Image via Getty/Suzi Pratt
At long last, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V is here. Seven years after the last installment, Tha Carter IV, Weezy fans have been patiently waiting for his final(?) album that came with a burden of legal battles, constant delays, and losing faith in its release after years of promises. Despite all of this, Wayne has continued to push forward, releasing countless mixtapes and appearing on high-profile albums while regaining control of Young Money as its sole owner.
On Tha Carter V, Wayne proves he hasn’t lost his spark, dropping a set of songs that are honest, lyrically focused, and aim to give listeners a new part of him. Gone are the frustrations and jabs at Cash Money and Birdman heard in his previous music. Instead, these are Wayne’s thoughts on fame, love, and life, closing a 20-plus career at 36 if he chooses to leave the game now.
There’s a lot to dissect on Tha Carter V. From the production to the samples to the integral role his mother Jacida Carter plays, here are six takeaways from the album.
Ms. Cita Appears on 'Tha Carter' Album for the First Time
It was an important decision for Lil Wayne to feature a vintage image of him as a tyke (face tats on all) with his mother. “It’s perfect,” he previously explained on ESPN’s First Take. “I always go with a baby picture, and I wanted to go with one with my mom on it this time. This album means a lot to me. People been waiting on this album, and I’m just at the point in my life and stuff to have my mom on there. It’s more than an accomplishment; it’s an achievement.”
Jacida Carter provides insightful commentary on Wayne’s upbringing on Tha Carter V, opening the album with an emotional intro about her son and the pending release of the project. Elsewhere, she appears at the end of “Open Letter,” giving advice to Wayne when she learns that he’s having a child with Antonia “Toya” Wright, and later talks about how blessed she was to have a genius of a child on “Hittas.”
But perhaps the most revealing part of her presence comes at the end of the album, telling listeners about the trauma she dealt with after Wayne shot himself at 12 years old. “I still don't know today. Was he playing with the gun or was it an accident?” she asks.
Keep the Producers Close
Each of the Carters have featured an assortment of producers, where some beat makers have worked on multiple albums, including Mannie Fresh (who reunites with Wayne on “Start This Shit Off Right” and “Perfect Strangers”). Later installments of the series have had the likes of The Heatmakerz, Kanye West, Bangladesh, Detail, and Polow Da Don. On Tha Carter V, Wayne taps his inner circle (Infamous, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions), and expands his desire for hard-hitting production by getting Zaytoven, Metro Boomin, and Swizz Beatz.
Weezy F. Baby, and the F Is for Features
In terms of guests, Tha Carter V has around the same number of features as Tha Carter and Tha Carter II, and they appear at key moments to support Weezy rather than outshine him. After the intro from his mother, the first voice we hear is the late XXXTentacion on “Don’t Cry."
Travis Scott’s work from 2014 makes it on C5 (“Let It Fly”); Kendrick Lamar pops up on “Mona Lisa," a song Martin Shkreli leaked first. And there are appearances by Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg here, too. Post Malone, who TMZ reported would be featured, didn’t make the cut, but maybe he pops up on a deluxe version?
From there, it's a family affair as Wayne features his daughter Reginae Carter (“Famous”), singer and mother of his son Nivea (“Dope New Gospel”), and his childhood friend/Young Money president Mack Maine (“Start This Shit Off Right”) with Ashanti. Drake even appears for a whole three seconds on “Hittas." Whether you’re a Lights Out Wayne fan or a “No Worries” Wayne fan, there’s something here for everyone.
The Samples in Wayne’s World
Lil Wayne’s influence stretches beyond hip-hop, which is why Barack Obama fans will be delighted to hear his speech at the 2009 NAACP convention sampled on “Dedicate.” It’s the perfect transition to “Uproar,” which samples G. Dep’s “Special Delivery,” an instrumental Weezy has previously rapped over with J. Cole on “Green Ranger.”
Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive” is sampled on “Dope Niggaz,” giving Snoop Dogg the right atmosphere to do his thing. It also showcases Wayne’s ability to excel on both East and West Coast vibes. Lines from Wayne’s 2012 deposition get used on “Hittas,” an entertaining moment that will live forever on wax.
Lil Wayne Contemplates His Existence on “Open Letter”
On "Open Letter," Wayne questions his purpose. Weezy has at times presented himself as hip-hop’s alien—the Martian who moves to the beat of his own drum. Here Wayne is speaking from the perspective of Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., writing an open letter to his supporters, his family, and his friends about his darkest thoughts as a celebrity, contemplating suicide, and if his legacy will leave an impact. To his kids, he raps, “I hope I leave more of an impression on my kids/To be destined to have blessings to believe in, Lord.” It’s a humanized version of Weezy that’s rare to experience.
Lil Wayne Opens Up About His Suicide Attempt
In a September cover story for Billboard, it was revealed that Lil Wayne’s shooting story as a teen was actually a suicide attempt.
On the outro “Let It All Work Out,” which samples Sampha’s 2013 song “Indecision,” Wayne shares a new side of the story on the third verse, rapping:
I found my momma's pistol where she always hide it
I cry, put it to my head and thought about it
Nobody was home to stop me, so I called my auntie
Hung up, then put the gun up to my heart and pondered
Too much was on my conscience to be smart about it
Too torn apart about it, I aim where my heart was pounding
I shot it, and I woke up with blood all around me
It's mine, I didn't die but as I was dying
God came to my side and we talked about it
He sold me another life and he made a prophet
In an interview with the Associated Press, he talked about how Uncle Bob, a white police officer, saved his life by taking him to the hospital at the time.