POP CULTURE – Lil Wayne’s highly anticipated 12th studio album “Tha Carter V” was released on Sept. 28, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 22 songs on the Billboard 100.
“Tha Carter V” is the second-largest streaming week for an album, coming in second to Drake’s “Scorpion.” J Cole’s most recent album, “KOD,” holds third place.
22 of Lil Wayne’s songs are currently on Billboard’s Hot 100 and listed here by rank:
Rank, Title
No. 2, “Mona Lisa,” feat. Kendrick Lamar No. 5, “Don’t Cry,” feat. XXXTentacion No. 7, “Uproar” No. 10, “Let It Fly,” feat. Travis Scott No. 14, “Dedicate” No. 17, “Can’t Be Broken” No. 24, “What About Me,” feat. Sosamann No. 26, “Dark Side of the Moon,” feat. Nicki Minaj No. 36, “Famous,” feat. Reginae Carter No. 39, “Dope N****z,” feat. Snoop Dogg No. 47, “Open Letter” No. 57, “Problems” No. 59, “Hittas” No. 62, “Open Safe” No. 65, “Took His Time” No. 74, “Mess” No. 75, “Let It All Work Out” No. 76, “Start This S**t Off Right,” feat. Ashanti & Mack Maine No. 78, “Used 2” No. 81, “Demon” No. 86, “Perfect Strangers” No. 90, “Dope New Gospel,” featuring Nivea
Fans have been patiently waiting for this album since 2014 and have finally had a chance to listen to the masterpiece.
Salisbury University student Franklin Del Cid Sosa described his first reaction when the album released.
“It’s about time and I’ve been waiting forever for it drop,” Sosa said.
Issues with the record label Cash Money Records delayed the album’s release, disappointing fans. But discrepancies arose with the other head of Cash Money Records, rapper and businessman Birdman.
The feud included money issues, debts among the two and personal issues. However, these issues were settled and pushed aside for the release of this album.
The album has multiple A-list features including XXXTentacion, who recently passed away, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Ashanti and his baby’s mother, R&B/pop goddess Nivea.
Music critics argue the album is lengthy, but most consider it his best work. Variety gave the album very positive reviews, calling it “fresh flush and even frenetic at sometimes.”
The album has a good balance of songs, catchy beats and hard flows, with more chill songs that still showcase Wayne’s lyrical ability.
Songs such as “Uproar” and “Mona Lisa (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” both are in the Top 5 on Billboard’s chart because of the hype beats and long flows from both Wayne and Lamar.
But others, like “Start This S**t Off Right (feat. Ashanti and Mack Maine)” and “Dope N****z (feat. Snoop Dogg),” are more chill and easy to listen to.
The album also features Wayne’s mother on various songs speaking encouragements to him about his life.
The intro “I Love you Dwayne” is two minutes long of his mother professing her love for her son. She describes how he cannot be broken down and is strong because of all he has been through in his life.
His mother is not the only family member Wayne included on his album. The song “Famous” features his daughter Reginae Carter and “Dope New Gospel” features his ex-fiancé Nivea.
All in all, Lil Wayne’s album is finally here and is definitely worth a listen.
The Flyer gives “Tha Carter V” an 8/10.
By DONOVAN MACK
Staff Writer
Featured Photo: Billboard.com
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