xicripz's Full Review: Tha Carter II [PA] by Lil Wayne
"Tha Carter II", from 2005 was the fifth abum from Lil' Wayne. I chose to go back with the artist as he came with one of the most anticipated albums this year with "Tha Carter II", and this obviously acted as the led-up tune to it. It was the second in what will be a five-parter, one of many series which Weezy has on the go (if you count his mixtapes too), built I know that this was around the time where we saw a change in the artist as he began collaborating with anyone he could on the R&B and Hip Hop scenes (especially Destiny's Child's "Solider", Chris Brown's "Gimme That" and Fat Joe's "Make It Rain" around the time.
It had been said that "Tha Carter" was the breakthrough album for Lil' Wayne, but as that one, and this album didn't have any of its singles come across the pond, it wasn't until his various collabs went out from this time where he was noticed here. Due to this, I was unfamiliar with all the material on the album, including the singles which would usually have spread across the globe.
1. Tha Mobb
This is a massive opener for the album, and it indicates the level of quality which you will receive for this album; far above what I expected from him. The gritty, stomping bass-lead production from the Heatmakerz is just what you need to get your mind in the right mode for "Tha Carter II". I thought that it worked better than if he had just said a little something as an intro, because Weezy is all about the music.
**Four Stars**
2. Fly In
Using a T-Mix & Batman piano-lead musical backing, Weezy comes with a track which does what you would have expected from the track before it by commenting on this album and comparing it to the original 2004 release of "Tha Carter", because I thought that he chose not to do such a track, as it wasn't the first one, this wasn't really needed, but he still came with some big lines to make up for it.
**Three Stars**
3. On My Mind
Thsi track is a typical example of what The Runners (production tam) tend to come with, I notced strong similarites in the way that they did this track and the compostion of Rick Ross' "Hustlin'" as it uses the Chopped & Screwed technique as a hook with "Money On My Mind" being chanted, making it clear that Lil' Wayne is only about one thing, so why should he care about anything else.
**Four Stars**
4. Fireman
Here is the first single from the album, but I hadn't heard of it prior to goign back and buying this album. I'm glad that I did nowfor this one is particular as I noticed that the man who brought "A Milli" on "Tha Carter III", Mr. Bangledesh produces on this track. The hard beats which he is known for come through hear, and the creativity of his ways shows through as a fire engine's siren rings through this one to create the atmoshpere whch Weezy attempts to express through his lyrics.
**Four Stars**
5. Mo Fire
Yonny's production to me sounded rather similar to what Kanye West was famous for providing around this time as it uses a 'chipmunked' hook, and from here the beat comes as it does, and in this case it's quite laid-back. I thought that it fitted in well with what atmosphere Weezy was trying to create with this track, another weed-related one.
**Three Stars**
6. On Tha Block #1 (Skit)
7. Best Rapper Alive
Before listening to this album, I wouldn't have considered the words from Lil' Wayne here as he declares himself as "The Best Rapper Alive", because it's well-documented that he basically chats crap in his rhymes, but in "Tha Carter II", he's a lot more careful in what he says. This amount of lyric revision has lead to some extremly well-written results, which you cannot help but enjoy, and here as he combines Hip Hop and his minimally-explored Rock love here for a big tune. Unexpectedly an Iron Maiden sample is used for this track, shwoing that Lil wayne is serous about displaying is enoyment for a range of musical genre.
**Four Stars**
8. Lock And Load (feat. Kurupt)
Upon reading that Tha Dogg Pound member Kurupt was working on this album, I was excited to hear what he could come on with on a collaboration with a newer Dirty South rapper like Lil' Wayne, however I found that it was for from the expectations whihc I had for it. I noticed that T-Mix & Batman attempted to put a little G-Funk in their production with a sample of Kool & the Gang's "Summer Madness", but it just dind't have enough in it to enjoy. I felt that Kurupt's input was so minimal that you couldn't individually rate him, which is a shame.
**Two Stars**
9. Oh No
I would have to compare this to "A Milli" off his new album in how it uses a looped hook all the way through the track, the only difference being that it's a lot softer (therefore not allowing it to become a 'Hood anthem' as Yonny does the production for it, but here Weezy raps in the same way as on the new album as it could easily be used as a freestyle rhythm, and Weezy makes the most out of it.
**Five Stars**
10. Grown Man (feat. Currency)
Lil' Wayne decides to express that he has finally grown up, saying that he's "Got his grown man on", and to expressthis he raps on a classy T-Mix & Batman along with Currency. He does this one for the girls to show how he has matured to impress them specifically (as he's still a kid around the boys). Thsi swicth in mood not only shows the range which Lil' Wayne has, but also the production duo T-Mix & Batman, who have donme a lot of the beats here, because they have all shown a large diversity of sounds in "Tha Carter II".
