Send "Lil' Wayne " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Lil Wayne is a terrible guitarist. Just incredibly bad. The fact was evident at this year's Summer Jam, when he spent two and a half interminable minutes noodling and crooning all by his lonesome while a stadium full of New York's most devout hip-hop fans looked on bewildered. "Is he really playing the guitar right now?" giggled a teenage girl. "That's not a chord or anything!" Still, she recorded Wayne in all his tatted-up Tracy Chapman glory for YouTube posterity just the same. While everyone else on the day's bill-- from Alicia Keys to Kanye West-- filled their shortened, festival-style sets with hits and finely-tailored theatrics, the audience's most anticipated act took the opportunity get his Guitar for Dummies on; Lil Wayne is, as he likes to say, "different." Always has been.Earmarked as a gifted elementary school student in New Orleans, he became the token prodigy of his hometown's Cash Money clique at the age of 16, spitting pipsqueak gangsterisms over skittering Mannie Fresh beats. And, opposed to the typical rap flame-out trajectory, Wayne got better-- and stranger-- with each album. Now, nine years after his first solo LP, and on the heels of an unprecedented glut of increasingly remarkable mixtape and internet leaks, we get Tha Carter III, the epic culmination of a lifetime of eccentricities. 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; he eventually finds his guitar but keeps the strumming in check. "I pay my dues, you keep the difference." As the major music industry continues to wheeze and splinter, Lil Wayne's spitball marketing plan for C3 is an unprecedented masterstroke. Over the past couple of years, he's given away more worthwhile free music online than most artists of his stature ever release officially. Using the mixtape market as a free-for-all training ground, Wayne expanded his persona, voice, and talent while presumptively killing off thousands of wannabe MCs hoping to charge five bucks for some garbage CD-R. For that alone, he deserves thanks. Wayne set the definition for a Web 2.0 MC-- his output pours through computer speakers at broadband speeds. And while stellar tapes like Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3 offered-up plenty of hidden darts for sun-deprived message board nerds, his Just Say Yes policy toward any and all guest invitations (Enrique Iglesias? Why not!) provided maximum visibility and chiseled his radio-friendly chops. Piggybacking on hits by Chris Brown and Lloyd undoubtedly did wonders for his giggling teenage girl fan base, but a lesser-known assist appears to have had an even bigger effect on the new record....full text |
| Bbc |
| ''The dude is the hottest rapper'' reads Kanye West's homage to Lil Wayne (AKA Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr) on the album sleeve of the 25 year-old's fourth solo studio album, Tha Carter 3. It's a grand statement, even by the college dropout's standards, but of course the grandeur of 'hottest' doesn’t always have positive connotations. Wayne is one of the world's best selling hip hop artists, and Tha Carter 3 looks set to rack up platinum sales, but Mr West is somewhat overselling the former Hot Boys founding member, who shot to fame with his guest appearance on Destiny Child’s Soldier. Signed to Universal, New Orleans-born Wayne has attracted the crème-de-la-crème of the hip hop and R&B fraternity to the album, including Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and Betty Wright. Legendary producer Babyface swaps the production desk for the mic on the refreshingly soulful Comfortable, which is sprinkled with West's production mastery, an ingredient which proves to be the cornerstone of a mature, sophisticated hip hop-soul sound throughout. The Clapton-esque, bluesy Tie My Hands featuring Robin Thicke is a political standout making reference to Hurricane Katrina, and the summery anthem Mrs Officer featuring Bobby Valentino is reminiscent of Mark Ronson's Ooh Wee. West continues the soul flavours on Let The Beat Build which pales into nothing more than a demo compared to the soulful heights reached with Common on Be. Variety is the spice of life, but this is where the problem lies with Tha Carter 3; there is too much of it, resulting in a nothing more than an average singles collection. Mr Carter is a prime example, with Jigga running through the motions on a tired and over-glitzy offering. But with Lollipop and Got Money (featuring T-Pain), Wayne succeeds by sticking to the winning formula of the club banger....full text |
| Yorapper |
| Saying this is the most highly anticipated album of the year is an understatement that other reviewers will likely use to describe Tha Carter 3. We prefer to say that most hip hop heads are just waiting for Lil Wayne to “show and prove”. After all the “Best Rapper Alive” talk, a series of East coast (Read: Jay-Z) influenced rhymes showcased on the mixtape circuit, a feud with Philly hood rapper Gillie, and making guest appearances on every single song in 2007/08, all eyes are on Weezy to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he’s the GRA (Greatest Rapper Alive). Although, this album is Lil Wayne’s best work to date, the main thing missing from this album is the fun. Since The Block is Hot to Wayne’s recent guest appearances Lil Wayne proved he could have the most fun on tracks, with Tha Carter 3, Wayne trades fun for serious. Unfortunately, this is the major draw back of this album, as Wayne tries to hard to force himself into the Holy Trinity of Hip Hop (Jay-Z/Nas, Biggie, and Tupac) by making sub-par serious tracks. You see Lil Wayne has everything going for him, except a compelling life story. He’s been signed to a major label since he was 13, so his tales of struggle, drug dealing, and killing (note: 4 tear drop tats), are unbelievable. In other words, there is no narrative that people can identify with him, and his “kid rapper” story is analogous to Lil Bow Wow and Lil Romeo. Weezy’s dependence on performance enhancing drugs and the kind of sympathy he evokes for being addicted to sizzurp are classic symptoms of CB4its (a common disease affecting most rappers causing them to get into more trouble then they did prior to becoming a famous rapper). Now enough of the knit picking, check out the break down....full text |
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