Album Review | Lil Wayne – Tha Carter V

This album was released on September 28th this year. I’m pretty sure this project was originally supposed to come out some time in 2014. Y’all probably all know already, but there was a shit ton of label drama preventing the album from coming out. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of Wayne, but I’m excited to finally be hearing it honestly. Before I started listening to Hip Hop, Lil Wayne was probably the first person that came to mind when I thought of Rap music. I was born in ’98, so the Carter albums were really poppin’ when I was a child. I was actually thinking about saving this review for a Lil Wayne marathon, but there’s too much hype behind this project. I don’t wanna miss out on the conversation, so I’m gonna go ahead and check it out now. I honestly don’t know if I’m gonna like it, but I’m gonna try to keep my hopes up.

1. I Love You Dwayne

This is an emotional ass intro in which Wayne’s mother talks about how much she loves her son while crying. I think it’s kind of a cool way to open the album up, but I’m never gonna listen to it ever again.

2. Don’t Cry featuring XXXTENTACION produced by Z3N & Ben Billions

I like the beat on this song, but I’m not really sure how I feel about the hook from XXXTENTACION. His singing sounds kinda terrible. I also kinda wish Wayne wasn’t singing his bars. It doesn’t sound that good to me… The first verse was decent I guess. I mean, it wasn’t bad. I can’t really say I’m impressed though. The second verse was a little better. That line at the end where he referenced XXXTENTACION’s death was cool.

If heaven’s as good as advertised
I want a triple extension on my motherfuckin’ afterlife
Rest in paradise

It’s an okay song I guess. I wasn’t feelin’ the feature from XXX, and I wasn’t crazy about the verses from Wayne, but it’s not that bad of a song. I personally won’t be listening to it again, but I think it’s decent.

3. Dedicate produced by Louie Haze, Roc N Mayne & Manny Galvez

The beat on this track is pretty dope. Wayne’s flow on the verses is actually pretty nice. He kinda rapped his ass off on this track. The hook is a pitch shifted sample of 2 Chainz. It’s pretty good. This is a much better song than the previous track. The way he ended the song with a sample of a Barack Obama speech was cool. This track didn’t blow me away, but I think it’s really good. I don’t have any problems with it. It’s dope.

4. Uproar produced by Avenue & Swizz Beatz

Wayne already rapped over this beat when he made Green Ranger, which was on Dedication IV. This version sounds a bit more polished though. I just listened to the whole track. It’s pretty solid. I don’t like it as much as the previous track, but I think it’s better than the first song. His flow started off kind of underwhelming, but he picked it up for the second verse. I’m not really crazy about this hook, and I could’ve done without Swizz Beatz’s ad-libs. This isn’t a bad song at all, but I don’t see myself coming back to it. It’s decent though. I guess.

5. Let It Fly featuring Travis Scott produced by DRTWRK & Sevn Thomas

This beat is cool. The hook from Travis Scott is nice, and I didn’t mind him on the first verse. Wayne actually kinda snapped on the second verse. Although he did say “my goonie goons the gooniest” at one point, which kinda left me scratching my head. I think this is a better song than the previous track. It’s pretty good. I’m still not blown away, but I think this is a dope track. I can see myself returning to this. I fuck with it.

6. Can’t Be Broken produced by Thomas Troelson & Ben Billions

I’m not really feelin’ the sung hook on this track. It’s a bit too poppy for me. I don’t know who that is singing. It sounds like they used a voice synthesizer. The first verse from Wayne was actually really good. He did his thing on the second verse too. I think Wayne performed really well on this track, and the beat’s not bad at all. I really just don’t like that hook at all though. That really ruined it for me. I’m not feelin’ this track. There are aspects of it that I liked, but I’m never gonna listen to it again.

7. Dark Side of the Moon featuring Nicki Minaj produced by Jonah Christian & Bloque

The muffled production on this track is decent I guess. This is definitely one of the wackest songs on the album so far though. Honestly, there’s not a single aspect of this song that I like. It’s a love song featuring singing from Nicki Minaj. I’ve never been a fan of her singing. She doesn’t sound terrible, but I’m not gonna pretend I enjoyed her verse. I can’t say I was entertained by the lyrics about “intergalactical love,” which… I mean… I don’t even think “intergalactical” is a real word. I’m pretty sure it’s just “intergalactic.” I really didn’t enjoy this song at all to be honest. It’s kinda wack to me. It’s not complete trash, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. I’m not feelin’ it.

