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From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Under consideration in this installment is the new full-length by Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III, which hits stores today:
• “Lil Wayne has always been a hit maker, a hired gun who spices up his surroundings. On Tha Carter III, he shows he is capable of building a memorable landscape on his own, as well, a place where he isn’t just the entertaining jester but where he can actually be king.” [Newsday]
• ” Wayne’s preference for recording whenever he’s moved to, and releasing the results on mixtapes such as Da Drought Is Over, Part 4, suits his ADD nature while keeping fans busy with a constant stream of music. Tha Carter III was, indeed, worth waiting for, but there will undoubtedly be more from the same place–and soon.” [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• “Tha Carter III is not the record that will save hip-hop, but Wayne has delivered an album that, after more than a year of delays and expectations that few could never deliver upon, asserts he’s a grand talent, no matter the playing field. ‘This is history in the making … now let me make it,’ he raps during ‘Shoot Me Down.’ It’s not quite history, but it’ll do.” [Detroit News]
• “As he reaches for pop exposure, Lil Wayne is tempering braggadocio with a different kind of audacity: he’s showing himself as more vulnerable than ever.” [New York Times]
• “By the end of its over-long 80-minute run time, the Jay-Z album it most recalls isn’t The Blueprint, but rather the scattershot Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter. Ultimately, Tha Carter III will have you believing in Wayne’s greatness but wondering why, as often as not, he just isn’t very good.” [LA Times]
Summary: it’s aiight but get the mixtapes instead
If you take the 6 or 7 absolute bangers off this album, pair them with “I’m Me” and “Gossip” from The Leak EP, and then cherry pick some of the best cuts off the Empire mixtapes, Carter III would have been a hands down classic. As it stands though, it’s still one of the better rap albums of the year, though a step down from what Carter II/Dedication 2/Drought 3 brought to the table.
Yeah I mean, I like it.
80 minutes?
@Big Gray.: yeah, it’s shorter than most rap albums
Can I get a soul clap for hip-hop* right now? This, that Bun B record, Wale’s mixtape, the Cool Kids EP, Kidz in the Hall, various Nas tracks leaking onto the scene with the gangsta lean. I ain’t listened [and came back to] this many hip-hop ALBUMS in a minute. I’m lovin it.
*Yes, I know, I’m being selective, and am sure that I am neglecting and ignoring many of the other current hip-hop acts or singles that will prevent a large majority of y’all from clapping back, but whatever.
@Tauwan: Yeah, I was just realizing this myself- I’m actually listening to hip-hop this year. Don’t forget the new N.E.R.D. too.
@Tauwan: yeah this has been an unusually strong first half of the year, at least compared to the first half of the last couple years. i can’t back the cool kids ep though, they’re just so hit-or-miss with their tracks.