Tha Carter IV
by Lil Wayne
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
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  1. SuchiB14
    Aug 31, 2018
    4
    This has got to be one of the worst rap albums I've heard. Unlike its predecessor 'The Carter III', the substance that makes this album up is absolute trash and it is only carried by a few average hits. The lyrics are crap, the beats are very average, and the average delivery makes this album a dud.
  2. Spongebob
    Mar 8, 2012
    5
    Tha Carter IV is a major flop with it's inconsistents lack of Lil Wayne. It has good songs but not enough to say it's better than Tha Carter III. Listening to this album it's almost like he's trying to be like Drake. The production is terrible having no stand out beat. He talks about the same things he has been saying. An album with Drake on there twice can't be terrible but it seems hasTha Carter IV is a major flop with it's inconsistents lack of Lil Wayne. It has good songs but not enough to say it's better than Tha Carter III. Listening to this album it's almost like he's trying to be like Drake. The production is terrible having no stand out beat. He talks about the same things he has been saying. An album with Drake on there twice can't be terrible but it seems has Wayne's laziness can reverse that. I wish I never bought this album!… Expand
  3. andykuchen
    Aug 30, 2011
    4
    It seems like Lil Wayne is just trying too hard. He seems to be rushing the songs and the album so that he can finally release it. Most of the songs (about 90% of them) off the album sound the same and have no potential of actually being a hit. For his next album, he should really work hard and try to take some time while making it.
  4. ReviewCritic
    Jan 17, 2012
    6
    When Lil Wayne came out with Rebirth, everyone thought that was the worst he could get. He then said that was just an album he was making in the midst of Tha Carter IV. I can tell people were disappointed, but Tha Carter IV is a pretty good album, just not what you had expected.
  5. thetiderises
    Aug 30, 2011
    4
    Really disappointed by this album. I thought Tha Carter series was supposed to be his flagship, tentpole, "if-you-listen-to-nothing-else-I-do-listen-to-these" albums. If I wanted boring, formulaic beats, nondescript rhymes, and no energy...I would've bought or listened to one of his 10,000 mixtapes. But that's what this is. I've listened to this album three times now, and I can'tReally disappointed by this album. I thought Tha Carter series was supposed to be his flagship, tentpole, "if-you-listen-to-nothing-else-I-do-listen-to-these" albums. If I wanted boring, formulaic beats, nondescript rhymes, and no energy...I would've bought or listened to one of his 10,000 mixtapes. But that's what this is. I've listened to this album three times now, and I can't remember any of the tracks on it other than 6 Foot 7 Foot and John--the singles before the album came out. The rest is just...tired and formulaic. And that's something I never expected to say about Weezy.… Expand
  6. hkatbamna1
    Sep 13, 2011
    4
    terrible punchlines+ crappy lyrics+ good production= ok album. this is the worst ive heard from lil wayne ever and arguably the worst album of the year
  7. LaPicturesque
    Sep 4, 2011
    4
    Here's the thing. The guest artists (excluding Shyne) do a phenomenal job on the album. The beats are great too. Although some of them aren't made by A-list producers (ex. Megaman?), almost all of them sound great. The biggest problem in this album is Lil Wayne himself. Back in 2007-2008, Lil Wayne was known for being one of the most dextrous rappers that hip-hop had to offer. Listen toHere's the thing. The guest artists (excluding Shyne) do a phenomenal job on the album. The beats are great too. Although some of them aren't made by A-list producers (ex. Megaman?), almost all of them sound great. The biggest problem in this album is Lil Wayne himself. Back in 2007-2008, Lil Wayne was known for being one of the most dextrous rappers that hip-hop had to offer. Listen to Dedication 2 or Da Drought 3. Those mixtapes contain brilliant, thought-provoking, clever raps by Wayne. But here, in Tha Carter IV, his verses and punchlines are slow, regressed, and most of all, predictable. His verses are, in summation, BORING. I never thought I would use that word to describe an artist as eccentric and off-the-wall as Wayne. I would not recommend spending the money to buy this album. I really expected more from Weezy...… Expand
  8. BrandonRager
    Sep 1, 2011
    6
    definitely not the Wayne we remember from Tha Carter III; there are some great songs on the album like How to Love, 6 Foot 7 Foot, How to Hate, John, President Carter - but for the most part his punchlines seem tired, his flow has become expected & overused, im getting tired of hearing "weezy f baby, and the f is for..." and the best verses on the album don't even come from Wayne, himselfdefinitely not the Wayne we remember from Tha Carter III; there are some great songs on the album like How to Love, 6 Foot 7 Foot, How to Hate, John, President Carter - but for the most part his punchlines seem tired, his flow has become expected & overused, im getting tired of hearing "weezy f baby, and the f is for..." and the best verses on the album don't even come from Wayne, himself - Tech N9ne, Andre 3000, and Nas all showed him up on his own album... Overall, im disappointed by this album and further annoyed by all the hype it's getting.… Expand
  9. yoMAMASnewman
    Sep 8, 2011
    4
    Whoever says this album has good production is blind. All the beats on this album are very generic and some even sound like past Lil wayne songs (Megaman = right above it?) The Weezy Rhyme scheme is nothing special here. theres some pretty wack lines. The best songs are President Carter, Nightmares of the Bottom, and She Will.