8. Mona Lisa featuring Kendrick Lamar produced by Onhel & Infamous

This song is kinda cool. It’s really different from anything else on the album so far. The entire first verse from Wayne—which is long as hell by the way—is about how he gets women to sleep with men to distract them, and then breaks into their houses. It’s kind of a strange concept, but it’s not like Wayne didn’t pull it off. Kendrick’s flow was great on his verse. It’s a cool song, but honestly… Hmm… I really don’t think I’ll be listening to this again, y’all. I enjoyed it on the first listen, but I don’t know if I’d wanna listen to it again. I mean, they’re both rapping really well, but as a song it just isn’t that entertaining to me. It’s definitely not a bad song though. It’s just not for me.

9. What About Me featuring Sosamann produced by DJ Frank E & Johnny Yukon

This track is more R&B than Hip Hop. Wayne’s singing with autotune about some girl that doesn’t love him anymore. The production’s kinda cool, and Wayne actually sounds decent singing. But Goddamn… That Sosamann verse is absolutely fucking abysmal. His singing is completely off key. He really ruined the song. I mean, even if he wasn’t on this track I don’t think I’d return to it, but he really made it worse than it should have been. This shit is wack to me. I’m not feelin’ it.

10. Open Letter produced by DJ Frank E & Johnny Yukon

The beat on this track is actually really fuckin’ cool. The entire track is just one long verse from Wayne. Honestly… This is another track that I don’t really care for. I don’t like the way Wayne was kinda singing some of his bars with autotune. I like the way the song is structured, but it’s just not that good to me. The verse just didn’t really impress me. It’s not a bad song, but once again, I’m never gonna listen to this shit. It’s decent though.

11. Famous featuring Reginae Carter produced by ACE & Sak Pase

Oh God… I do NOT wanna hear a song with Reginae Carter. For those of you who don’t know, that’s Lil Wayne’s first daughter. Yeah… Nah. I’m not feelin’ her hook. I’m not crazy about that piano driven beat either. I just listened to the entire song. It’s not good. Wayne’s verses did absolutely nothing for me. The title of this song gives away the content. Wayne’s just rapping about fame. I didn’t enjoy this track at all to be honest. I don’t like the poppy sound it has with Reginae singing the hook. Nothing about this track is enjoyable for me. I’m not feelin’ it.

12. Problems produced by Zaytoven

Holy fuck this album is long. This song is pretty bad. Lil Wayne’s singing on the hook is atrocious. It sounds like mumble rap to be honest. I just listened to the whole song. Honestly, there’s not a single aspect of this song that I liked. The Trap production from Zaytoven is pretty generic.

I’m never wrong; one time thought I was wrong, and I was only mistaken

The hook is really terrible, and neither of the verses were enjoyable for me. I think this song is awful. This shit is wack to me.

13. Dope Niggaz featuring Snoop Dogg produced by Kamo & R!o

The beat on this track is actually pretty dope. Towards the end of the first verse from Wayne it switches to a sample of Xxplosive from Dr. Dre’s 2001 album. Snoop Dogg just handles the hook, which isn’t bad. The second verse is solid. I actually enjoyed this song. I wasn’t really that impressed by Wayne’s rapping on this track, but the hook from Snoop isn’t bad, and I really like the production. This is one of the best songs on the album so far, which isn’t really saying much. I enjoyed it though. This is dope to me.

14. Hittas produced by Jayones

My friend texted me to tell me that this track is a “banger,” so I’m hoping I enjoy it. It’s starting now. The beat’s pretty dope. The first verse from Wayne is fine. The hook’s simplistic, but it works I guess. Ehhhh… I just listened to the whole song. It’s not a bad song, but nothing about it really stands out enough to warrant any repeat listens from me. Wayne used the same flow throughout all three of his verses. It’s just so-so. I won’t be listening to this track again. It’s average as hell.

15. Took His Time produced by Infamous & Freeway TJay

The beat on this track is decent. Wayne sings the hook, and it’s not good. That’s one thing I really don’t need to hear. Wayne doesn’t have a good singing voice. I wasn’t really impressed by the first verse, but it’s fine I guess. The second verse was better. This isn’t that bad of a song, but I’m not really enjoying it. The line about Galactus in the second verse was kinda cool I guess. I really don’t care for the hook. This is another average song. I like it a little less than the previous song though. This shit could be a lot worse, but then again, it could also be a lot better.

16. Open Safe produced by DJ Mustard & Mike Free

This song has an average DJ Mustard beat. It doesn’t sound any different from any of his other beats. Wayne actually rapped kinda well on this track though. He’s rapping the whole time. There’s a short “smoke break” in the middle of the verse, but then he gets right back into it. There weren’t really any lines that stood out as being great. He had a decent flow though. This is another average song. The production was boring. Wayne’s rapping wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t really that good. This song did nothing for me.

