Throughout the new millennia, Lil Wayne has dominated the rap scene.  Beginning with his release of Tha Block Is Hot in 1999, Wayne’s albums are largely viewed as one of the biggest influences on today’s hip-hop scene. 

Wayne’s most popular series of albums, known as Tha Carter, have been incredibly popular since their releases.  Dropped in 2008, Tha Carter III was the most popular of the serious.  The latest piece of this series, Tha Carter V, was released on Sept. 28th, following a label dispute that lasted over four years.

The album was initially set to drop on May 5, 2014, but a conflicts eventually rode regarding creative rights to the album between Wayne and his former label-boss Birdman.  

This dispute persisted until 2018, as Wayne stated that he felt his creativity was being held “prisoner.”  For this reason, many of the songs on the album were recorded prior to 2014, and older musical trends are clearly present.

One of these songs is “Let it Fly,” and it features Travis Scott.  Scott’s sound has evolved significantly since his initial rise in the industry around 2014. Because of that, the heavily auto-tuned voice that he used to rap with is clearly heard on this track.

Although many of songs on the record were recorded quite long ago, there are still various tracks constructed in recent years.  “Don’t Cry,” which features the recently deceased XXXTentacion, was recorded in recent years during the peak of X’s career. 

The album charted at number one on the U.S. Billboard, with singles such as “Dope New Gospel” and “Uproar.”  The latter song features a contagious piano beat, and sparked a massively popular dance challenge across social media. 

Many Schreiber students have been awaiting this project for years, and for many it lived up to expectations.

“Carter V proved that Lil Wayne still has it,” said senior Ash Hoffman.  “Songs like Uproar and Dedicate showed his classic rap style that many rappers today attempt to replicate.” 

The influence of Lil Wayne’s work on today’s rappers is undeniable.  He popularized the “Lil” moniker, which is used by countless prevalent artists today including Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Yachty.  

However, names aren’t the only thing Lil Wayne wanna-be rappers are attempting to replicate.  Wayne’s eclectic style, largely influenced by the southern trap scene, can be observed across hip-hop today. 

Although Wayne hasn’t been as popular in prior years due to his aforementioned label dispute, he still managed to appear on many incredible projects over the past few years, including Wale’s SHINE and Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy.

Moreover, Wayne has recorded many tracks alongside Drake and Nicki Minaj, as the three make up the rap crew known as “Young Money.”

Overall, despite Lil Wayne’s behind the scene setbacks, Tha Carter V definitely lived up to the hype.  Despite Wayne being past his prime, he still manages to present a magnificent project that maintains the amazing quality of the entire Carter series. 

Furthermore, with this release, Wayne proves that he can still put out great music, and fans are excited to see what he puts together next.