Dr. Carter to the rescue!
Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter III’ is now 13 years old! Classics like this are truly uncommon, so let’s have a look at the impact of this release.
First, words from Tunechi himself. Wayne took to Instagram to celebrate, exclaiming, “Happy 13th to the project that really showed me my fans/supporters have love for me!!!” Given the anticipation built up for it, there were plenty of leaks and piracy attempts but Wayne was still able to come out commercially successful from it. He celebrates this too, saying “We did “Amilli” the first week in a time where sales were down because of piracy/bootlegging!!! For that, I’ll forever be grateful! 🤙🏾”
When listening to this album and the context of Lil Wayne’s career, there’s no surprise. Wayne was the universally undisputed “Best Rapper Alive” for around half a decade, so the hype for C3 was simply colossal. “Tha Carter II” is where he officially took the crown and maintained it for years with rap’s most legendary mixtape catalog. After countless leaks and rearrangements, fans were unsure if the release of the final C3 would be what Wayne intended and what they wanted to hear.
3PEAT!
The singles alone put the worries to rest. ‘Lollipop‘ and ‘A Milli‘ are eternal rap and even pop hits. Deep cuts like ‘Dr. Carter,’ ‘Let The Beat Build,’ and ‘Tie My Hands’ are equally responsible for demonstrating Weezy’s ability to keep on growing and pushing rap’s boundaries as far as possible. Though C2 is certainly just as good, C3 is the moment when Lil Wayne proved that his legacy could never be damaged. Competing with Jay-Z, Kanye West, and now Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne might have the best trilogy in rap through the ‘Tha Carter’ series. This goes without mentioning the very fun but less impressive ‘Tha Carter IV’ and ‘Tha Carter V.’
Make sure to give ‘Tha Carter III’ a spin today; it only gets better and better!
Written by Jason Heilbronner