It’s safe to say it’s been a few rough years for Lil Wayne’s reputation. The last major album release from Wayne came from the failed 2013 venture "I Am Not a Human Being II." It seems that things have only gotten worse for the Young Money rapper since then. However, this story on the fall of Lil Wayne begins way back in 2009 when he was the top star in the hip-hop genre.
When Mr. Carter was sent to jail for a gun charge in 2010, that was the final time we’d see Weezy in his prime. His "Carter III" album from 2008 was still relevant, and the 2009 "No Ceilings" mixtape was bumping through everyone’s speakers. He then brought together future hip-hop superstars Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga and others to form Young Money. Nothing could stop YMCMB, even if Weezy was off to spend some time behind bars.
Right before Wayne was heading off to jail, his future plans started to look rather odd. He had created a rock album titled "Rebirth." After he released "Prom Queen," the lead single off the album, many fans cringed as they heard what could finally topple Weezy’s hot streak. As expected, "Rebirth"was panned universally by critics and fans alike.
As Lil Wayne’s release from jail was slowly approaching toward the end of 2010, "I Am Not a Human" was released to the public. The piece was a quickly put together mixtape before he headed off to Rikers Island, but then became an album at the very last minute. The release featured some decent tracks to hold fans over for his release like "Right Above It," but surely did not compare to "Tha Carter III" or even his "No Ceilings" mixtape.
Once Weezy was released from Rikers, he quickly began work on his comeback album, "Tha Carter IV." When it hit store shelves at the tail-end of summer 2011, it was rather successful. However, in the long run, it failed to compete with its predecessor in any way, shape, or form. This led many to wonder: Is Lil Wayne simply having a few rough years, or is his career slowly fading?
In between a few unsuccessful mixtape releases following the summer of 2011, this brings us back to the extremely unsuccessful sequel to "I Am Not a Human Being." Wayne now had one final chance to redeem himself, and he began work on "Tha Carter V." However, 2014 gave us a slew of failed release dates, and the album never hit store shelves.
Then suddenly, at the end of 2014, Lil Wayne took to Twitter on the day of another failed release date to explain why there was such a delay for "Tha Carter V." According to Wayne, his mentor and cash money CEO, Birdman, had consistently been delaying the release for reasons unexplained. He also claimed that Birdman had yet to pay Wayne an $8 million advance for "Tha Carter V" as well. Mr. Carter then proceeded to sue his former mentor for $53 million, which is still being disputed in court at this very moment. Recently, Wayne claimed that Drake and Nicki Minaj would also be leaving the Young Money label. Meanwhile, Birdman has attempted to move on with his new protege, Young Thug, even going as far as trying to release an album titled "Carter 6."Lil Wayne’s legal team eventually blocked this, later being retitled to "Barter 6."
Although "Tha Carter V" still remains in development hell due to the issues between Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records, Weezy has tried to move on and resurrect his career on his own. This started with the "Sorry 4 the Wait 1"mixtape, which was as unsuccessful as his other recent mixtape efforts. However, to truly make a comeback, Wayne must release an official album.
This is exactly what he has done, announcing the "Free Weezy Album" this past spring. The first single, titled "Glory," was rather impressive in its ability to prove Wayne still has the rhyming skills fans pine for. As of now, the album is set to be released on the Fourth of July. However, the question remains: Can Weezy free himself from the downward spiral his career has taken, while breaking the chains of Cash Money records in the process? We’ll have to wait and see. Be sure to check out our incoming review of the "Free Weezy Album" following its release!
