Lil Wayne pleases and surprises

One of the brightest representatives of the southern rap school Lil Wayne has been much discussed in all possible spheres for his boldness and self-confidence that have been concentrated in his self-proclamation as the best rapper alive. His by now trilogy of albums Tha Carter serves the best example of his famous lyrics and is so far one of the most successful of his works. The latest release has been already called 2007's most anticipated one for there has been a great deal of hype around it largely having to do with Internet leaking of some compositions. For that reason Lil Wayne even made a digital album The Leak on which he tried to satisfy those content with unreal material. As for the official version it is finally ready to please the fans and surprise those who thought to have already heard it all. The main peculiarity of the new record Tha Carter III is the impressive number of guest producers and performers with whom Lil Wayne has worked just perfectly well so the trilogy closer can be easily considered if not the best of three then definitely worthy of its surrounding.

An album not devoid of unexpected moments Tha Carter III

Grateful to his friends and colleagues Lil Wayne is so kind as to mention on the track list everyone who has taken part in the recording of this or that composition so one can have an approximate opinion of Tha Carter III before listening to it but this by no means implies there are no unexpected moments on the record. It opens with a promising track 3 Peat with a memorable tune and a stylish beat although it is not the album's most powerful song which is felt at once with the very first sounds of composition Mr. Carter performed with Jay-Z and refined with a funny sample. Song A Milli also proves interesting suiting perfectly to a club party due to a distinct beat and bold lyrics. T -Pain joins Lil Wayne on Got Money bringing in some variety with his expressive voice and almost falsetto vocals of Babyface on a more lyrical track Comfortable add romance to the rapper's toughness. A monumental piece Phone Home refined with a powerful piano is a new word in Lil Wayne's creative work for here he claims to have an alien origin expressing the feeling of detachment with the help of this unusual metaphor. An image of doctor who makes the most precise diagnosis is created on Dr. Carter, while track Tie My Hands is one of the most unexpected ones: mc turns once again to the consequences of Katrina hurricane and dwells on the political situation in quite an angry way against the background of an extremely soft, almost jazzy arrangement from Kanye West. The heaviest piece on the record is Shoot Me Down refined with guitars that make the blood freeze in one's veins whereas the album's first official single Lollipop featuring Static Major is an example of a great club song from Lil Wayne. Among others Brisco and Busta Rhymes on stylish La La and Juels Santana and Fabolous joining the rapper on Nothin' On Me Tha have refined Carter III with their presence.

Never-ending attractiveness of Lil Wayne's persona

If Lil Wayne has practically soloed on the two previous albums then on the last one the artist decides to follow the traditions and does that with to a maximum extent which is so typical of him. As a result he has got a team of producers including almost all the well-known masters of their profession. Only Timbaland is not on the list but allegedly he has been to the studio with Lil Wayne it is just that for some reason their collaboration did not make it to the final cut. As for the others Kanye West has proved to be the most enthusiastic willing to take part practically on every track but there are only three on Tha Carter III which is actually not little. Such big name professionals as Cool & Dre, Just Blaze, Bangladesh, David Banner, Swizz Beatz, Jim Jonsins, Wyclef Jean and many others have also contributed to the record. Of course the album just shines with the plenty of stars collaborating on it those including Nelly Furtado, Enrique Iglesias and Justin Timberlake. The question of considering Lil Wayne a king is still open but the never-ending attractiveness of his persona is out of the question.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya
19.06.2008