In 2008, two albums defined my fifth grade life: ‘High School Musical 3’ and ‘Tha Carter III.’ One of those things is not like the other, but nothing describes my life more than the love I still hold for both pieces of work.
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, has released two albums since “Tha Carter III,” including “The Carter IV” and “Free Weezy Album,” and has been featured on millions of other songs. But, none of his other album’s have held the same place in society as ‘The Carter III’ did when Lil Wayne was at the height of his fame.
Many thought “Tha Carter V” would never reach the public’s ears after numerous album pushbacks, a lawsuit and a falling out with his mentor Birdman and Cash Money Records beginning in 2014.
Four years later, that iconic lighter flick brought me and millions of fans back to 2008. From the start, you knew this album was going to be different. It has the same passion and fire of “Tha Carter I” through “Tha Carter IV,” but the tone appears more grown-up as Wayne is thankful for his success.
The first track, “I Love You Dwayne,” is two minutes of Wayne’s mother’s tearful congratulations and pride that leads into the album’s first song, “Don’t Cry,” featuring the recently deceased XXXTentacion.
The lines in the song read, “So if I die young, blame the juice … But if heaven’s as good as advertised / I want a triple extension on my motherfuckin’ afterlife / Rest in paradise.” The lyrics acknowledge both XXXTentacion’s recent death and Wayne’s own health issues, most notably seizures caused by his affinity for drinking lean, a recreational drug.
The 23-song tracklist on “Tha Carter V” includes blends upbeat, fast-paced hype music with serious songs that make you contemplate the meaning of the lyrics.
Features on “Tha Carter V” include longtime Young Money artist Nicki Minaj on “Dark Side of the Moon” and Grammy Award-winner Kendrick Lamar on “Mona Lisa.” Wayne also drops vocals from his oldest daughter, Reginae Carter, in “Famous.”
“Mona Lisa” featuring Kendrick Lamar combines the two’s different styles to create a masterpiece. In line with Lamar’s usual lyrical nature, “Mona Lisa” tells a story of a manipulative woman who frames her man for robbery, comparing her deceitful nature to that of the woman featured in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting.
The final track, “Let It All Work Out,” serves as Wayne’s admission of an attempted suicide. Fans of Wayne know he “accidentally” shot himself with a handgun at age 12 before an off-duty police officer saved him by breaking protocol to drive him to the hospital.
The lyric from the song reads, “I found my momma’s pistol where she always hide it / I cry, put it to my head and thought about it / Nobody was home to stop me, so I called my auntie / Hung up, then put the gun up to my heart and pondered.”
Just like “Tha Carter V” started, it ends on his mother’s voice, stating a simple “I love you Dwayne.”
For all its hype, Lil Wayne managed to give fans exactly what they expected and more. For me, it all but solidifies Wayne’s status as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
