Lil’ Wayne has seen his star rise rapidly in the past few years. Not only is he a favourite to guest on songs of other artists but he has managed to develop a career that transcends beyond the hip-hop world, he released his rock-influenced album (Rebirth) in early 2010 and then released another hip-hop album (I Am Not A Human Being) in the latter part of 2010, but all this was a build up to the highly anticipated The Carter IV. After a series of push-backs and the release of an impromptu mixtape (Sorry for the Wait), The Carter IV finally reached retailers selling over 950,000 copies in its first week in America, making it the second biggest 1st week sales behind Lady Gaga’s Born This Way.
Before its release, Lil Wayne managed to score four hit singles, the bass-heavy 6 Foot 7 Foot, the mellow How to Love, the Rick Ross-assisted John and the Drake-featured She Will. With the success of all these singles coupled with Lil’ Wayne’s star power and his association with popular superstars like Drake and Nicki Minaj, the success of this album was somewhat expected. However, although he has been considered to be one of the best rappers, this album made me realise how overrated he can be mainly because some of his punch lines stay inconsistent and totally out of context. In fact, this album only made me miss the The Carter III era.
This album might not be my favourite of his and I consider it not to be his best work, but two of my favourite songs on this album are So Special (Featuring John Legend) and Mirror (Featuring Bruno Mars) and that is because they are just my kind of blend of hip-hop and r&b. I will continue to respect his drive and hardwork but I think this body of work ruined the credibility of the Carter franchise.
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