17. Start This Shit Off Right featuring Ashanti & Mack Maine produced by Mannie Fresh

I’m not really feelin’ the hook from Mack Maine on this song, but Ashanti sounds really great on her part. The two verses from Wayne weren’t bad at all. The production from Mannie Fresh is decent. Honestly, this is another super average track that I’m never gonna have the desire to return to. I appreciate how different it sounds from every other track on the album, but I can’t really say I enjoyed this. Actually, I can say I enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ll enjoy it again though. It’s a decent track. I’m satisfied with one listen though. I’m not coming back to it.

18. Demon produced by 808-Ray & Cool & Dre

This song easily has the best beat on the album so far. Whatever sample that is sounds great. It’s smooth as hell. Wayne’s flow sounded kinda rough at the beginning, but it all comes together once the beat drops. There’s not really a verse. There are just lines that Wayne repeats throughout the song. I didn’t really mind anything he did on this track. I think this is one of the better songs on the album, but I don’t know if I’d come back to it… Wayne kinda just repeated the word “demon” and talked about how the girl he’s fuckin’ with is a demon. He kept calling himself a “demon with demands.” The best thing about this song is definitely the production. I enjoyed it on the first listen, but there’s not really any replay value in this song for me. It’s alright.

19. Mess produced by Infamous

Wow. The acoustic guitar driven production on this track is actually kinda beautiful. It’s dope af. I actually don’t mind his autotuned singing on the hook. I liked his flow on the first verse. The line in the second verse where he says they’re “asshole-ing” was pretty bizarre… I like this song though. The production is fantastic, and Wayne didn’t really ruin it. I didn’t expect to hear anything like this on the album. This is pretty good. I think this is dope.

20. Dope New Gospel featuring Nivea produced by R!o & Kamo

The beat on this track is decent. It sounds like it samples a gospel record. The first verse was fine. I liked that line where he told the girl he was fuckin’ with to wash her hands before rubbing his tattoos. I mean… Huh… Do I actually like that line? I don’t think I do. It just stood out to me. The vocals from Nivea on the hook didn’t impress me, but they’re tolerable. Wayne called himself the best rapper alive at the end of the second verse. Do people believe that? I really don’t think anyone does… Anyway, this song is decent. It doesn’t have any replay value for me personally, but nothing about it stood out as being bad. It’s average to me.

21. Perfect Strangers produced by Mannie Fresh

The beat on this track is decent. It sounds kind of emotional. I’m not feelin’ Wayne’s singing on the hook. The song’s about how Wayne fucks a lot of random women. I just listened to the entire track. It’s not good. I just don’t like it when Wayne sings his bars. Nothing about this track was enjoyable for me. This is another average song. It did absolutely nothing for me. It’s not complete trash, but once again I’m never gonna listen to this again.

22. Used 2 produced by Metro Boomin’, Infamous & Prince 85

The beat on this track is actually really fuckin’ cool. I like the way the percussion didn’t really come in until the end of the first verse. The first verse is decent. The second verse was pretty solid too. The hook is nothing special. I like this song more than most of the other tracks, but I feel like it’s mostly due to the stellar production. Metro Boomin’ really put his ass in this beat. I enjoyed this song to some extent, but it’s not one of my favorites on the album. I still think it’s pretty good though. I fuck with this track.

23. Let It All Work Out produced by Reefa, Jordan & Myles William

Oh wow. This song samples the best track from Sampha’s Dual EP, Indecision. It’s a pretty good beat. The first verse was decent I guess. The second verse was cool. The beat kinda gets more uptempo after the second recital of the hook. I mean, there’s not really a hook. The vocal sample of Sampha singing just comes on. That final verse was actually pretty nice. He went into detail about the time he shot himself when he was 12. Apparently he was trying to kill himself. It’s a pretty emotional song. I don’t think it’s bad at all, but once again there’s pretty much zero replay value in it for me. I won’t be returning to this, but it’s an okay track.


This album is not good. I can’t really say I’m disappointed because I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. I haven’t ever really been the biggest Wayne fan. I don’t really think this is that bad of an album though. It’s not trash. There are a handful of songs that I did enjoy. None of them blew me away though. This thing is way too long. The majority of these songs are really underwhelming to me. His rapping is tolerable. It’s a step up from what was on his last album, where every line was about sex. Most of the verses just weren’t that impressive. The production was pretty average for the most part. So yeah. Most of this shit is just not that good, but there are some good moments on this project. I don’t really think it was worth the wait, but then again I didn’t really care whether or not this shit came out. It’s just okay to me.

Favorite Song: Dope Niggaz
Least Favorite Song: Dark Side of the Moon

60

Watch the video below for more thoughts on this album.

60-69

Tell me if I'm trippin'