Tha Carter III

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., aka Lil Wayne, is celebrating the 18th anniversary of his fourth studio album, “Tha Carter.” The rapper took to Instagram to then reflect on the record and its impact on rap music.

“18 years ago I had no idea of what you’d think abt this album and I was worried abt what it’d do but I never doubted what it would be,” he wrote. “A classic. A living legend. A beast. A jewel. A part of me and you forever. That part.”

Weezy also thanked his fans for the continued support. “2 every fan thats been a member of this Carter family, I ain’t shit without you.”

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“Tha Carter” was released on June 29, 2004. It debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 116,000 physical copies in the first week of its release. The album includes the banger “Go DJ,” Wayne’s first Top 20 hit.

In 2020, the LP was certified double platinum, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide. With the success of “Tha Carter,” Wayne created four sequels to it.

“Tha Carter” Franchise

“Tha Carter II” album came out in 2005 and included the songs “Hustler Muzik,” “Firearm,” and Wayne’s & Robin Thicke’s feature “Shooter.”

In 2008, Weezy released “Tha Carter III,” also one of his most successful and critically-acclaimed albums. The record debuted at #1 on the billboard 200 and sold 1 million copies in the US, becoming the best seller. “Tha Carter III” won three Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song for “Lollipop,” and Best Rap Solo Performance for “A Milli.” Rolling Stone also named it one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

2 albums later, “Tha Carter IV” appeared in 2011. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the rapper’s third album to achieve this. The fourth chapter includes the songs “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “She Will,” featuring Drake, and the acoustic ballad “How To Love.”

Wayne then released the fifth chapter, “Tha Carter V,” in 2018. The album was listed on many best hip hop albums rosters that year and reached the number one spot on the Billboard 200. It also has a stacked list of features, including Kendrick Lamar, Ashanti, Travis Scott, XXXtentacion, Snoop Dogg, and Nivea, to name a few.

Lil Wayne still sets the bar in rap music today between the “Tha Carter” and the “Dedication” mixtape franchise. Just like “Tha Carter,” Weezy is a legend.

Written by Roy Lott

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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