Youtube lil wayne moment series#

He wasnвЂ™t yet 30 years old, and Tha Carter IV was his ninth studio release among a countless slew of projects official and otherwise.

He was helping new artists develop into superstars in their own right. He had respect from veterans older than him and from the few peers he could consider competition.

Youtube lil wayne moment series#

While it would be a long time before another Carter album, the fourth entry in WayneвЂ™s most prolific series established him not just as a veteran, but the youngest elder statesman in hip-hop. Surprisingly, this stylistic shift didnвЂ™t permeate Tha Carter IV more, especially now that we know how influential Rebirth ended up being for the next generation. And while вЂњHow To LoveвЂќ is softer and more acoustically-minded than anything on Rebirth, it certainly feels like an extension of that experiment. ItвЂ™s nearly impossible to talk about Tha Carter IV without at least mentioning Rebirth, the rock-influenced album Wayne released in January of 2010.ДЄt one point, the albums were mentioned as being packaged together, then as a triple album with We Are Young Money before it was determined all three albums would be released as separate projects. It feels very post- 808s, post-Bieber, and maybe most importantly, post- Rebirth. The R&B cut is one of the best cuts off the album, especially on the LPвЂ™s latter half.

вЂњHow To LoveвЂќ is a far cry from the same guy who released вЂњLollipopвЂќ but Tha Carter IV also saw Wayne grow up. When Tha Carter III came out, Wayne was one of the only rappers utilizing the power of the internet, but by Tha Carter IVвЂ™s release, he was rapping over вЂњGucci Gucci,вЂќ a song some people considered a meme, and getting a Lil B feature on a Wake Flocka instrumental. On the first, heвЂ™s dominating every radio hit of the day, and on the other, heвЂ™s coming to terms with a new class of competitors who rode his wave. But look at the difference in the songs Wayne rapped over on No Ceilings versus Sorry 4 the Wait - one released just before his prison stint and the other a few months after. The changing landscape in rap, as it started to intertwine further with pop, and then electronic, is only a little obvious if you listen to Tha Carter III and Tha Carter IV on their own. IANAHB was a success, but a bit of a clearinghouse and showcase for other Young Money artists that made it feel like a lower-stakes album, while Tha Carter IV was going to be a fresh start. Many of the C3-era producers Wayne worked with during C4вЂ™s early sessions ended up on I Am Not a Human Being, which was released a few months before the end of WayneвЂ™s sentence. Tha Carter IV boasts work from other producers from WayneвЂ™s C3 golden era including Infamous, Cool & Dre, StreetRunner, but it still felt like a reckoning with hip-hopвЂ™s changing landscape. Jadakiss, Bun B, Nas, and Shyne also appear to close out the album, stalwarts from every corner of rap come through to give Wayne the stamp of approval in what feels like a victory lap. вЂњJohnвЂќ is essentially a suped-up version of RossвЂ™ вЂњIвЂ™m Not a StarвЂќ and вЂњShe Will,вЂќ (with a T-Minus beat) sounds like itвЂ™s from DrakeвЂ™s Take Care sessions. Wayne is stepping into their worlds as much as they are his.

T-Pain and Busta Rhymes return after their appearances on C3 while вЂњJohnвЂќ with Rick Ross and вЂњShe WillвЂќ with Drake feel like acknowledgments of the success those two have had since Tha Carter IIIвЂ™s release. Carter,вЂќ while вЂњ6 Foot 7 FootвЂќ is more or less a direct sequel to вЂњA Milli,вЂќ not just because of WayneвЂ™s flow and the Bangladesh beat but especially because of a feature from Cory Gunz вЂ“ famously cut from the album version of вЂњA Milli.вЂќ There are moments throughout the album that feel parallel to its predecessor. One of the best parts of the album is that it does truly feel like part of a series, specifically as a sequel to Tha Carter III. His output never really slowed down, but after the Rikers stint, Tha Carter IV felt like a bit of a testing ground.Д¬4вЂ™s fifth track swerve, вЂњNightmares of the Bottom,вЂќ was famous before its release fueled by the hype built up for WayneвЂ™s appearance on MTVвЂ™s Unplugged. вЂњBlunt Blowin,вЂќ вЂњMegaMan,вЂќ and вЂњ6 Foot 7 FootвЂќ are the more famous cuts, but even from the albumвЂ™s intro, itвЂ™s clear that WayneвЂ™s still got it. Like its predecessor, the album opens with four frenzied tracks of Wayne rapping his ass off, then swerves on the fifth track and becomes something of a grab bag afterward.

Tha Carter IV hits the ground running almost immediately. Listen to the expanded 10th-anniversary edition of Tha Carter IV on Apple Music and Spotify.