due to a legal battle with Cash Money Records. Courtesy of Young Money Entertainment
By Bryce Lawson
Fans have been waiting four years for Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V,” the next installment in his “Tha Carter” series.
After a legal battle with his former label Cash Money Records over the rights for his music, which included “Tha Carter 5,” and a few mediocre mixtapes, Wayne was finally able to share with fans an album of the year contender.
The first half of the album is made of hard-hitting songs that Wayne destroys, bar after bar. It was nice to see him include late rapper XXXtentacion on the song “Don’t Cry.” His dragging vocals and presence on the hook starts the album off with a bang.
On the song “Let It Fly,” featuring Travis Scott, Wayne rhymes the word “line” 17 times over the course of his verse, which I found myself rapping over and over on a daily basis.
Swizz Beatz-produced “Uproar” featured a sample from G. Dep’s one-hit-wonder “Special Delivery.” The song has gained mainstream popularity due to the “Uproar” dance challenge, which sent Wayne fans to upload videos of themselves dancing to various social media platforms.
Another standout track pits Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar against each other on “Mona Lisa,” portraying both sides of a robbery committed by the girl in the story, named Mona Lisa. This track highlights Wayne’s storytelling ability, even holding his own against one of the best in the game, Kendrick Lamar.
The second half of the album is primarily made up of love songs and Wayne talking about his past demons.
Usually, songs like “Dark Side of the Moon,” featuring Nicki Minaj and “What About Me,” featuring Sosamann would be instant skips, but for some reason they didn’t come off as corny or forced.
I would say this is one of Wayne’s most personal projects to date. “Famous” and “Open Letter” show his struggle with fame and his ability to be introspective on a track, rather than just spitting hot punchlines.
The only flaw holding back “Tha Carter V” from being a classic is the album’s length. If maybe three or four songs were cut from the 23-song tracklist, the album would be an easier listen.
That being said, any Weezy fan should be able to take away a few tracks.
Definitely give “Tha Carter V” a listen. The “Greatest of All Time” more than delivered.
4/5 stars
