Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter V' review - old but still good

By Jaylin T.

Students at AHS listen to music 24/7  whether it's in the hallways, in class, on the way to school, or basically any chance they get. There's no doubt that Lil Wayne's “Tha Carter V” is blasting in someone's ears considering the album has so many hits, plus it being in the top 5 for his best selling albums. 

This album was supposed to be Lil Wayne's last album, he previously stated he would retire at the age of 35; he explained that he had four kids and he "would feel selfish still going to the studio when it's such a vital point in their lives". He first announced the release date of Tha Carter V in 2012, following the 2011 release of Tha Carter IV. Lil Wayne's Tha Carter series began in 2004 when he was 22, and Tha Carter V which is the last one of the series took 4 years to actually come out after being announced to release in 2014, there were some delays which caused it to be later released in 2018. Wayne announced how he was scared about the outcome of this album because the other albums in the Tha Carter series did so well. 

In my opinion this album is one of the most exciting ones I've listened to because the thought and production behind it is really great and all the songs are super fun and I love how lengthy most of the tracks are. Another thing I love about the album is how none of the songs are boring and either have a good beat, a good feature, good lyrics or all of the above! So far my favorite tracks from the album have been Mona Lisa, Don't Cry, Can't Be Broken, and Dedicate. 

Reason one on why I think this album is so great is the features. This album includes so many popular artists including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, XXXtentacion, Ashanti, and others. On the deluxe album there's features like Gucci Mane, Post Malone,  2 Chainz, and Raekwon. Not only are these artists super popular, but all of them have such big hits that have reached billboards so that's how you know the songs are gonna be great hits. 

Another thing that really stood out to me about this album is how lengthy the album is.  This album includes 33 songs, 7 of them being included in the deluxe edition, and 3 of them being the bonus tracks of the album. The longest tracks on the album are Let It All Work out, Mona Lisa, Scottie, and Open Letter. The album includes a decent amount of tracks being 4 minutes long. The shortest songs on the album are I Love You Dwayne, and Hasta La Vista. This is pretty impressive considering the average length of a song is 3 minutes and  I think Lil Wayne and his producing team did a good job with making sure all the tracks were entertaining.  

Lastly, I think this album is great because of the thought process and production of it. In May 2014, Wayne's record producer Mannie Fresh announced he would be reuniting with Lil Wayne  for this album. This would mark the first time Wayne and Mannie would work together since 2004. A large amount of the tracks were recorded years before the album was released, this is because songs kept getting leaked and famous singer Post Malone features on one of the songs and was supposed to record his feature a few weeks before the album was initially supposed to release but he didn't show to the studio on the right day so all of these things contributed to the album releasing so long after it was supposed to. 

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V isn't an “underground” album, people very much know about it like AHS freshman Esther Too who says “Lowkey this is my favorite Lil Wayne album I love Don't Cry, I have my headphones in 24/7 and that song is usually on repeat.” This shows that many other people enjoy this album as much as I do. 

Isabella G., another freshman at Airport High School, says, “Me and my friends were actually talking about this album a few weeks ago, we were saying how this was our favorite album Lil Wayne has made and how sad we were when it would be the last of Tha Carter series.” This proves that even though it was released  a few years back, it is still a frequently talked about and listened to album.

“Chris”, a reviewer on Sputnikmusic.com, explains that he finds he has an emotional connection to the album. He claims he doesn't listen to Lil Wayne often, but he found this album very interesting and exciting and he states “But though I don’t know the intricacies and the history behind the man all that well, even I can realize that the legacy he has is a long and unique one.” and “ClashMusic” on  Metacritic.com says , “Tha Carter V was never going to be flawlessly executed--the odds were too stacked against it--but it certainly gives the audience the thrill we were hoping for. It’s a return to form, and a triumphant return for one of the greatest of all time”

In conclusion, I’d give this album a 9/10, I recommend it for those who enjoy the art of music and rap. You can listen to this anywhere you may stream music like Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube Music, Youtube, etc. To read more about the album go here.