All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

NOW Magazine

It’s eclectic, eccentric and yes, essential.

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MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

From the start you know this is no mixtape because it's clearer and more forceful. Every track attends to detail, with fun tricks like the chipmunk-chorused "Mr. Carter"'s sudden descent into screwed-and-chopped before Jay-Z comes in.

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Blender

There's an exhilarating, disorienting sense of freedom tot he album, the ruse of rules being ignored. [Aug 2008, p.79]

Rolling Stone

This isn't a mixtape, it's a suite of songs, paced and sequenced for maxaqimum impact.

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Urb

Maybe that's how we need to view this record--a little less anxious in our anticipation and balanced out with a little more enjoyment. Then, it just might be a classic.

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The Phoenix

All rappers ride on the claim that they’re the best, but on III Wayne makes his case.

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Pitchfork

Instead of hiding his bootleg-bred quirks in anticipation of the big-budget spotlight, he distills the myriad metaphors, convulsing flows, and vein-splitting emotions into a commercially gratifying package that's as weird as it wants to be; he eventually finds his guitar but keeps the strumming in check.

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Prefix Magazine

Tha Carter III soars because of Wayne’s to-date under-appreciated ability to turn himself down.

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RapReviews.com

The album is listenable, exciting and succeeds in reigniting interest in hip hop and rappers that dedicate their life to become great MC's, not just hustlers.

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cokemachineglow

Though wrong and stupid kinda work (in a good way!), Tha Carter III is more a balanced, self-conscious synthesis of everything viably great about Lil Wayne, hyperbolic or not, than the penultimate statement of the MC’s “legendary” status.

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Uncut

In which the prince of hip hop get a blessing from the king. [Sep 2008, p.110]

Paste Magazine

Tha Carter III hearkens to when rap meant rapp: Isaac Hayes talking for days about some girl he broke with, or Bobby Womack signifying while strumming a blues guitar.

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The Guardian

He breaks language down into building blocks for new metaphors, exploiting every possible semantic and phonetic loophole for humour and yanking pop culture references into startling new contexts.

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Billboard

With help from A-list guest stars (T-Pain, Robin Thicke) and producers (Kanye West, Swizz Beatz), Lil Wayne backs up the boasts [of "best rapper alive"] on the oft-delayed Tha Carter III.

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PopMatters

Tha Carter III is a monumental album full of powerful, self-defeating statements that obliterate rap’s internal logic without offering too much more than indifferent bong logic in return. Judged, however, as a collection of singles and quotable verses--the criteria on which we’ve been grading hip-hop records since the end of disco--Tha Carter III is an agonizing piece of work.

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All Music Guide

Filled with bold, entertaining wordplay and plenty of well-executed, left-field ideas, Tha Carter III should be considered as a wild, somewhat difficult child of Weezy's magnum opus in motion, one that allows the listener an exhilarating and unapologetic taste of artistic freedom.

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Boston Globe

That said, it's not an instant classic, but it is the best rap album since Kanye West dropped "Graduation" last year.

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Hartford Courant

We should have known. If his raspy, cartoonish voice didn't mark him as different, his quick wit, offhanded wordplay and quirky subject matter should have in a genre populated largely by grim-faced imitators.

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Los Angeles Times

Ultimately, Tha Carter III will have you believing in Wayne's greatness but wondering why, as often as not, he just isn't very good.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

He's the man of the moment, but the disc's best moments strive for timelessness and attain it.

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Slant Magazine

One could easily pick and choose from the songs here to make a more coherent 12-track album; such a record would likely have more immediate impact. But it'd also be kind of painful to cut anything.

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Austin Chronicle

It's Wayne's personality that both floats and sinks TC III.

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Entertainment Weekly

For merely running in place, TC3 can be transfixing. But it is not enough. [20 June 2008, p.66]

Hot Press

Gifted MC loses the run of himself without Mannie Fresh.

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Sputnikmusic

Tha Carter III is scattershot, which oddly strengthens its faults, as if any lull in quality means that the next batch of producers can just reset the formula.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Now, equipped with the stylish, but too-often substance-less Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne seems poised to flip the script on the “rapper racists” (radio stations, MTV) by evolving into the “biggest” rapper alive.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 119 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

I know gave it a1:
I wanted to know what the hype was about Lil' wayne and I was disappointed that so many people listen to this garbage. Songs like "lollipop" and "mrs. officer" have great beats, but the lyrics bring the whole song down. What has the world come to to call songs about oral sex great music? I have no clear idea why critics managed to give this album a higher score than Lupe's Cool.

Ali B gave it a10:
Best rap album ever. this is my favorite number 1 rap album. lil wayne is the best rapper alive.

Alex H gave it a6:
The only song on "Tha Carter III" which should have been the bestselling track on the album is, "Shoot Me Down." The song has a bittersweet melody and so does most of the album.

Sol G gave it a7:
The album is very strong with some tracks like "Mr.Carter", "Comfortable", "Tie my hands", "Dr.Carter", "Let the Beat Build" and "I'm Me" are all more or less instant 5 star classics, in my opinion. But overall the album does not live up to the enourmous hype and awards it receives. I would've been much more willing to give the Grammy to either Jay, Lupe or Nas (although my personal all time favourite is, of course, Mr.West and his inspired 808's...). Don't get me wrong, in some sense Weezy deserves the most plaudits he receives, the album is very good and highly original, but not a classic by any means. It lacks a concept first of all, and sorry but I really do not get his obsession with constant use of a words like "Pussy" in every second verse he uses.

r0ck c1ty gave it a0:
Massive disappointment. If your a genuine fan of "Weezy F Baby" (ie you knew of him before MTV told you to like him) then you should find this album a slap in the face. After the wait from The Carter 2 I expected something with a bit of substance, but what I got was Wayne selling out and trying to win out the 50 Cent crowd with trash like "lollipop". The only track that reminds me of anything that makes Wayne good is "A Millie" but that is decidedly average and not a scratch on "Money on my mind". What disapoints me most is that Waynes mixtapes leading up to this completely transcend the quality contained in this album. "Pray to the Lord" "I feel Like Dying" and the Moby remix "1000 Degrees" are vastly superior to drivel like "Mrs Officer" and "La La". Everything about the album is a departure from the LW of old. No Mannie, no Baby, no production from the runners and no collabos with the collective that he has been spittin bars for these past few years (Rick Ross, Joe Crack etc) Im not surprised there are high critical reviews. Most of these pompous idiots didnt know who Wayne was six months ago so subsequently dont know what they are missing out on. A typical passage to pop territory guarantees Birdman Jr the positive reviews in the 'hip' publications and an entry point into the playlists of many morons' ipods. But for the real fans Wayne has made a mediocre record, and I hope the Drought 4 rectifies this drop in quality.

Jesse J gave it a9:
The beat production is eclectic, and Lil' Wayne adapts to all of them like a chameleon. His lyrics from this album get stuck in my head all the time!

Deep A. gave it a9:
This is the best rap album from 2008. Nearly no filler and on an album with this many tracks, its a feat. How can anyone not like his flows? On 'Dr. Carter', he flows like a poet. Its impressive without beats and with them, he's knocked it out of the park!

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Tha Carter III

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