Tha Carter IV
by Lil Wayne
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 2 out of 29
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  1. BBC Music
    Aug 31, 2011
    80
    If you thought him too weird for your tastes previously, Tha Carter IV is the album to introduce you to the never boring world of an artist whose importance remains so significant that, should he finally collapse like the star he is, he's likely to take half the rap game with him.
  2. AllMusic
    Aug 30, 2011
    80
    On Tha Carter IV, Wayne's world feels more like a dream than reality, but the loyal subjects of Young Money get a wild ride and the great feeling of flashing those ruby slippers one more time.
  3. RapReviews.com
    Aug 30, 2011
    80
    I like what I see and hear on Tha Carter IV and no one is going to convince me he isn't a full-fledged artist worthy of being the household name he now is.
  5. XXL
    Aug 29, 2011
    80
    Even with some lack of vulnerability and risk, Tha Carter IV displays the nonsensical approach that fans have grown to love. Future and previous aside, Weezy's present is bright.
  6. cokemachineglow
    Sep 11, 2011
    78
    Beat-wise, IV doesn't attempt to outdo the top-dollar Carter III production, whose murderer's row of producers and beats is likely to remain unparalleled for some time. But Wayne uses the less showy selection this go-round to deliver a definitively rawer album that only smartens the impact of some of his career's best vocals.
  7. Entertainment Weekly
    Aug 31, 2011
    75
    Unfortunately, C-4 doesn't quite deliver the explosion it should have been capable of.
  8. The New York Times
    Aug 30, 2011
    70
    Because Lil Wayne has been so sharp, so dexterous in the past, it's tempting (and ultimately necessary) to overanalyze him. But even on this album's weak tracks, and there are several, he remains a commanding presence, deploying just enough of his insistent croak to tether the song together.
  9. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Aug 30, 2011
    70
    If anything, Tha Carter IV feels like a party, one that Wayne is throwing for his contemporaries in the hip-hop scene.
  10. Prefix Magazine
    Aug 29, 2011
    70
    While it's likely to be a huge album -- and far more interesting than any other releases of its size -- it's not the leap forward his last couple albums were.
  11. Rolling Stone
    Aug 29, 2011
    70
    Wayne knows it's not 2007 anymore. But the high points here prove he's already looking ahead to the future.
  12. Paste Magazine
    Sep 2, 2011
    68
    It's quite hard to get a grasp on Tha Carter IV; in its relentlessly schizophrenic assault, you might end up falling in-and-out of love several times.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    Aug 30, 2011
    63
    The stream-of-consciousness id that Iggy Pop might once have envied is still on display, but here it feels corralled into a pen of predictable similes and metaphors.
  14. Pitchfork
    Aug 30, 2011
    62
    While Tha Carter IV isn't the first indication that Wayne's finest verses are behind him, it is the most glaring.

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Most Discussed Album of 2011
14
#14 Most Shared Album of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 280 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 115 out of 280
  2. Mixed: 60 out of 280
  3. Negative: 105 out of 280
  1. andrew3000
    Aug 29, 2011
    2
    It's a shame that Lil' Wayne has to ruin perfectly good albums by rapping on them. He's clearly got the popularity and influence to pull aIt's a shame that Lil' Wayne has to ruin perfectly good albums by rapping on them. He's clearly got the popularity and influence to pull a pretty inspiring array of collaborators. About half of these beats sound phenomenal until Wayne drops his vocals and the whole thing goes to hell; there are even terrific verses by Tech N9ne, Andre 3000, Nas, and Busta strewn around. Maybe they came hard with it to mask Lil' Wayne's lack of ability on the mic, but they failed-- they just make him sound even worse by comparison, since it's difficult for a Lil' Wayne verse to stack up against a real emcee. And Weezy sounds worse than usual here, just pooling a ridiculous array of nonsequiters and punchlines rasped out in a processed-sounding croak. Weezy has the singing voice of Emperor Palpatine, but "How To Love" is better than most things on this album-- at least it's the one song here where he doesn't try to convince people that he's rapping. Apparently, when it comes to hip-hop, there's only one Carter worth talking about - and I can only hope he jacks that heavenly "Nightmares From the Bottom" beat and puts a real song over it.

    When the best thing one can say about your album is "hey, at least it's not Rebirth," it's probably time to hang it up.    … Full Review »
  2. P-Independent
    Aug 29, 2011
    0
    From time to time I would listen to the latest Hip Hop albums and Dwayne Carter (Little Wayne) has satisfied my needs in terms of his earlierFrom time to time I would listen to the latest Hip Hop albums and Dwayne Carter (Little Wayne) has satisfied my needs in terms of his earlier work with gritty and plain ole' egoistic melodies and lyrics; I'm referring to Tha Carter I, II, and III. Tha Carter IV is a complete mess with vocals that isn't fitted for Hip Hop by any means and the content is beyond degrading and completely moronic. I've given this album a chance, I really did but Little Wayne is going downhill after this, don't buy this album if you're looking for anything remotely like Tha Carter II or III or something innovative and creative. The vulgarity and profanity within in the content alone is just plain ole' unnecessary which will turn mature audiences off.… Full Review »
  3. humblehumpty
    Aug 29, 2011
    0
    I give this album a 4, but then switch it to a 0 because he calls himself the best rapper alive but dropped one of the weakest rap albums ofI give this album a 4, but then switch it to a 0 because he calls himself the best rapper alive but dropped one of the weakest rap albums of this year. Every song sounds like a filler, and the punchlines sound like a grade 2 made them.… Full Review »
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