Disclaimer: this album is rated explicit and is for audiences 17 and older.

Lil Wayne (Dwayne Carter) released his twelfth studio album, Tha Carter V on September 28, 2018 with Young Money Entertainment, Republic Records and Universal Music Group.

The 23 track album featured collaborations with XXXTENTACION, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Sosamann, his daughter Reginae Carter, Snoop Dogg, Ashanti, Mack Maine, Mannie Fresh, and Nivea.

It was worrisome that Tha Carter V wouldn’t reach the expectations of listeners based on previous albums. Tha Carter IV had 300,000 downloads in the first week, but Tha Carter V exceeded this with a staggering 480,000 units sold in the first week. 

Upon listening to the album in its entirety, I have mixed emotions. To begin, the first track is Carter’s mom expressing her love for him. Sure it’s nice but after one listen it’s an automatic skip.

The first official song is “Dont Cry” featuring the late artist, XXXTENTACION. This release, having followed X’s death, it seemed as if he wasn’t even aware that he was going to be on Carter’s latest album; it makes the album seem less genuine and as if he featured him for sales. 

The song with the most sales so far is “Mona Lisa” ft. Kendrick Lamar. I like the song, but it isn’t something you can really sing to like you could “Mirror” or “How to Love” on the preceding Carter album. There is more of a story than a chorus, which is enjoyable, but surprising that it holds the most sales. 

My favorite songs on the album are “Can’t Be Broken”, “Famous”, and “Used 2”. Can’t be broken is the one of the catchiest songs on the album, famous is meaningful because it features his daughter, and used 2 sound most like his past music. All in all, I give the album a 7/10, but I will continue to listen again and again.