Carter III Review...

“Swallow My Words, Taste My Thoughts….”

By: S.Evans

“……and if it’s too nasty, spit it back at me.”

Before pressing play on the first track I had to mentally prepare myself for what was about to unfold. I was about to embark on one of the most anticipated albums of the past three years. I knew before I began I had to put "I’m A Hot Boy" and "wobbledy, wobbledy"(was he really saying that!) out of my mind. I had to separate it from any other "Carter" and approach The Carter 3 for exactly what it was...a brand new album, a brand new project, a brand new Weezy (or so I was hoping). I relinquished all my previous feelings and attempted to approach this with born again Lil Wayne virginity. Walk with me as I journey through the Carter 3 and tell you what I think. Perhaps you'll agree; perhaps you'll think I'm insane. One thing's for certain, people WILL be talking about this album.

From the beginning Weezy is selling his image. But while “3 Peat” is full of shoot your family up/I don’t giva f*** lines, I found myself rewinding the track over and over again just to repeat lines such as, Don’t ever fix your lips unless you ‘bout to suck my d***…I control hip hop and ima keep it on my channel…Money so old, it’s growing white hair. And maybe it’s just the slow in me but it took me a while to realize what the hell 3 Peat meant. And while Lil Wayne should probably never sing, I can excuse his singing on tracks like “Nothin On Me,” because I don’t know if it’s being in the presence of Weezy and Fab but even Juelz Santana impressed me on this one.

The album had a great balance, with silly unexpected tracks like “Mrs. Officer,” and “Comfortable” which even MY mom would like. Wayne made such an obvious attempt to resonate with the ladies with these tracks that you could just sit back and let ride. It was refreshing to see him use a throwback like Babyface (when’s the last time we heard him on a track?), a veteran in knowing how to send a message to women. I was disappointed, however, in Weezy’s use of a classic track and great production to talk for almost ten minutes about someone he claims to not care about in “Misunderstood,” which from the beginning took my mind back to Common’s “Finding Forever.” Note to Lil Wayne: when you use the majority of a track to talk about someone it’s usually a sign that you DO care. But while I was worried that “Phone Home” might become a dreaded ringtone rap, the Martian delivered with a very eclectic track that I found myself bobbing hard to before it was over.

Weezy does a good job of weaving metaphors with very simple lines as he praises himself for saving Hip Hop’s life by giving it back its swag. And even if you disagree with his stance you can’t deny that his swagger is undeniable. For a guy who went cute kid turned goblin (he really looks like a monster), he proves that if you can deliver on your lyrics and style you can make and keep a name for yourself in this hip hop game. But the proof that Lil Wayne has solidified himself as worthy of holding down the spot as the second hottest emcee (because lets face it Viacom’s word is the most important--heavy on the sarc) came to me in the form of gay enthusiasm. When the DJ dropped “A Milli” at a bar Saturday night every gay man hit the floor, and was not only feeling the beat but knew all the words. But who can resist reciting "muthaf***a I'm I'll" to someone on a dance floor when you're either trying to be confrontational or flirtatious?

My only advice to Weezy would be to cease with the J. Lo computerized singing, and not to allow Robin Thicke’s singing, reminiscent of Color Me Badd, to take away from the message of a track like “Tie My Hands.” While I was hoping for more than the usual get/got money talk, overall I was pleased with the album. An amalgam of hot beats, witty punchlines and catchy melodies The Carter III definitely delivered on the anticipation and hype built around it. Though I’ve never praised Lil Wayne’s rapping style I had to concede that even the less complex lines (and I would even go as far as to describe them as nonsensical) were saved by the way in which they were delivered. Since I’m selfish with my mics, and very rarely consider any album a 5, I’ll refrain from taking it there. However, the production was excellent and Weezy came with it. The Carter III is a must cop album, even when it goes above 9.99 Four Bars.



Track Listings
1. 3 PEAT
2. MR. CARTER - FEAT. JAYZ
3. A MILLI
4. GOT MONEY - FEAT. TPAIN
5. COMFORTABLE - FEAT. BABYFACE
6. PHONE HOME
7. DR. CARTER
8. TIE MY HANDS - FEAT. ROBIN THICKE
9. SHOOT ME DOWN FEAT. - D.SMIH
10. PLAYN WITH FIRE FEAT. - BETTY WRIGHT
11. LOLLIPOP FEAT. - STATIC MAJOR
12. LA FEAT. - BRISCO, BUSTA RHYMES
13. GOOD GIRL GONE BAD
14. YOU AINT GOT NUTHIN ON ME - FABOLOUS, JUELZ SANTANA
15. LET THE BEAT BUILD
16. WHIP IT
17. MISUNDERSTOOD