**Four Stars**
11. On Tha Block #2 (Skit)
12. Hit 'Em Up
Whenever this title is used for a Hip hop track, you are always goignt o have to think of it in comparison to 2Pac's infamous diss track by the same name off his last album (whilst alive), "All Eyez On Me". However I failed to notice many things which made them similar aprt from this small thing, despite this i thought that it stayed with the high quality of the rest of the album. The Doe Boys chose to go for a big contrasting mix of a soft piano melody and some clapping synth, which came with gerat results for Wayne to rap in a typical gangsta rap manner.
**Four Stars**
13. Carter II
I didn't see the point in this track as Lil' Wayne just reminds you what you are listeing to on the same beat which was used for the econd track, "Fly In", but here it's just annoying and doesn't need to be here.
**Two Stars**
14. Hustler Musik
Thsi was the second single from the album, but I didn't thnk that it was as strong as the others ones which came from it,. However i learned that it improves with time (which are the best ones to come out as singles). This one is a slower track from him to showcase the "Hustler Musik" which he is performing, but I found it to be quite average as it's just a commentary on the tune rather than something to display what talent he has.
**Three Stars**
15. Receipt
Thia track uses one of the stand-out phrases from Lil' Wayne, "It's kinda hard sayin' s**t to ya face, so I do it over snares and bass", but I think that overdoing it, by using it in the chorus may lose it's novelty with time, ecause the first time I heard it, I thought it was one of the biggest things he's come up with. The Isley Brothers' "The Lay Away" sample is heavily utilised by The Heatmakerz for strong results.
**Four Stars**
16. Shooter (feat. Robin Thicke)
This was the final track to be released from the albumas a single and it has the frst collabation between Weezy and Robin Thicke within it (seeing that they came together again on the newer "Tha Carter III"). Robin Thicke sings in a bluesy manner to match with the direction of his own production. It perfectly suits the way that Weezy chooses to go for a Mafioso track.
**Four Stars**
17. Weezy Baby (feat. Nikki)
Weezy finally gets the chance to do a tune that's all about himself, and I think that he deserves it, because he's shown that he is capable of rapping in various different ways, and to have a break from this, he is easily able to whip up some lyrics which focus upon himself. However, these don't usually make for that good of a listen as it's more personal than you really care about hearing.
**Three Stars**
18. On Tha Block #3 (Skit)
19. I'm A D Boy (feat. Birdman)
Listening to this track now, after hearing the collobartio which he did with the R&B singer Lloyd, you notice that Weezy had rapped on the Eric B & Rakim classic "Paid In Full" before, and just like in the more recent version of it, here he comes ou with Rakim's timelss words "I'm thinking up a master plan..." at the start to get you excited for the rest of what he's going to come up with.
I found it interesting that he was able to utitlise this old school classic and make much more out of it in a new school way by relating it to what side hustles you require to make big money, such as selling drugs. I felt that with such a combo, it was a big track, and few on the album to could compare to it.
**Five Stars**
20. Feel Me
The tune here bgins with Lil' Wayne in an interview, and here he asked what he's in the game for, and bascially he comes out with a full tune from this simple question. Although I thought that at times he swayed from this main idea, he was fairly strong at expressing ih desire to rap in order to make as much money as physically possible (predictable, but well done).
**Three Stars**
21. Get Over (feat. Nikki)
The Doe Boys returns for more production on this track, which has a more sombre tone than a lot of the tunes on the album. Here Lil' Wayne get serious with some "real rap", in which he decides to do a track which comments on how he has dealt without his father in his life. It makes a change from the in-your-face tracks on the album, and I thought that it was well-executed when dealing with such a touchy thing.
**Four Stars**
22. Fly Out
Once again the beat which was used for "Fly In" and "Carter II" is used, but I think that unitl in the middle of the Lp, here having it as an outro is alright to do. I thought that here it was a good way to en dthe album as it didn't just go into a speach, as on "Tha Carter III", here he continues to rhymes as just like for the rest of the album, to show that he doens't waste track time with things which we don't want to hear.
**Three Stars**
I think that it's important to go back with Weezy, because when you listen to "Tha Carter II", he seems quite cocky by getting through the tracks on swagger alone, and he ignories attempting to come with consistant lyrical quality. However, this album amrks the transition period, possibly his peak before he got a massive fanbase which he was unable to handle.
For his fifth album, Lil Wayne has stretched his wings further artistically than ever before. Besides utilizing the production talents of the legendar...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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