Every Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter Album Ranked
Lil Wayne was 14 years old when he started rapping, 17 when he released his 1999 platinum-selling debut album, Tha Block Is Hot, and 21 at the time he was a bona fide rap superstar.
Over his more than 20-year career, Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has become what he prophesied on Tha Carter II that he's the "Best Rapper Alive." Not only that, but Weezy has also solidified his reputation as a rapper with longevity, personality and a larger-than-life attitude.
Wayne has spent half of his career as an artist on the venerable rap label Cash Money Records. But after releasing 10 albums with the label, he parted ways after a long, drawn out legal battle with the CEO and mentor Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Out of his past projects, Weezy's most revered music series is Tha Carter albums.
In varying album releases from 2004 to 2018, Tha Carter series helped establish Wayne as a major pop star with street credibility. The first Carter album gave a lyrical look at Wayne's maturity from a child rapper to a rap contender. On Tha Carter II, Wayne puffed out his chest and asserted that he was the best rapper alive.
On Tha Carter III, his most commercially successful album out of the series, Wayne made good on his proclamation. His popularity soared with this project, notching him his first two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Lollipop" and "A Milli." With Tha Carter IV and Tha Carter V albums, the rap veteran manages to stay relevant to fans despite those projects having musical and lyrical shortcomings.
After releasing five Carter albums altogether, Wayne is far from done with the series. In a July 3 interview with Variety, the rap veteran hinted that he is working on the next installment of Tha Carter series, Tha Carter VI. When the interviewer asked Weezy what's his favorite Carter project, he replied, "My favorite Carter album is the next one."
So with the possibility that another Carter album is in the works, XXL decided to rank Lil Wayne's Tha Carter album series below from worst to best. Which one is your favorite Carter album?
5. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
Following the success of Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne kept his rap brand buzzing with Tha Carter IV, which dropped on Aug. 29, 2011. The album locked in another No. 1 position for Wayne at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Before its release, Wayne remained prolific with a string of mixtapes and two subsequent albums: the rap-rock effort Rebirth and the underwhelming I Am Not a Human Being. For C4, production from T-Minus, Cool & Dre, Detail, and Bangladesh set the soundscape while T-Pain, Tech N9ne, André 3000 and Jadakiss, among others, are featured. Tunechi is at his best when he delivers quote-worthy punchlines on the Drake-assisted "She Will" and "6 Foot 7 Foot" featuring Cory Gunz. The Rick Ross-assisted "John" finds Wayne spitting lyrical fire over a bombastic beat similar to Rozay's "I'm Not a Star." On the acoustic guitar-driven "How to Love," Weezy, despite his novice singing abilities, shows his vulnerable side as he laments over a lost love. Although Tha Carter IV is not Lil Wayne's best output in the series, he's continued to be a multifaceted artist in the rap game with his subsequent projects.
4. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter V
After a seven-year delay due to his legal battle with Birdman, Lil Wayne finally dropped Tha Carter V on Sept. 28, 2018. The collection, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, brings Wayne back to the lyrical form that made his previous Carter outings a stellar listen. The LP begins on an emotional note with “I Love You Dwayne.” On the song, Wayne's mother, Jacida Carter (who's pictured on the album cover), delivers an encouraging message to her superstar son. From there, Weezy reflects on his past life struggles on “Don’t Cry,” which features a posthumous verse from the late XXXTentacion. On the Swizz Beatz-produced “Uproar,” the Young Money leader is both charming and menacing over a beat flip of G. Dep’s 2001 hit, "Special Delivery." Wayne ends the album with the introspective track “Let It All Work Out,” on which he raps candidly about surviving his childhood suicide attempt.The track is a powerful testimony from Wayne as he vividly describes pointing the gun to his chest and pulling the trigger. Thankfully, according to Weezy, his life was resuscitated with God’s help. “Yeah, thank God ’cause I'm still in this bitch,” he raps on the song. Although Tha Carter V is not his strongest effort in the series, the collection, with its all-star guest spots and talented producers, shows that Lil Wayne has staying power.
3. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter
By the time Lil Wayne released his fourth album, Tha Carter, on June 29, 2004, he was firmly respected as a rap superstar. On the album, Weezy displays his confidence on the mic with legendary producer Mannie Fresh handling production duties on 18 of 21 tracks. On the club-ready bangers “Go D.J.” and “Bring It Back,” Wayne spit braggadocious bars about stacking cash, fake foes ("frontin' ’round here will get ya back chopped off") and crowning himself as "the best rapper alive since the best rapper retired." On the latter song, Wayne repeatedly spits that "best rapper alive" line in reference to Jay-Z retiring from rap to become the president of Def Jam. Elsewhere, he shows his vulnerability on the solemn ode “I Miss My Dawgs” and recalls his street hustling days on “On My Own.” With Tha Carter album, Lil Wayne elevated to a promising star in the rap game. The LP secured a No. 5 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time. His lasting star power emerges with this project.
2. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III, released on June 10, 2008, is his career-defining project and his most commercially successful album of his rap career. At the time of its release, it earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 1 million units in its first week. The LP skyrocketed Wayne into pop stardom with the chart-topping hit singles "Lollipop," produced by the late hitmaker Static Major, and the Bangladesh-produced banger "A Milli." Throughout the album, Weezy's deft lyricism, witty wordplay and songwriting chops are executed with precision. On "Dr. Carter," he raps that he resuscitated hip-hop from its death bed. Wayne teams up Jay-Z on "Mr. Carter" and advises, "And next time you mention ’Pac, Biggie or Jay-Z/Don't forget Weezy, baby!" For the craftwork on this opus, C3 was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards and won the Best Rap Album award. Additionally, "Lollipop" and "A Milli" won Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance, respectively. Ultimately, Tha Carter III reached triple-platinum status by the RIAA.
1. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter II
On Tha Carter II, which arrived on Dec. 6, 2005, Lil Wayne makes a bold proclamation that he’s the “best rapper alive.” Though Wayne said it many times throughout his career, this was the first time the New Orleans MC made the claim on a project and lived up to his words. The platinum-selling album, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, also marks the first time Wayne forgoes using Mannie Fresh's production and instead, he taps producers The Heatmakerz, Cool & Dre, The Runners, T-Mix, and Batman, among others, to provide Weezy with thunderous beats, eerie soundscapes and orchestral soul production. “Fireman,” with its siren synths, stands as his most commercially successful single from the album while other tracks like “Hustler Musik,” “Hit ‘Em Up” and “Oh No” became fan favorites. On the guitar-blaring “Best Rapper Alive,” Weezy intricately boasts, “The young heart attack, I spit that cardiac/You can’t see me, baby boy, you got that cataracts/I’m right here, straight out the hood, just like an alley cat/Since everyone’s a king, well, where the fuck your palace at/Me, I got callus on my hands, I can handle that.” The Robin Thicke-produced “Shooter” remains to be somewhat of an oddball track here, but at the time, provides a glimpse at Wayne’s adventurous attempt to become a pop-friendly rapper. Tha Carter II finds Lil Wayne creating a winning formula that includes raw energy, risk-taking, a more polished delivery, soulful beat selection and understated lyricism that ranges from poignant to effortlessly slick. While people acknowledge Tha Carter III as sending the esteemed rapper to superstardom, that process actually began with Tha Carter II, the best album Lil Wayne's ever released.
Source - XXL: https://www.xxlmag.com/lil-wayne-tha-carter-albums-ranked/
