Claim: In its first week, Lil Wayne's sixth album sold more than a million copies in the United States.

Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne , released on June 10 , 2008 , by Cash Money and Universal Motown . It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records , helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream . The album 's cover art features a baby picture of Wayne and is similar to covers of hip hop albums such as Nas 's Illmatic -LRB- 1994 -RRB- and Notorious B.I.G. 's Ready to Die -LRB- 1994 -RRB- . Amid release delays and leaks , Tha Carter III became one of the most anticipated releases of 2008 .   The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart , selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week . It reached sales of 2.88 million copies by the end of 2008 and produced four singles that achieved chart success , including the international hit `` Lollipop '' and Billboard hits `` A Milli '' , `` Got Money '' , and `` Mrs. Officer '' . Upon its release , Tha Carter III received universal acclaim from music critics and earned Lil Wayne several accolades , including a spot on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . It has been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States .