Tha Carter V: Lil Wayne

Katherine Bowes, Staff Writer|October 11, 2018

On September 28th, “Tha Carter V,” Lil Wayne’s new album was released. Its previous drop date was supposed to be in 2011, giving his fans a seven-year wait. During that time, he released mix tapes called “Sorry 4 the Wait,” continuing to give the denied gratification to all his listeners.

Honestly, Lil Wayne has never been my favorite rapper. This album surprised me, though. It’s very raw in the sense that Wayne opens himself up about his demons, which is shown heavily in “Open Letter.” In this song, he questions his purpose and belonging in the universe saying,

Within the song, there is a voice break that creates a beautiful, nostalgic feeling, that somehow, everything will be okay. I am shocked that he came up with such emotional and relatable music for our generation and a lot of others. He still isn’t my favorite. though.

The album mixes in many famous rappers, including Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Reginae Carter, and the recently deceased rapper, XXXTentacion. I personally love Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar, so “Let it Fly” and “Mona Lisa” are two of my favorite songs on the album. They aren’t the only features though. In one of his songs, “Famous,” his nineteen-year-old daughter sings the chorus, and in the first song of the album, “I Love You Dwayne,” Lil Wayne’s mom is featured saying how proud she is to be his mom and be with him on his journey in the music industry.

Sadly, all rappers’ careers come to an end. Lil Wayne reportedly is retiring after this album release. After Wayne first announced “Tha Carter V” in 2012, according to Billboard, he also said he would retire after its release in December 2014. Things obviously didn’t go as planned, so who knows whether he will stick to his word? We will see where this rappers career goes from here.

In the meantime, you can buy or listen to his album on Spotify or Amazon. It should be dropping on Youtube here soon too.