Lil' Wayne: Does Weezy Strike Out or is Tha Carter III times Dope?

Arguably the most influential artist in hip-hop has finally given his nasally voice to an official album that is actually his. Dewayne “Lilweezyiana” Carter has taken a timeout from appearing on every remix and hook in order to drop Tha Carter III. This album will go down as one of the most anticipated albums in hip-hop history. As far as hype is concerned, CIII is in the same league as Snoop’s Doggy Style, Pac’s All Eyez On Me, 50’s Get Rich or Die Tryin, Kast’s SpeakerBoxxx/Love Below, Jay’s Black Album, and Ye’s Graduation. And he deserves it. In this decade, no rapper has worked harder than Jr. to prove that he can rhyme a few words over beat. Must of us wrote the kid off during the time when his fellow label mates were jumping ship as if Baby and Slim were planning to set the Cash Money Yacht on fire. After the release of the lackluster 500 Degreez, W.F.’s career seemed to be headed towards the purgatory.
But something happened in the summer of 2002. Bootleggers and online geeks began distributing a series of mixtapes called Squad-Up. The little one joined as an honorary member of the N.O. group Squad Up and suddenly began to rap with more passion. He eventually parted with the group and released the mixtape classics Dedication and Da Drought. During that period, the kid stopped being a rapper and became a student of hip-hop. You could hear the influence of Jay-Z and other east coast rappers in his delivery. By the time The Carter was released, Jr. had totally reinvented himself by positioning himself as a legit lyricist. He eventually developed a 2 Pacesque addiction to the studio by recording hundreds of freestyles that had fans itching for the next fix.
There was a downside to his surge, however. Wayne became so prevalent on the radio, mixtapes, and features that a few fans became irritated by the over saturation. This leads me to Tha Carter III. I wondered if the kid had enough in him to deliver a great album after so much hype. The album starts strong with the cuts “Mr. Carter,” “A Milli,” and “Dr. Carter.” My only gripe with Tha Carter III is Jr.’s unwillingness or inability to remain on subject. He often rambles and gets lost in his own desire to shock listeners with a memorable line.
On “3-Peat,” W.F. spits, “I'm on it, ooh I'm on it. I'm so on it and however you want it. You can get it tonight ho, And all night ho I get the beat from (Mistro). A fuckin right ho. I might crazy go on these niggas I dont give a mothafuck, Run up in a nigga house and shoot his grandmother up, what! What I don’t give a motherfuck get cha baby kidnapped And ya baby mother fuck.” His wordplay was clever, but what is he saying? What can we really take from that line? This sort of lyrical rambling happens often on CIII, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a SOLID, but not GREAT, album. Sure, he speaks on Hurricane Katrina [“Tie My Hands”], and a personal battle against himself [“Shoot Me Down”], but more must be offered. To claim legit greatness (i.e. Nas’s Illmatic, Jay’s Reasonable Doubt and Black Album, Tupac’s Me Against the World, or Biggie’s Ready to Die) the kid from the bayou must use his wittiness to focus more and create an album that tells us something that we haven’t already heard.