Lil Wayne--Tha Carter IV

The problem with putting out a towering album like Tha Carter III is that every subsequent release is measured against it. The failure of Lil Wayne’s last two records, 2010’s Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being, to equal their predecessor can in large part be excused due to the nature of their content—Rebirth was a laughably misguided foray into rock, and Human Being consisted essentially of unreleased session material. There’s no excuse, though, for the disappointing quality of III’s rightful and hotly anticipated successor, Tha Carter IV.

Early singles “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “She Will” and “How to Love” suggested a return to form, ranking among Wayne’s best work (“How to Love,” a tender homage to 2Pac, even displays a rarely-witnessed compassion and sensitivity). Unfortunately, the rest of the album fails to deliver on that potential. One thing that made III so successful was that, in addition to charting four hits, it remained consistent in its entirety; IV’s appeal rests almost exclusively on its singles.

The source of much of the album’s shortcoming is its lack of innovation, both in terms of production and lyrics. The production here offers none of III’s gleeful inventiveness, instead relying too often on the overused formula of minor-key synth progressions and monotone bass hits. But even more disappointing is Wayne’s lyrical performance. He seems to have abandoned rhythmic variation altogether, delivering his trademark setup and punch line verses with freeze-dried repetition.

In fact, his style has become so exhausted that he comes off as a one-trick pony; guest artists like Tech N9ne, Nas and Busta Rhymes don’t just enhance the tracks, they virtually save them. Wayne is conspicuously absent on two of the album’s superior tracks, including the outro—a kind of humiliating withdrawal from his own race.

It’s a shame, really, because Wayne had established himself as one of hip-hop’s most dexterous artists poised on the brink of legend. Before, people listened when he called himself the “best rapper alive.” Now, after three consecutive misfires, his incessant boasts have all the credibility of Gadaffi’s Libyan regime: a toppled commander clinging in vain to his former authority.