Tha Carter IV

* Standard
* Deluxe
* Complete

### **Producer(s)**

Birdman (exec.) \ Cortez Bryant (exec.) \ Lil Wayne (exec.) \ Mack Maine (exec.) \ Slim (exec.) \ Onhel \ Christopher Allen \ The Commission \ Cool & Dre \ Detail \ Diplo \ DJA \ Drew Money \ DVLP \ Filthy \ Emile Haynie \ MegaMan \ Bangladesh \ Polow Da Don \ REO \ Rob Holladay \ The Smeezingtons \ Snizzy \ T-Minus \ Tha Drummahz \ Timbaland \ Willy Will \ Wizz Dumb \ Young Fyre

***Tha Carter IV*** (***C4***) is the ninth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on August 29, 2011, through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money and Universal Republic Records. It debuted No. 1 on the *Billboard* 200 chart and sold 964,000 copies in its first week.

## Synopsis

Since rightfully proclaiming himself the Best Rapper Alive during his remarkable run from 2005 to 2008, Lil Wayne has been held to exactly that standard. And while *Tha Carter IV* may not reach the insurmountable heights of its predecessors, there's so much to love here that it hardly matters. From Nas' fire-breathing a capella on "Outro" to Wayne's playful Jay Z diss on "It's Good" to the soft-rock experimentalism of "How to Love," the album offers a Vegas buffet's worth of lyrical pyrotechnics and signature Weezy oddities (hello, Alan Parsons sample). Arriving on the heels of Wayne's rock detour *Rebirth*, *Tha Carter IV* is a shambolic return to form.

## Background

Patrick Bierut of *uDiscoverMusic* chronicled anticipation surrounding the album, attributed to Wayne's "period of superstardom, imprisonment, and experimentation," leaving pressure on Lil Wayne to "reaffirm his hip-hop supremacy." *C4* was dropped on August 29th, the day after Wayne's 2011 MTV Video Music Awards aired performance.

For its 10th anniversary, Lil Wayne released a "Complete Edition" of the record, which included three bonus tracks. Additionally, there were visual videos dropped for four of its tracks: "Blunt Blowin," "MegaMan," "Nightmares of the Bottom," and "She Will," the first part of the visual album. The official press release declared, "Directed by Tim Fox and with art by Daniel Crossan, the visualizers look at the dystopian world Wayne described on *Tha Carter IV* and create a comic book feel out of it that pulls inspiration from *Grand Theft Auto* and *The Dark Knight*."

## Critical reception

On aggregator site Metacritic, *Tha Carter IV* scored an average of 60 out of 100 based on 29 critic reviews, citing "mixed or average reviews." *HotNewHipHop* retrospectively wrote, "While it was initially seen by some as a disappointment, especially in the shadow of its classic predecessor, the years have been quite kind on the album's legacy. Now, many who might have once criticized the project have come to appreciate it as a solid body of work, with a number who even cite it among Wayne's best projects."

David Jeffries of AllMusic penned a favorable review, "Wayne's world feels more like a dream than reality, but the loyal subjects of Young Money get a wild ride and the great feeling of flashing those ruby slippers one more time." *BBC Music*'s Mike Diver believed it "makes more concessions to mainstream trends" and added of it being a "consistent" record, though not up to standard compared to its precedent album. He concluded it was "the album to introduce you to the never boring world of an artist whose importance remains so significant that, should he finally collapse like the star he is, he's likely to take half the rap game with him." *Boston Globe* remarked, "it's evident he's not the same person, let alone the same rapper" after Wayne's prison sentence. They noted, "there are only traces of the playful wit that made Wayne so interesting to begin with" and recycled records that altogether sounds "monotonous," "redundant," and "uninspired." *Chicago Tribune* similarly observed, "His prison term gets only glancing references, but it's clearly a subtext for many of the tracks. [...] Once Wayne used to hop on other rappers' tracks and blow them away. Now his guests magnify his lack of engagement."

It was described as "forgettable" and "boring" by publications *Los Angeles Times* and *NME*, respectively. *The New York Times* wrote in agreeance, "least memorable Lil Wayne album in years" and conceded, "Because Lil Wayne has been so sharp, so dexterous in the past, it's tempting (and ultimately necessary) to overanalyze him. But even on this album's weak tracks, and there are several, he remains a commanding presence, deploying just enough of his insistent croak to tether the song together." *DJBooth* assessed, "is really only notable for its guest features." *Paste* magazine wrote, "The beats seem tired and passed-on, the flows steady and workmanlike, and the songs dug from the recesses of available options. It all comes together as solid, but scattershot—which is something that would probably be a lot more defendable if it was released last year." *PopMatters* also gave a less favorable review, writing, "full of incomparably half-baked verses" and "greatest disappointment of 2011." *Spin* compared, "*IV* features many of the same elements and signifiers as *III*, another sloppy effort bolstered by a few drop-the-baby stunners. [...] There are concept songs and introspective moments. What's gone is desperation." They added that the rapper was no longer at the top of the game, as, "He remains a compelling artist and a standard-bearer for a generation of endlessly productive rappers. But nothing lasts forever. Weezy is dead. Long live Weezy." *The A.V. Club* noted that Wayne's "hot streak" ended in 2010 at his generally disappointed rock album *Rebirth*. They said in positive points, "would be a letdown even without the high expectations of its title, yet the album is too well-curated to be a complete flop. Pristine production and brisk pacing go a long way toward compensating for Wayne’s linguistic rut, as do the album’s many savvy guest spots.

