Jesus Montoya
The Carter V
The most recent addition to the world of Hip Hop is Lil Wayne’s anticipated album The Carter V. The series began in 2004; however, there was a 7-year gap between last year’s release and The Carter IV’s release. The long wait has electrified the old fans of Wayne, and new listeners were also intrigued to hear the project from the Louisiana rapper. But what do you expect from Lil Wayne in 2018? His other most recent project, Dedication 6: a mixtape released early 2018 from his Dedication series is a perfect reference to what would be expected on The Carter V, showcasing his outstanding wordplay to his wide-ranging use of figurative language. Both bodies of work included old records since Lil Wayne was tied up in legal issues with his label Cash Money after The Carter IV’s release in 2011, preventing him from releasing any official music until June of 2018. With the new project in our hands, let’s take a look at the significance of certain features and how I received the .
The album starts off with a personal message from Wayne’s mother Jacida Carter stating, “Mama love you, I can't wait 'til your album come out because everybody asking about it and I know it's gon' be a beautiful album. Love you, Dwayne.” The tremble in her voice sets a heart-warming tone that smoothly transitions into the first song “Don’t Cry” featuring Florida rapper XXXTentacion (X). X was murdered on June 18, 2018 from a drive-by which led to a massive outcry on the internet for his loss as he was only 19 years old with a promising career. Photos and videos of his body lying dead behind the wheel surfaced minutes after the incident happened and X fans all around the world were left in disbelief. His posthumous album Skins was released early December, three months following his appearance on The Carter V. Placing X on the album capitalizes Wayne’s support for the youth and new talents which adds relevance to today’s music selection. The album also features Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Sosamann, Reginae Carter, Snoop Dogg, Ashanti, Mack Maine and Nivea, all notable names in the Hip-Hop realm and close friends of Wayne.
My personal favorite features lie on the production credits which star Atlanta legends Metro Boomin and Zaytoven. Both producers have had a long history together since Zaytoven took Metro under his wings early on in his career, later conjointly leaving enormous imprints on newer producers coming out of the city. Zaytoven makes his presence known on the 12th track, “Problems”, immediately as the rounded, hard-hitting 808’s and the futuristic melody captures the listener’s ears just seconds before his well-known producer tag rolls in. Lil Wayne caters to a very dark, languid resonance on the hook recalling on his struggles with being incredibly wealthy and successful which really brought the trap record together. The 25 year old super star Metro Boomin makes a guest appearance on the track “Used 2” alongside producers Prince 85 and Infamous, making it his third collaboration with Wayne. Metro hasn’t made many appearances after claiming to have retired from music producing in April, five months before the release of The Carter V. Although, knowing he is still active in producing enlightens fans like myself to continue supporting his career and contributions to Atlanta.
I first heard the entire album a week after it’s initial release so that I could hear what everyone had to say. The album had positive reviews and I began to segments from the album as people shared their own versions of the Uproar Challenge, inspired by the song “Uproar” from the album, on Instagram. Finally listening to the album in depth, the album communicated how personal it was to Wayne since he featured his own mother in the introductory interlude and on the album cover with him in her arms during Wayne’s infant years. I noticed the album transitioned great from song to song, changing in tempo and sounds to distinguish genres in different atmospheres. Therefore I feel the album was well put together illuminating on Wayne’s music range and his life while overcoming a large deficit in his career.
On October 13th, Lil Wayne debuted all 22 tracks onto the Hot 100 and The Carter V landed No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. “’Mona Lisa”, featuring Kendrick Lamar, and ‘Don't Cry,’ featuring XXXTentacion, lead the way at Nos. 2 and 5, respectively, as Wayne becomes the first act to ever debut two songs in the Hot 100's top five simultaneously” (Zellner 2018). 480,000 album units were sold during the first week of the release which is an incredible comeback after not putting out an official album for over 5 years. Lil Wayne has always been on my top 5 artists list since 2012. Seeing the success of The Carter V reminds me of his greatness and his contributions in music, paving the way for the current generation of new school rap.