Tha Carter V: Lasting Impact

Released on Sept. 28, 2018, Tha Carter V marked Lil Wayne’s 12th studio album. Wayne originally planned to release the album as early as 2013, but had to wait for the conclusion of a court case in which he sued Cash Money Records’ founder Birdman for violating the terms of his contract. Wayne finally won the suit and left the label in June of 2018.

The hip hop community rallied around the acclaimed rapper upon the release of his long-awaited album. Wayne had not released a commercial album since 2013’s I Am Not A Human Being II, but Tha Carter V still reached the #1 spot in the U.S. charts and charted within the Top 10 in 10 other countries. Despite his unexpected five-year hiatus, the album broke the then-record for an album’s second-longest streaming week with 433 million streams.

Tha Carter V completed the Tha Carter series, which included the Grammy-award winning album Tha Carter III and the multi-platinum album Tha Carter IV.

Some of the tracks on this album contain many of the tropes that remain all too common in modern hip hop music. On those tracks, Wayne falls back on familiar, repeatable material by discussing his sexual exploits, drug abuse, wealth, rise to fame, and tough childhood.

However, in an uncharacteristic move, he breaks that mold on other tracks by exploring more nuanced and introspective themes such as finding purpose, struggling with one’s identity, and facing death.

Finding Purpose

From the beginning of the album, Wayne offers his audience a window into previously private aspects of his life. Tha Carter V opens with a spoken word track called “I Love You Dwayne” in which his mother, Jacida Carter, expresses her appreciation for her son. Fighting back tears, she tells him “you’ve always been my rock” and thanks him for always taking care of Semaj, his half-brother. By including this message from his mother, Wayne defies the concept of a rapper achieving success through wealth, fame, and personal accomplishment. To him, true greatness means providing for his family with both his time and his money.  

He reiterates this message on “Open Letter,” emphasizing his desire to leave a positive legacy for his children. Rapping over ominous drums that play like a funeral march, Wayne confesses that he hopes to leave more of an impression on his kids and that he would “Die tryna reach ‘em.” He also stresses his wish that they appreciate his lessons more than the inheritance he leaves them by saying, “They care more about how much I leave than / Where I leave it.” While most of today’s rappers seem preoccupied with accumulating wealth for its own sake, Wayne has shifted his priorities in light of his new perspective on life. Now, he sees much more value in taking the time to properly raise his kids.

Identity

Wayne also uses this album as an opportunity to explore the pitfalls of his rapid rise to fame, which represents another diversion from the tradition of glorifying fame and excess in hip hop. On the track “Famous,” he reflects on the hypocrisy of fame with the darkly humorous observation: “you can’t spell fame, without me.” And, in perhaps the most solemn example of Wayne’s trademark wordplay on the album, he says, “Can’t talk to myself, / ‘cause mama said don’t talk to strangers.” Years of public scrutiny have taken a toll on him, and, at this point in his career, he can’t even distinguish his own voice from  all the others that have invaded his headspace.

In addition, he opens up about his difficulty with staying loyal to one woman on the track “Perfect Strangers.” Addressing himself over reflective electronic piano chords, Wayne admits, “I don’t know who you are anymore,” and vilifies himself for constantly womanizing while on tour. He goes on to describe the distance he has caused in a relationship and even details a scene in which he returns home to a cold reception from his partner. Instead of burying his emotional conflict and celebrating his adventures with women, Wayne takes a risk by revealing the damaging effects of unfaithfulness in order to truthfully relay his experience to his audience. His sexual escapades don’t provide any real fulfillment, and he’s left wondering, “So who am I to love anyone?”

Facing Death

Finally, Wayne utilities Tha Carter V as a vehicle to search for meaning in death. From the beginning, he references his fear of death by claiming, “I see death around the corner,” on “Don’t Cry” and praying it’s “quick and painless” on “Famous.” Going deeper, he professes, “I just hope I die for a reason” on “Open Letter” and warns that “You never know when it’s your last look” on “Dope New Gospel.” These lines reveal a side of Wayne previously unknown to his audience. He has frequently referenced his gang participation and drug addiction over the years, but never addressed the emotional trauma associated with those experiences. Such vulnerability adds depth to Wayne’s character and context to his narrative, making this album stand out in the hip hop genre.

In the final track, “Let It All Work Out,” Wayne bears his soul for his audience in the gut-wrenchingly intimate and intense story of his attempted suicide at age 12. Accompanied by mournful piano and a soulful chorus imploring him to “Let it all work out,” he recounts his brush with death. Caught in a precarious identity crisis, Wayne describes failing to recognize himself in the mirror and then finding his “momma’s pistol where she always hide it.” His aunt can’t dissuade him from ending his life over the phone, but he pauses for a moment as he remains “too torn apart about it.” Finally, overcome by his emotions, he aims at his heart and pulls the trigger. The last lines of the final verse see Wayne declare, “God…sold me another life and made a profit.”

Wayne’s reluctance to broach the topic of suicide until his 12th album speaks to the need for artists to break down the powerful taboo in hip hop surrounding such issues. But, thanks to artists like him, hip hop music has slowly begun incorporating crucial and relevant themes — such as mental health and suicide.

Though Tha Carter V may have disappointed some Lil Wayne fans because many of its tracks sound foreign next to his greatest hits, the project represents a significant new direction for hip hop. Wayne prioritized message over commercial value, and it resulted in his most emotionally affecting and lyrically substantial project to date. The album will stand as a model for younger artists searching to share their stories through hip hop — allowing Wayne to finally realize his goal of influencing the next generation.