  10. The2011Critic
    Sep 11, 2011
    5
    Someone needs to take me back to a time when Lil Wayne was enjoyable. If he is planning to retire, he's sold enough but his legacy isn't as good as it should be. The features outshine Wayne, doesn't sound like Wayne at his level best.
  11. Gracheck
    Dec 1, 2011
    5
    It's a shame. This thing could have been FANTASTIC after him coming out of jail. However, only about 3 or 4 tracks are great, and the rest just leave you scratching your head. Wasn't terrible, but wasn't anywhere near great. A lackluster performance is all I saw. I'm not a huge Lil Wayne fan but he does put out good stuff, so this was rather disappointing.
  12. TTW107
    Apr 8, 2012
    6
    I truly like a lot of songs on this album. 6 Foot 7 Foot, President Carter, Megaman and John go so unbelievably hard but there are a few awful songs. I feel like i'm being pretty generous with the 6/10 considering how much better Tha Carter, II and III are than this. Oh yea and the Outro is DOPE, nas went the hell in.
  13. TheDude-
    Mar 25, 2016
    4
    This album has a couple of tracks that are ok and 1 fantastic one that being "Mirror" FT. Bruno Mars but the album is mostly trashy lyrics that are written terribly and a seemingly non existent flow from Lil Wayne.
  14. hmmmmmm
    Aug 30, 2011
    4
    Tha Carter III was good, but weezy has slowed his flow down and has no originality, also the beats are annoying. Nas drops a hot verse and so does tech n9ne but get their albums instead of this its really not very interesting and no tracks standout as easy on the ears or interesting
  15. Mcritic19
    Sep 1, 2011
    6
    Not a bad album but not a great one. The Carter IV failed to meet its anticipation and is no where near as good as The Carter 3. The best song was "outro" thanks to a stellar Nas verse and "Its good" with Lil Wayne going back to old weezy. Overall I'm disappointed .
  16. havslife76
    Oct 3, 2011
    6
    I am really not liking the 0's because of hate for Lil Wayne, and I still don't know why people waste their time talking about how much they hate someone just to blog about it... Anyways Tha Carter IV is not the album Weezy fans have been searching for. Tha Carter III was a fantastic album, and this one doesn't quite live up to the hype. Now, comparing to the Carter III this album is weakI am really not liking the 0's because of hate for Lil Wayne, and I still don't know why people waste their time talking about how much they hate someone just to blog about it... Anyways Tha Carter IV is not the album Weezy fans have been searching for. Tha Carter III was a fantastic album, and this one doesn't quite live up to the hype. Now, comparing to the Carter III this album is weak (no offense Wayne) but when you listen to it as a rap album all on it's own, it's not too bad. I just wish Lil Wayne put more time and effort into this one. I have to admit, this album could've been worse, but it should've been much, much better.… Expand
  17. Avinain9
    Nov 8, 2011
    5
    Tha Carter IV was an album i was waiting for so many time, and it ended up disappointing me, he just lost his flow and whats up with the excessive punch lines, i'm getting bored of the punch lines, i think Intro/Interlude/Outro is a great part of the album even doe Wayne doesn't rap on the last two (Interlude/Outro), but theres a great play from the guests. The key tracks to the albumTha Carter IV was an album i was waiting for so many time, and it ended up disappointing me, he just lost his flow and whats up with the excessive punch lines, i'm getting bored of the punch lines, i think Intro/Interlude/Outro is a great part of the album even doe Wayne doesn't rap on the last two (Interlude/Outro), but theres a great play from the guests. The key tracks to the album are: President Carter and It's Good. And in It's Good forget about the Jay-Z diss it's Lil Wayne's best verse on the album. And after those songs the other songs don't add up to any ones expectations. Watch The Throne is a way more better album, but yes the Carter IV sold more than that.… Expand
  18. anggy12002
    Sep 26, 2013
    5
