Lil Wayne has finally released his 12th studio album, and the fifth installment in his “Tha Carter” series. Tha Carter V was first announced a few years ago in 2012. The reason it never came out was because of legal troubles with Lil Wayne and the Cash Money record label that he was signed to at the time. Finally, after six years of fighting for it and working on it, Tha Carter V has been released.

It comes with 23 songs and lasts a total of 1 hour and 27 minutes. Tha Carter V album was very anticipated due to the long wait that fans had to endure. In my opinion, it definitely lived up to the hype.

This album differs from Carter’s first four albums in many ways. In those albums, Wayne is known for being very lyrical and riding the beat very well. Although he does do this in some songs on the album, such as Mona Lisa and Dedicate, he also talks about the problems he has had in life and shows a sentimental side of himself in tracks like Let it all work out, Mess, and Dark Side of the Moon.

The features on the album are impeccable as well, with the most notable ones being Kendrick Lamar on the track Mona Lisa, Travis Scott on the track Let it fly, and Nicki Minaj on the track Dark Side of the Moon. Lil Wayne also had a feature from XXXTENTACION on the album, but I do not believe that song was up to par with the other feature songs on the project.

Perhaps the most significant track on the album is the very last song, Let it All Work Out. This is because he addresses a very old tragedy that occured when Wayne was very young. This song talks about the time Lil Wayne shot himself in the chest with his mom’s gun when he was home alone. All throughout his career he has said that it was simply an accident. Although, on this song, he says otherwise. Wayne says that he was going through a lot at the time and he was prepared to end his life. Wayne was in a rough time in his life and with no one to stop him, he attempted to commit suicide. Everyone thought it was an accident, even his own mother. This was the most touching track on the album, as it brought everything together and definitely lifted a weight off of Wayne’s chest.

This was a solid album and an instant classic. It will definitely be talked about for years to come. I give this album an 8/10 and that is for the simple fact that a few of the features on the album did not complement Wayne and should not have been on the project. A great example of this is the track Dope New Gospel (feat. Nivea) where Wayne’s verses were exceptional, but Nivea’s chorus was underwhelming and ruined the song. I do recommend everyone to listen to this album. From the songs that are very lyrical to the songs that are emotionally passionate, this album has something for everyone.