Search - Lil' Wayne :: Tha Carter III

Best Rapper Alive? Um, no...

Reginald Roy | Puerto Rico | 06/11/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Not even going to waste my time writing in detail about this piece of trash. It's a shame what passes for hip-hop these days. People seem to be more in love with Weezy's production than his lyrics, which is apparent to anyone that actually cares about the lyrics at all, because Lil Wayne is whack.



I'm not a "hater", I don't gain anything by dissing Lil Wayne at all. He's just another average, untalented, main stream clown in this giant cesspool of noise these record companies are trying to pass off as Hip-Hop. Also, the fact that people are claiming that the albums in the Carter Trilogy are classics is unsettling to my stomach. If this dude's the best there is, you guys can have him; I prefer a little more substance in my music."

If you can get past all the mixtapes and guest appearances o

J. Highsmith | Mitchellville, Maryland United States | 07/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was officially introduced to Lil Wayne when I heard him on "Play'n It Raw", which was featured on the B.G. release Chopper City in the Ghetto, in April of 1999. I liked the collaboration between The Hot Boys (Juvenile, B.G., Lil Wayne and Turk) so I decided to pick up Guerrilla Warfare, which was released in July of '99. Since I liked most of the songs that Lil Wayne was featured on, I picked up his solo release Tha Block Is Hot, which was released in November of the same year. The title track was the 1st single and I also liked the tracks "High Beamin'" w/B.G., "Kisha" which featured The Hot Boys and "Loud Pipes" which featured Juvenile, B.G. and The Big Tymers (Mannie Fresh and Baby). The entire CD was pretty good so when Lil Wayne dropped Lights Out a year later, I didn't hesitate to pick it up. This CD wasn't as good as "The Block Is Hot" in my opinion, but I still liked tracks such as "Hit U Up" and "Shine", which both featured The Hot Boys, and the 1st single "Get Off The Corner".





Since No Limit Records and Cash Money Records were both on a decline, I didn't pick up any other Cash Money releases until Lil Wayne released Tha Carter in 2004. Once I heard the singles "Bring It Back" and "Go DJ", I figured the CD would be a decent pick up and I was right. My favorite track was "BM J.R." and the majority of the CD was a quality listen. A year later, Lil Wayne released Tha Carter II. This CD was even better than "Tha Carter", in my opinion, and my favorite tracks were "Money On My Mind", "Best Rapper Alive", "Shooter" w/Robin Thicke and "Tha Mobb".



Since the release of "Tha Carter 2", Lil Wayne has released several mixtapes and has appeared on several other CDs from other down south rappers, r&b singers, and even on Jay Z's "American Gangster" CD on the track "Hello Brooklyn 2.0". Lil Wayne was also featured on Kanye West's "Graduation" CD on the track "Barry Bonds". Finally, after several delays Lil Wayne released "Tha Carter 3" on June 10, 2008.



The first single "Lollipop" features the late Static Major, who was in the r&b group Playa and wrote and produced songs for the late Aaliyah Haughton and Timbaland. "Lollipop" is suitable for the club and house parties but that's about it, in my opinion. Lil Wayne uses the tired voice recorder that T-Pain has made famous lately, but people who have listened to music for years know that it was made famous first by the late, great Roger Troutman of Zapp. T-Pain is featured on another forgettable track in "Got Money". The second the track comes on you will be wanting to hit the skip button. "3 Peat" starts the CD as Lil Wayne is fresstyling and "Maestro" delivers a decent beat. I have heard better Lil Wayne freestyles but "3 Peat" does get the CD off to a decent start.

