Lil Wayne
Tha Carter III
(Cash Money/Universal)
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It turns out Lil Wayne isn’t the greatest rapper alive, said J. Freedom du Lac in The Washington Post. Ever since he made that bold claim on 2005’s Tha Carter II, the hip-hop world has been waiting for the 25-year-old MC to prove it. Tha Carter III was the most anticipated rap album of 2007—until it was delayed into 2008. In the end, the album doesn’t live up to his “lofty expectations.” The New Orleans rapper promised a masterpiece, comparable to Nas’ Illmatic or Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, but delivers merely a “really good” rap album. Tha Carter III may not be a “classic,” said Brandon Perkins in URB. Still, it has moments of brilliance—and blunder—that are “worthy of remembrance.” “Nothing on Me” is really only good for a little bump ’n’ grind. But “Dr. Carter” claims to provide nothing less than a prescription for hip-hop’s future—an “act of audacity” you could only expect from Lil Wayne. The man might actually have the formula, said Jody Rosen in Rolling Stone. His ferocious creative energy is evident not just on this album but on many alternate tracks that have been pirated or released online. The “astonishing torrent of mix tapes, leaks, and guest appearances” produced by Lil Wayne in the past three years helps to “back up the boast” that he’s today’s pre-eminent hip-hop artist.
