Lil Wayne’s widely-announced and hotly-discussed fourth Carter album, long before its official release, turned into a Tomorrow Never Comes show. Wayne was really close to crossing the line as he kept abusing his audience’s patience and time and again making up new excuses for the delayed release of Tha Carter IV. The most substantial reason was the rapper’s short tour behind the bars for illegal fire weapon possession. The story itself is too trivial if we don’t forget that many rappers consider it their sacred duty to make troubles with the law. As he was doing his time, Wayne prepared another release, I Am Not A Human Being, to give the audience at least something to listen to. And only now, in 2011, did the artist finish what he started long ago, and officially released Tha Carter IV. This one you have to try at least to justify the time spent on waiting.
To smooth partially the situation with those who lost their hope to get his new album, Lil Wayne arranged a making of a special deluxe version of Tha Carter IV, adding three bonus tracks to what he originally included into the record. As a result, we have as much as seventy minutes of rap from one of the genre’s best, which is already a reason to rejoice. Lil was right to conclude that putting all the highlights into the opening part of as big as record as this one would be ridiculous, and the most interesting tracks surface not right from the start. Well, of course, Blunt Blowin, and MegaMan are not lost causes, but apart from catchy choruses and pretty trite beats they have got nothing remarkable. However, number four here is the long-anticipated hot hit, 6 Foot 7 Foot, somebody might have known from the times it was released as a single. A big contribution to the ultimate success of the song was made by a young talent Cory Gunz who shoots out lines like a machine gun. Then comes a swift turn towards retro. Nightmares Of The Bottom is a lot like a lullaby with the lead piano and sentimental lyrics. The following four tracks are Lil’s collaboration with hip-hop big figures. The most effective one is She Will with Drake’s splendid vocal part. The title of Abortion may make you think Lil is ready to talk about a serious issue, but it turns out that the song has nothing to do with actual abortions. In the closing fragment of the album, we are provided with the first and the last true ballad, How To Love, hitting the target.
The track list with almost twenty items might be a little bit too much. We are not talking about a best of compilation. We are talking about a regular studio album; and we don’t have that many seventy-minute giants in rap. It seems we just don’t need them here, do we? Could be Wayne chose a safe policy to offer a listener a really wide choice of songs so that everyone could find something to his satisfaction. But the result is every second song on Tha Carter IV is not to the point. For example, the bonus I Like The View with meaningless lyrics and dance beat so worn out that you can hardly take it. Could be we are used to seeing Lil Wayne as a classy performer who does not know how to make discouraging albums. Tha Carter IV is good at times, as good as Lil’s other official works, and at other times… Would it not have been better if the album had been stripped of a third of the tracklist and turned into a usual cohesive record to bring pleasure from start to end? This is Wayne’s album number nine, he looks like the one who knows what to do in the studio. Briefly put, Tha Carter IV is an album with some interesting pieces, but, in general, a work aimed strictly at the singer’s hardcore fans. Well, others gave up waiting for it long ago.
I Am Not A Human Being
Rebirth
Tha Carter III
Tha Carter Vol. 2
Swanlights 2010
Antony And The Johnsons goes farther and farther from frames and limitations with each of its creations, be it the style, lyrics, song structures or the melody, and the album Swanlights is no exception in this respect
