

because Weezy's the one holding the master recordings. It’s unclear if the two ever met, in the studio or otherwise, but the X feature is a moment of “relevance” that comes right at the beginning of a project that otherwise might scan as a long-lost album.Birdman is tired of being the fall guy for Lil Wayne, and insists there's no way Cash Money can drop " Tha Carter V". The only exceptions to that rule are Travis Scott-who drops off a verse in his signature hazy drawl-and XXXTentacion, who revealed before his death that Wayne was one of his biggest musical influences. While a Thursday TMZ report inaccurately suggested that Post Malone would make an appearance, Tha Carter V is largely free of young guns. Tha Carter V is the first album to be released on a Young Money label solely owned by Wayne, and for the first time, his “dad” is nowhere to be found. The time for beef has seemingly passed for Wayne, put away with the resolution of his legal troubles with Baby. Reginae herself appears on “Famous,” but notably absent from the album is Wayne’s own father figure Birdman, both in lyrics and in the features. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. Fans of Wayne in any of his modes-playful party rapper, technically-minded booth goblin, OG Auto-Tune warbler-can probably find something they like here without trying too hard. playlists” debate: in the streaming era, it clearly doesn’t matter.

The length rivals that of his mixtapes, and in one way it finally puts to bed the “mixtapes vs. Buckle In, It’s Gonna Be a RideĬlocking in at nearly 90 minutes, Tha Carter V is easily the longest Lil Wayne studio album to date, a full half-hour longer than IV. And, of course, the album length is primed for the streaming era, with 23 tracks in total. Then there’s an appearance from Travis Scott, who was years from even releasing his debut mixtape, Owl Pharaoh, when Tha Carter IV dropped. The XXXTentacion-featuring “Don’t Cry” is ultimately Wayne’s tribute to the late, controversial artist. Ashanti and Mack Maine are even here, for God’s sake.Īnd yet the album bears seemingly unavoidable marks of the present as well. A glance at the credits reveals familiar producers who have contributed to Wayne’s past projects: Mannie Fresh, Infamous, and Swizz Beatz are all present.

In some ways, it’s as if the last few years never even happened: the cover artwork is exactly the same as what was revealed in 2014, depicting a young Dwayne Carter Jr. After what feels like a lifetime, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V finally arrived last night.