"Mr. Carter" is alot better as Lil Wayne and Jay-Z rip the track to shreds. Wayne could have left the last verse off of the song, but "Mr. Carter" is easily one of the best tracks on "Tha Carter 3". "A Milli" officially shuts the CD down. When I first heard this CD, I had to play "A Milli" 3 times in a row before I could go on to another track. "Bangladesh" who produced another Down South favorite of mine, 8Ball & MJG's "You Don't Want Drama", definitely produces a banger in "A Milli". This is what every Lil Wayne freestyle should sound like. Kanye West produces the smooth, grown and sexy track "Comfortable", which features Babyface. Lil Wayne basically tells the lady in his life at the moment that she shouldn't get too comfortable in the realtionship if she isn't going to play her part in it. Swizz Beatz shows up to produce another banger in "Dr. Carter" as Lil Wayne is able to give his prescription to any rappers lacking style, charisma and the abilities to what "he" thinks it takes to make it in the rap game in 2008. Cool & Dre show up to produce "Phone Home". Once you past the fact that Lil Wayne is calling himself a martian, you will be able to enjoy the lyrics and the beat. This track is definitely one of the better songs on "Tha Carter 3". Robin Thicke produces and is featured on "Tie My Hands" which has Lil Wayne discussing the mind state of New Orleans and how he feels about everything before and after Hurricane Katrina. Bobby Valentino, who recently left Ludacris and DTP, is featured on the smooth "Mrs. Officer" as Wayne makes a playful story up about pushin' up on a female police officer. "Let The Beat Bulid" is produced by Kanye West and has Lil Wayne on another freestyle mission. The first part of the track is pretty good, but Wayne should have quit while he was ahead because the last verse isn't as good as the other verses are on the song. "Shoot Me Down" features some nice vocals from D. Smith as Lil Wayne is able to get some things off his chest, while still maintaining decent lyrics at the same time. David Banner does it again on the nice "La, La" which features Busta Rhymes and Brisco. The beat sounds like something your child could play on a xylophone but after a few listens you will be bobbin' your head like I do everytime I hear the track. "Pyaying With Fire" features Betty Wright, who I remember from the "After The Pain" and "No Pain, No Gain" Video Jukebox days. Lil Wayne's lyrics could have been better but Streetrunner will keep your attention with the production. Alchemist, who is currently Eminem's DJ and is better known for producing tracks for Mobb Deep and "We Gon' Make It" by Jadakiss, produces "You Ain't Got Nuthin'". Fabolous steals the show as his verse on this track is better than any verse than he had on his last CD, "From Nothin' To Somethin'". Juelz Santana took the day off and Lil Wayne tries his best to keep up with Fabolous. "Don't Get It" uses the same sample that Common used for the track "Misunderstood" on his last CD, "Finding Forever". Lil Wayne ends "The Carter 3" on a nice note as he even takes time to give his thoughts on certain issues going on in the Black community today and his opinions of the Reverend Al Sharpton.



Overall, if you can look past "Lollipop" and "Got Money", I feel that you have a pretty good CD by Lil Wayne. If you were a fan of "Tha Carter 1" and "Tha Carter 2", then you should also add "Tha Carter 3" to your collection. If you are tired of hearing Lil Wayne on 50 different mixtapes and on 100 diffrent collaborations, then this might not be the CD for you. If you are into the Down South rap music scene of 2008, which would be Outkast, Scarface, TI, Bun B, Young Buck, Chamillionaire, David Banner and others, then you should also pick this CD up as well. Lil Wayne isn't for everybody, but if you actually sit down and give this CD a fair listen, then you won't be disappointed in my opinion.



James' Top 5



1) A Milli

2) Tie My Hands w/Robin Thicke

3) Mr. Carter w/Jay-Z

4) Dr. Carter

5) Comfortable w/Babyface



Honorable Mention:



Phone Home

Let The Beat Build

Don't Get It (Too much talking during the end of the track)

La La w/Busta Rhymes & Brisco

Mrs. Officer w/Bobby Valentino

"

Rap in its not so pure form...

K. Jefferson | North Memphis | 06/14/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Finally we have the Carter 3, I must say it is what I expected from Lil Wayne....metaphors scattered all about. I guess this will fit the mold of what's currently going on in the industry (Rick Ross comes to mind). Admittedly, the records has a few high points with appearances from Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, and Bun B (who all out shined Wayne). However, left to stand along, Wayne is mediocre at best. The album will become an instant hit with the teenie boppers, but not with the grown ups...give us substance."