Release Date: August 29, 2011
Before this review begins, the following point must be made: Lil Wayne is not the best rapper alive.
Somewhere between coining “Bling, Bling” on fellow Hot Boy B.G.’s smash hit and heading to Rikers for a little gun-aided vacation, Lil Wayne was thrown onto the short list of the best living MCs. His rabid fan base, tireless work ethic, knack for churning out radio smashes, and moving product off the shelves all have been contributing factors to his inclusion in the pantheon of rhyme spitters. But does he have the skills to be mentioned in the same breath as the greats?
No.
His flow’s decent, but the content is just not there; when listening to Tha Carter IV, it’s hard to separate that.
If he weren’t touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread, it might be possible to contextualize his music differently. If he were compared more to Jeezy than Jigga, one might have a more positive outlook on the long-awaited (and incarceration-delayed) album.
There are bright spots on the album, for sure. It starts off with horns and claps that let Wayne do what he does: spit a few bars of nonsensical metaphors in a cocky drawl. “Blunt Blowin,” “Six Foot, Seven Foot” and “Megaman” are more of the same with Wayne attacking the tracks and adding some catchy hooks certain to be heard blaring out of car windows for the foreseeable future.
Things are running pretty smoothly, until “Nightmares of the Bottom” happens, and things take a drastic turn to terrible and inconsistent. T-Pain returns from the land of Auto-Tune to add a regrettable hook to “She Will.” John Legend has a turn on “So Special,” but Wayne’s rhymes are so confusing that one might even start to wonder whether Legend knows where he’s going with this next line. “Abortion” is a forgettable, nondescript three-and-a-half-minute-long metaphor. “How to Love” is surprisingly touching but really awkward, so of course it became the No. 1 song in the country. Finally, the buzz track, “It’s Good,” features the infamous Jay-Z diss.
Ironically, the highlights of his own album are when Wayne steps away from the mic. Nas, Tech N9ne, a surprise appearance from former Bad Boy/inmate Shyne, Bun-B, Busta Rhymes and Possum Allawishes Jenkins himself, Outkast’s Andre 3000, all deliver bar after bar of perfection in their own individual styles. However, what makes their verses interesting is that they all make sure to give credit to the name on the album cover. It’s obvious that Wayne has the respect of his peers.
Does Tha Carter IV suck? Not really. Is Tha Carter IV good? Not really. Wayne fans are still going to bump it, while hip-hop heads are going to shoot down G.O.A.T. mentions. Tha Carter IV’s hype might have led the listener to believe that it would blur those lines. It didn’t and it will forever be confusing as to how the 14-year-old kid whose mom didn’t let him curse on records became the biggest enigma in rap. But, somehow the volume always seems to go up just a tad when that “Six Foot, Seven Foot’’ sample creeps through the speakers.
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV tracklist:
- “Intro”
- “Blunt Blowin”
- “MegaMan”
- “Six Foot, Seven Foot” (featuring Cory Gunz)
- “Nightmares of the Bottom”
- “She Will” (featuring Drake)
- “How to Hate” (featuring T-Pain)
- “Interlude” (featuring Tech N9ne and Andre 3000)
- “John” (featuring Rick Ross)
- “Abortion”
- “So Special” (featuring John Legend)
- “How to Love”
- “President Carter”
- “It’s Good” (featuring Drake and Jadakiss)
- “Outro” (featuring Bun B, Nas, Shyne and Busta Rhymes)