*Village Voice* expressed disappointment, calling it "a bad rap album." *Pitchfork* critiqued, "Almost everything about Wayne is relaxed, regurgitated, or regressing here. Most noticeable is his slowed-down flow, perhaps a capitulation to the booming arenas he now plays to regularly, where intelligibility often trumps quick wit. [...] After an epic run, it seems as though Wayne has finally run out of inventive ways to say he's on drugs, or great at sex, or extremely interested in making money." Rob Sheffield of *Rolling Stone* also held several criticism in regards to "doesn't have the same speed-demon intensity" and the rapper being "casual and sloppy about his approach to official album releases." *The Quietus* said, "18 tracks filled with conceptually accessible ideas, executed moderately well yet lacking the syrupy controversy of his prior exploits." *XXL* wrote more positively, "Even with some lack of vulnerability and risk, *Tha Carter IV* displays the nonsensical approach that fans have grown to love. Future and previous aside, Weezy's present is bright."

## Accolades

 2012
 Grammy Awards | Best Rap Album

## Track listing

* Lyon
* Valenzano
* Peter Hernandez
* Phillip Lawrence
* Ramon Owen
* The Smeezingtons
* Thomas Pentz
* Derek Allen
* DJA

* Brandon Deener
* Timothy Mosley
* Timbaland

* Emile Haynie
* Freddy Wexler
* Donnell Butler
* Kevin Rudolf
* Benard Ighner
* Preyan
* Bryan Williams
* Andrew Thielk

**Sample credits**

* "6 Foot 7 Foot" contains samples of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" as written and performed by Harry Belafonte.
* "John" contains an interpolation "I'm Not a Star" as written by William Roberts II, Kevin Crowe and Erik Ortiz.
* "President Carter" contains a sample of "Les Dunes D'ostende" as written and performed by François de Roubaix, which is the theme song to the 1971's horror film *Daughters of Darkness*; and excerpts from a speech by Jimmy Carter.
* "It's Good" contains a sample of "The Cask of Amontillado" as written and performed by The Alan Parsons Project.
* "Novacane" contains elements of "Everything Must Change" as written and performed by Benard Ighner.

## References

1. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (September 6, 2011). "It's Official: Lil Wayne's 'Carter IV' Debuts at No. 1 with 964,000 Copies". *Billboard*.
2. ↑ Bierut, Patrick (August 29, 2022). "'Tha Carter IV': How Lil Wayne Set Out to Reaffirm His Hip-Hop Supremacy". *uDiscoverMusic*.
3. ↑ Markman, Rob (July 11, 2011). "Lil Wayne's 'Carter IV ' 'Totally Done'". *MTV*.
4. ↑ Schube, Will (August 27, 2021). "Lil Wayne Drops Expanded 10th Anniversary Digital Edition of 'Tha Carter IV'". *uDiscoverMusic*.
5. ↑ "Music Icon Lil Wayne Kicks Off Tha Carter IV Visual Album with Four Dystopian Visualizers". *Associated Press*. November 12, 2021.
6. ↑ Findlay, Mitch (August 26, 2021). "Lil Wayne Announces "Carter IV" Q&A Session". *HotNewHipHop*.
7. ↑ "Tha Carter IV Review by David Jeffries". *AllMusic*. August 30, 2011.
8. ↑ Diver, Mike (August 31, 2011). "Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV Review". *BBC*.
9. ↑ Benbow, Julian (August 29, 2011). "Lil Wayne Sounds Liberated but Limp on New Album". *Boston Globe*. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013.
10. ↑ Kot, Greg (August 29, 2011). "Album review: Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter IV'". *Chicago Tribune*.
11. ↑ Weiss, Jeff (August 30, 2011). "Album review: Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter IV'". *Los Angeles Times*.
12. ↑ Fuentes-Knight, Jo (September 6, 2011). "Lil Wayne – 'Tha Carter IV' Review". *NME*.
13. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (August 30, 2011). "Rapper Returns, with Punch Lines but Little Soul". *The New York Times*.
14. ↑ "Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV". *DJBooth*. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011.
15. ↑ Winkie, Luke (September 2, 2011). "Lil Wayne: *Tha Carter IV*". *Paste*.
16. ↑ Amidon, David (September 2, 2011). "Lil' Wayne: Tha Carter IV". *PopMatters*. Archived from the original on September 22, 2011.
17. ↑ Fennessey, Sean (August 29, 2011). "Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter IV' (Young Money/Cash Money)". *Spin*.
18. ↑ Rytlewski, Evan (August 30, 2011). "Lil Wayne: *Tha Carter IV*". *The A.V. Club*.
19. ↑ Hutchins, Andy (August 29, 2011). "Lil Wayne Keeps Chasing His Glory Days on *Tha Carter IV*". *Village Voice*. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011.
20. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (August 30, 2011). "*Tha Carter IV*". *Pitchfork*.
21. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (August 29, 2011). "Tha Carter IV". *Rolling Stone*.
22. ↑ Watson, Tom (September 6, 2011). "Lil Wayne *Tha Carter IV*". *The Quietus*.
23. ↑ Fleischer, Adam (August 29, 2011). "Lil Wayne, *Tha Carter IV*". *XXL*.