For those looking to buy Dwayne Carter’s newest effort, Tha Carter IV: it was supposed to be the hip-hop superstar’s return to glory after a series of less than welcomed (but questionable) albums – ie. 2009’s Rebirth and 2010’s I Am Not a Human Being.
I’m sorry to say it, but this is not the album you were looking for.
While Tha Carter IV isn’t a total disappointment, it is definitely not Wayne at his best. In 2008, he was an unstoppable force in the music world.
The release of that year’s Tha Carter III seemed more like a victory lap than the career-defining album that it was, due in part to Wayne’s incredible roll of mixtape releases (Dedication 2, Da Drought 3, and many others that seemed to come out every month).
Now fresh off a jail stint for gun possession, Lil Wayne finds himself having to do something he hasn’t had to do since the original Carter was released in 2004 – prove himself.
Wayne best sums up his efforts in the closing minute of an album bonus track, “I done did everything on my bucket list,” (“Up Up and Away”).
While most would take this as a boastful remark, this could actually be an admittance of Wayne’s (and C4’s) achilles heel. What else can Lil Wayne do or prove?
Where Tha Carter III saw Wayne relentlessly attack every beat (fast or slow) like he was rapping for his life, Tha Carter IV has Wayne in an unusual calm and relaxed state.
There are no boasts of being the best rapper alive. No claims that he’s a martian, or different from everyone. Rather than stand out from the competition, even those featured on his album, Wayne seems to blend in with the crowd.
He’s unceremoniously out-shined by Drake on his latest single “She Will.” In fact, it can be said that every featured artist outshines Wayne on their guest spots.
Cory Gunz makes an outstanding impression on his first official Young Money debut on “6 Foot 7 Foot” (he was previously left off the final version of C3’s standout “A Milli”), and Rick Ross continues to build his Maybach Music empire with his ferocious verse on “John.” In another shocker, Wayne doesn’t even appear on an entire track, “Interlude.”
Instead, he lets underground favorite Tech N9ne rattle off a fiery verse, and then Andre 3000 makes a surprise and uncredited guest appearance, which considering Dre’s absence from the hip-hop scene, can nearly be a show stealer.
Then, what could have been a perfect opportunity for Wayne to step in and bat clean-up is not seized. The track simply ends. The same scenario is repeated in the album’s “Outro,” where Bun B, Nas and Busta Rhymes deliver quick, but memorable verses over the same beat from “Interlude.”
The street single “It’s Good” finds Wayne channeling his former self, rapping his heart out, flipping line after line into clever similes and metaphors and delivering subliminal bullets at Jay-Z (talking ‘bout Baby money? I’ve got your baby money. Kidnap yo b****, get that how much you love your lady money).
And while he is out-shined on singles “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “John,” these two tracks do show Wayne at his most inspired on the album.
Most of John’s appeal is that it sounds like a C3 leftover with Wayne and Ross’ vicious verses and spaced-out beat.
“Nightmares of the Bottom” and “President Carter” have Wayne showing a more personal side of himself, lamenting about the struggles he’s faced in life, including his feelings toward the gun possession charges. Tracks like “How to Love” and “So Special” are interesting turns for Wayne, rapping about the beauty and appreciation of women rather than degrading them to mere sex objects as he usually does. “How to Love” also serves as an interesting song – it’s the first time Wayne’s sung on a song without using the infamous auto-tune effect, resulting in a surprisingly appealing pop-rap hybrid, yet not to the degree that “Lollipop” was.
Finally, bonus tracks like “I Like the View”, “Two Shots” and “Up Up and Away” are lazily tacked on at the end, a possible way of releasing unused tracks from one of Wayne’s many versions of his album before settling on the final product. Strangely enough, these tracks seem to find Wayne in more of his comfort zone, leaving listeners to wonder why these were bonus tracks and not actually on the album. “Two Shots” even shows Wayne’s versatility in that it was produced by famed electronic musician Diplo rather than the usual team of Cool & Dre, Bangladesh or the other select few hip-hop producers Wayne works with.
In all, Tha Carter IV will be loved by Wayne’s adoring fans due to the fact that it’s new official music from the enigmatic emcee.
Whether some tracks get heads nodding or shaking in confusion, no one can deny that this will be one of the most talked about hip-hop albums of the year. While it doesn’t live up to Tha Carter 3’s gold standard, Lil Wayne can successfully add another sure hit to his discography.
The Verdict: 71%