    It's hard not to be biased on this album coming off Tha Carter 3. Wayne produces an album here that isn't up to par with Tha Carter 3 but is decent none the less. First of all there is too much singing. Second, at points this feels like this should be a Young Money compilation. I feel I Am Not a Human Being was what this should have tried to be. The only track I honestly hated was How toIt's hard not to be biased on this album coming off Tha Carter 3. Wayne produces an album here that isn't up to par with Tha Carter 3 but is decent none the less. First of all there is too much singing. Second, at points this feels like this should be a Young Money compilation. I feel I Am Not a Human Being was what this should have tried to be. The only track I honestly hated was How to Hate featuring T-Pain. On the other hand, there are lots of catchy tunes such as Blunt Blowin', Six Foot Seven Foot, Abortion, and Mirror. Overall, if your a Wayne fan I recommend it but hardcore rap fans can pass and just download Six Foot Seven Foot… Expand
  19. JamieVic
    Sep 3, 2014
    5
    I had high expectations of Tha Carter IV but I was left almost disappointed. Some of the tracks are absolute bangers but the album lacks creativity and isn't too original. Some tracks sounded too similar and some of the flows weren't flowing with the track. The parts of the album, that I most enjoyed were the features not being the highlights of the album, some of Wayne's catchy lyrics andI had high expectations of Tha Carter IV but I was left almost disappointed. Some of the tracks are absolute bangers but the album lacks creativity and isn't too original. Some tracks sounded too similar and some of the flows weren't flowing with the track. The parts of the album, that I most enjoyed were the features not being the highlights of the album, some of Wayne's catchy lyrics and the production of the album. It's safe to say Weezy doesn't have too much pressure to make Tha Carter V a better album.… Expand
  20. ihavevocaloid
    Apr 4, 2015
    6
    Overall, this album was a decent listen. It's a typical Lil Wayne album, little lyrical talent and mostly good beats. Why did he even record "How to Love"? It's not even close to being a rap song, and rapping is what Lil Wayne is best at doing. He also didn't need to use the same beat on the intro, interlude and outro. Those are my major complaints about the album, otherwise it was decent.Overall, this album was a decent listen. It's a typical Lil Wayne album, little lyrical talent and mostly good beats. Why did he even record "How to Love"? It's not even close to being a rap song, and rapping is what Lil Wayne is best at doing. He also didn't need to use the same beat on the intro, interlude and outro. Those are my major complaints about the album, otherwise it was decent. Highlights: "John", "Outro", "6 Foot 7 Foot", "Up Up and Away". Worst song: "How to Love"… Expand
  21. fifi3
    Jul 28, 2019
    4
    This album is just bad. It's just a horrible mix of sounds and experiements, none of which stick the landing besides How To Love, which somehow sounded great. And Blunt Blowin' is an OK track that wouldn't sound totally out of place on TC2 or 3. Not much to say except don't listen to it.
  22. JoeBennet14
    Nov 28, 2017
    5
    To put it nicely, this is not Mr Carter's finest work. A poor album, saved only by the fact it has a few standout songs. 'Nightmares of the Bottom' and 'Mirror' actually being two of Wayne's best tracks, paired with the hilarious '6 Foot 7 Foot'. Still, all things considered, this is a mediocre album at best, and probably the worst entry into 'Tha Carter' series.

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    Sep 12, 2011
    40
    In short Tha Carter IV flops not because it's straight-up bad, but because it's boring.
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  2. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Sep 11, 2011
    50
    We know he's capable of better. Whether it ever comes together on a Carter release is anybody's guess, but the prognosis isn't good.
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  3. 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.
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