After five years of legal battles, Wayne delivers epically
The year is 2014: The Carter V should be arriving on May 5, but delay after delay hits – and it’s already 2018. The Carter V still hadn’t come out, but on June 7, there’s good news.
Dwayne Carter’s lawsuit with Cash Money Records that has been causing the delays has been settled, and Wayne is a free man. Now it’s just a matter of time before the album’s released. After multiple teases, the album finally releases on Carter’s, otherwise known as Lil Wayne, birthday, Sept. 28.
After all this time, was the album worth the wait?
The album is much different than previous entries in the Carter series. The first three were more lyrical and rap based, while Carter IV was more pop-styled. This fifth installment is much more emotional, and you get to dive deep into Carter’s mind.
The album features a diverse group artists, such as the late XXXTentacion, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar and his daughter Reginae Carter, which adds to the album’s overall strength.
The production throughout may be the strongest aspect of the album. The beats featured on the album are very diverse, from the upbeat track “Uproar,” produced by Swizzbeatz, to the more modern rap beats with a bass-heavy sound like “Let It Fly” and “Problems.” The diversity of sound gives the album a very unique flair; no song sounds overused or stale.
Some songs one can tell were recorded years ago. The sample of Obama on “Dedicate” and the dated Travis Scott feature are unique, acting as a time capsule of the era it was recorded, four to five years ago.
A theme running through heads while listening to this album is the story of triumph as Wayne conquered the obstacles and fought for this album to be released the last four years.
Songs like “Let It All Work Out” and “Can’t Be Broken” are perfect examples that stick out, talking about how he would not stop working toward releasing this album. The intro titled “I Love You Dwayne” and the next song on the tracklist, “Don’t Cry,” send a clear cut message on what the album meant to Carter, with the strong vocals from the late rapper XXXTentacion, along with the strong introspective lyrics from Carter.
With all the positives that come out of this album, there are some not so great things. For one, the 23-song album runs a little long, upwards of 90 minutes, which means it is bound to have some filler songs and some not so great tracks. Songs like “Dope New Gospel” and “Perfect Strangers,” along with “Start This S**t Off Right,” don’t really add much and could have been left off to shorten the long play time of the album.
This album is a strong showing from the Young Money rapper who was previously thought to be past his prime. After the sporadic mixtapes and albums we got from Carter during his long-fought legal battle between the release of the Carter IV and this most recent installment, he could have lost his charisma and word-play that he was known for. But, after this album release, we know that he still has it in him. Unfortunately, this is probably the last time we will get to witness it.
By Jacob Osswald, Contributing Writer
osswaljw17@bonaventure.edu
