Review Summary: you've always been my rock
I find myself hanging onto the poignantly emotional moments on this album more than anything. More than appreciating the slick and smooth production, more than trying to catch line after line as Wayne and company spit hard and focused bars for 23 tracks straight. I must admit that
Tha Carter V is actually my first Lil Wayne album. 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. It’s something made especially clear time and time again throughout this album. Wayne has no problem going hard into song after song bragging about his status as the self proclaimed greatest of all time. But what I find myself hanging onto, still, are the moments where the view on Wayne’s legacy is taken from a different angle.
”Dwayne, mama proud of you
You done came so far
I can't wait for your album to come out
A lot of people ask me when it's coming out
They can't wait for your album to come out
I'm just proud of you”
It’s been over a decade since Lil Wayne made his debut. There’s been highs and there have been physics defying lows. When he takes the time to really reflect on his past, you can’t help but feel wistful. Though few compared to the rest of the record, the moments of emotional fragility stick out and add just a little more depth to the other tracks. That’s not to say that most of the tracks here are in need of that push in order to be enjoyable.
Tha Carter V is a product of literal years of work, and it shows. “Don’t Cry” has a dark chorus from the late XXXTentacion, “Mona Lisa” has Wayne holding his own against Kendrick, “Dark Side of the Moon” is soothing, atmospheric, and paints itself like a grand oil painting. For an hour and thirty minutes, it’s surprisingly easy to get through start to finish. Wayne still has some corny lines and the album does drag in some spots, but is as solid a body of work as Wayne could create at this point in his career. And really, that’s all any of his fans could ask for.
”You make sure mama's tooken care of
I don't care if you don't have it, you gon' make sure I get it anyway
Even though you don't have it to give
And my son though, Semaj, ain't wanted for nothing
Anything Semaj call you for, you gon' make sure he get it
Your children ain't wanted for nothin', you is a man, a truly man
Mama love you, I can't wait til your album come out
Because everybody asking about it and I know it's gon' be a beautiful album
Love you, Dwayne”
