Heard It Here First

The long-awaited fifth chapter of Lil Wayne’s “Carter” series, which began way back in 2004, has finally arrived––and it is fire emoji, fire emoji, fire emoji.

Originally announced in 2012, it seems only natural for “Tha Carter V” to have gone through all sorts of transformations and hardships before landing on its feet in 2018. And with a 23-song tracklist, it’s easy to hear how the album pulls in and on different sounds of hip-hop from the six years in between.

With features from top names in the game like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg and the late XXXTentacion, this album is on the fast-track to greatness (side note: Kendrick absolutely destroys his verse on “Mona Lisa,” naturally). But those names aren’t the only reason why.

Self-proclaimed as the best rapper alive, “Tha Carter V” feels like a culmination of evidence backing up that very statement. Introduced by a tear-jerking message from his mom, themes of family, genius and self-growth are carried and maintained throughout the entirety of the album. His daughter, Reginae Carter, sings the chorus of “Famous,” during which Weezy reflects on his career and fame.

Figures like Barack Obama and rapper 2 Chainz also make appearances in a way that more or less pays homage to Lil Tunechi. Declaring himself the best rapper alive on “Tha Carter II,” it makes sense that he, through this most recent and perhaps last installment, is giving credit where he thinks credit is due: to himself.

All in all, this was most definitely well worth the wait.

Check out the album, its tracklist, features and production credits below:

Produced by R!o, Kamo
Feat. Snoop Dogg

14. “Hittas”
Produced by Jayones

15. “Took His Time”
Produced by Freewaytjay

16. “Open Safe”
Produced by Mike Free

17. “Start This Shit Off Right”
Produced by Mannie Fresh
Feat. Ashanti, Mack Maine

18. “Demon”
Produced by Cool & Dre, 808-Ray

19. “Mess”
Produced by Infamous

20. “Dope New Gospel”
Produced by R!o, Kamo
Feat. Nivea

21. “Perfect Strangers”
Produced by Mannie Fresh

22. “Used 2”
Produced by Metro Boomin, Prince 85

23. “Let It All Work Out”
Produced by Jordan, Reefa, Myles William