Tha Carter III is a contradictory, against-all-odds masterpiece, and Lil Wayne may never perfect this balance again. I sincerely question: will anyone?
This is Wayne's moment and he embraces it on his own terms. Instead of hiding his bootleg-bred quirks in anticipation of the big-budget spotlight, he distills the myriad metaphors, convulsing flows, and vein-splitting emotions into a commercially gratifying package that's as weird as it wants to be
Tha Carter III soars because of Wayne’s to-date under-appreciated ability to turn himself down.
Though wrong and stupid kinda work (in a good way!), Tha Carter III is more a balanced, self-conscious synthesis of everything viably great about Lil Wayne, hyperbolic or not, than the penultimate statement of the MC’s “legendary” status.
Tha Carter III is a monumental album full of powerful, self-defeating statements that obliterate rap’s internal logic without offering too much more than indifferent bong logic in return. Judged, however, as a collection of singles and quotable verses — the criteria on which we’ve been grading hip-hop records since the end of disco — Tha Carter III is an agonizing piece of work.
Filled with bold, entertaining wordplay and plenty of well-executed, left-field ideas, Tha Carter III should be considered as a wild, somewhat difficult child of Weezy's magnum opus in motion, one that allows the listener an exhilarating and unapologetic taste of artistic freedom.
Tha Carter III hearkens to when rap meant rapp: Isaac Hayes talking for days about some girl he broke with, or Bobby Womack signifying while strumming a blues guitar.
Real talk Tha Carter III is a respectable effort. But with all of the incessant chatter of being the best, this disc should have been damn near perfect.
Tha Carter III is flashes of brilliance surrounded by a number of rookie mistakes made by a young veteran of the game.
Tha Carter III should be an anointment, proof of his arrival in rap's elite. Wayne's genius is of the mad sort, though, and this schizoid album is alternately mesmerizing and inscrutable.
Equipped with the stylish, but too-often substance-less Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne seems poised to flip the script on the “rapper racists” (radio stations, MTV) by evolving into the “biggest” rapper alive.
Favourite: A Milli
Worst: La La
1. 3 Peat - 5
2. Mr. Carter - 7
3. A Milli - 9
4. Got Money - 5
5. Comfortable - 6
6. Dr. Carter - 7
7. Phone Home - 5
8. Tie My Hands - 7
9. Mrs. Officer - 6
10. Let the Beat Build - 6
11. Shoot Me Down - 6
12. Lollipop - 4
13. La La - 4
14. Playing with Fire - 6
15. You Ain't Got Nuthin - 7
16. DontGetIt - 6
Average: 6
Quick Comment: Most overrated rapper of all time. I don't get why so many people adore him? His vocals are frustrating and annoying I mean ... read more
Shoutout to my friend @ThePurpleIdiot for listening to this album with me, it was really fun ^~^.
Well... I have been a certified Lil Wayne hater for awhile now. I never really understood the massive hype, the bling-era sound, the constant talk of him being a top 10 rapper, and oh god... his voice. Sure up until this point ive never heard a full Lil Wayne project, but ive heard a couple of songs from him (including a couple from this album I didn't like), and ive heard a ton of features, ... read more
Amazing
This album gets me everytime π
The tone is all over the damn place... what dank were you smoking that made you think "Tie My Hands" (a sensual, delicate song about compassion) was a good follow up to "Phone Home" (a song which has one of the worst chorus' in history)? How am I supposed to take you seriously?
And thats the thing, you CAN'T take this seriously. This honestly had me giggling like a girl all throughout, whether it was Lil Wayne playing his ... read more
1 | 3 Peat 3:19 | 82 |
2 | Mr. Carter 5:16 feat. JAY-Z | 89 |
3 | A Milli 3:41 | 90 |
4 | Got Money 4:04 feat. T-Pain | 78 |
5 | Comfortable 4:25 feat. Babyface | 83 |
6 | Dr. Carter 4:24 | 85 |
7 | Phone Home 3:11 | 68 |
8 | Tie My Hands 5:19 feat. Robin Thicke | 78 |
9 | Mrs. Officer 4:46 | 77 |
10 | Let the Beat Build 5:09 | 82 |
11 | Shoot Me Down 4:29 feat. D. Smith | 78 |
12 | Lollipop 4:59 feat. Static Major | 73 |
13 | La La 4:22 feat. Brisco, Busta Rhymes | 54 |
14 | Playing with Fire 4:21 feat. Betty Wright | 64 |
15 | You Ain't Got Nuthin 5:27 feat. Juelz Santana, Fabolous | 74 |
16 | DontGetIt 9:51 | 77 |
#2 | / | Spin |
#3 | / | Rolling Stone |
#5 | / | Slant |
#8 | / | PopMatters |
#11 | / | A.V. Club |
#11 | / | Cokemachineglow |
#11 | / | Pitchfork |
#15 | / | Q Magazine |
#19 | / | The Guardian |
#29 | / | Beats Per Minute |