2008 Lil Wayne was undoubtedly the best version of Wayne we’ve ever seen. He released his best-selling album, Tha Carter III, and at the time was reigning king of the rap game. Unfortunately, the events following the album’s release lulled the hype of his next few projects to follow. His “filler” albums Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being were a disappointment to some and his forced leave of absence threw a huge wrench in his reputation. The fourth album in his long-running Tha Carter series was meant to be his rap redemption album. Compared to its predecessor, the album held its own debuting at No. 1, selling 964,000 copies in first week sales. Tha Carter IV should’ve been the follow-up fans to prove him as the talented rapper we knew him to be, but many gave it mixed reviews.
The highlight of Tha Carter IV is that Wayne gave us multiple hits, there’s no denying that; however, his approach for this album didn’t live up to many fans’ expectations. The numbers say one thing, but opinions say otherwise. There was a point in time when Wayne had a burning intensity in his music that made him untouchable, that same intensity was very apparent on Tha Carter III, but faltered following its release (more so while he was locked up). Many called his approach to Tha Carter IV sloppy and too laid-back, almost as if he felt he didn’t have anything to prove. The sharpness and clever wordplay was missing and it showed in his lackluster bars. However, something that stuck out on this album was his unique sample pool and exploration of sounds. Summed up, this album was his chance to redeem his reputation, but also an opportunity to experiment with his music.
“Paper chasin’, tell that paper, ‘Look, I’m right behind ya,’ B*tch, real Gs move in silence like lasagna.”
When Wayne got out of jail we didn’t know what to expect from him, but his first post-prison single proved that he came out the gate swinging. “6 Foot 7 Foot” was probably the only track on the album that encapsulated some of his best punchlines and a monster flow - his feature from Cory Gunz just sealed the deal. His next leading single, “John” featuring Rick Ross, also held that same aggressive tone he’s always had and his bars were on fire. Based on the single rollout, it seemed like we were going to get top tier Lil Wayne, but his next single threw people for a loop.
“How to Love” was a crooning track that a lot of people never expected from Wayne, mostly because it catered specifically to women. It’s roots stemmed from Tupac’s “Keep Your Head Up” and almost had the same effect sweeping the world and touching every woman out there. This is where we see Wayne getting experimental with his sound, crazy thing is it actually worked. It’s sequel track, “How to Hate” featuring T-Pain, was an astonishing contrast that was basically a huge “f**k you” to whoever broke their hearts, highly underrated. “Nightmares of the Bottom” was another track that was far-out there. It wasn’t received as well as “How to Love,” but it showed another rare side of Wayne. This track lacks his usual witty-rhymes but it was a sentimental song filled with some of his deepest fears.
“But I’m Ray Charles to the bullsh*t, Now hop up on that d*ck and do a full split!”
Another chart-topping single off the album was “She Will” featuring Drake. His second highest charting song as a solo artist, “She Will” helped fuel the momentum for the anticipated release of Tha Carter IV. The erie-track got a lot of radio play and is still considered one of his best collaborations with Drake to this day. “Mirror” featuring Bruno Mars, a bonus track off the album, was a heartfelt song where Wayne touched on his relationship with drugs and what it could mean for his future. The song foreshadowed a lot as far as the future of his career and life in general in light of his multiple seizures and clear addiction to lean.
Last but not least, “President Carter” was another underrated track off of Tha Carter IV. One, because of the sample used by one of his childhood heros to inspire the song and two, because of his ability to boast his rap skills in such a creative way. The leader of the free world comparisons and his declarations of being a monster and assasin made for a solid track.
Tha Carter IV is a highly underrated album that, in my opinion, didn’t get the praise it deserved. To even call it a throw-away album is absurd, especially with so many amazing tracks that don’t even make up half of the album. Tha Carter IV held up its end as being a successful fourth installment in his album series and hopefully he can continue that same momentum with Tha Carter V.
You might also like
More from Music
TwonDon For Dummies
TwonDon is as consistent as it gets in terms of up-and-coming, independent artists. From 2015's Stay Golden to the 7-track Sorry 2 Bother …
Mary J. Blige For Dummies
In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Demo Tape is highlighting one woman each day with a playlist of their …
Mo3 Returns With “221”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pWPMCTR-_8&w=560&h=315 Fresh off releasing 2 Nineteen, a tribute to the Late Dallas Comedian who died last year from a blood clot …
