Tha Carter III
Encyclopedia
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album
by American rapper Lil Wayne
, released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records
. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream. The album's cover art features a baby picture of Wayne and is similar to covers of hip hop albums such as Illmatic
(1994) and Ready to Die
(1994). Amid release delays and leaks
, Tha Carter III became one of the most anticipated releases of 2008.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week. It reached sales of 2.88 million copies by the end of 2008 and produced four singles that achieved chart success, including the international hit "Lollipop
" and Billboard
hits "A Milli
", "Got Money
", and "Mrs. Officer
". Upon its release, Tha Carter III received general acclaim from music critics and earned Lil Wayne several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
at the 51st Grammy Awards
. It has been certified triple-platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
and has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States.
stated that producers would include The Alchemist
, Cool & Dre
, Deezle
, Jim Jonsin
, Just Blaze
, Kanye West
, Mannie Fresh
, The Runners
, Timbaland
, Danja, The Sjkid,Arash, and will.i.am
. In an interview with HipHopCanada.com, Solitair
of the Black Jays
stated that he and Cipha Sounds
produced a track called "Outstanding", which later eventually leaked. The Runners have stated that they have produced three tracks for Tha Carter III. Lil Wayne revealed that he has a track for Eminem
, which he has yet to send to him. He described this song as the "craziest". However, it is thought that Eminem turned down the request.
The album features guest appearences by Fabolous
, T-Pain
, Brisco
, Bobby V, Betty Wright
, Static Major
, Robin Thicke
, Kidd Kidd, Jay-Z
, Juelz Santana
, and Busta Rhymes
. MTV
reported that Wyclef Jean
worked on a couple of tracks for the album and that a song featuring Justin Timberlake
, Nelly Furtado
, and Timbaland
is likely to appear on the album. However, that Timbaland-produced track did not make the final cut. David Banner
confirmed that he will be credited for five tracks on the final cut of Tha Carter III, but only one is featured on the album. After the copyright controversy of "Playing with Fire", the track was later removed and replaced with another David Banner-produced track "Pussy Monster". Swizz Beatz
stated he was also working on the album. When asked about how many tracks Kanye West had contributed, he answered:
", peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
, staying at the top for three weeks. It was Wayne's most successful solo single in his career, winning one Grammy Award
, a BET
Award, and an MTV
VMA. The song was praised as an "electro-bumpin'...infectious track", perceived as more of a "bubblegum" pop track than rap. The second track on the album, "Mr. Carter
", was nominated for a Grammy while also peaking within the Hot 100. It was praised for featuring Jay-Z
, which was seen as Jay-Z passing the throne to Wayne. The second single, "A Milli
", was a top ten hit and was praised as one of the best songs of 2008. The song garnered countless freestyles and remixes, while Wayne's original version was praised with "spectacular rhyme". "Dr. Carter", the sixth track, was also praised for lyrical content and humor as Wayne took on the persona of a doctor performing surgery on various patients (a metaphor for Wayne resurrecting hip-hop). "Tie My Hands", featuring Robin Thicke
, was praised as a deep track featuring "political commentary" and "despair" with Thicke's performance being the most complementary to Wayne. "Phone Home" also features various alien metaphors reminiscent of the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
(1982).
used the leaked tracks, plus four new songs to make an album titled The Leak. The Leak was to be officially released on December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until June 10, 2008. When questioned about the unplanned leak, Lil Wayne said:
On May 24, 2008, 10-second snippets of multiple songs were leaked onto AT&T Media Mall. On May 30-31, Tha Carter III was leaked internationally. The first of the leaks were distributed on May 30 at around 8pm where five songs from the track list were available on the internet. Hours later on May 31 at 12am-1am the whole album was leaked and posted on various websites for free download. The DJ responsible for the leaks was DJ Chuck T who retaliated for an interview conducted by Wayne, where he discredited all DJs and the mixtape scene days before. Lil Wayne later called DJ Drama
's radio show Shade 45 Sirius Satellite Radio to explain that his comments were meant specifically for DJ Empire who leaked his materials periodically without his permission, consent, or knowledge; he also apologized for any misunderstandings between him and the numerous DJs that have aided him in the mixtape industry. He made it clear, however, that he wished for any feelings of dislike or resentment to remain.
", topped the US Billboard Hot 100
for 5 non-consecutive weeks, making it Wayne's most successful single in his career. It features the late rap
singer Static Major
. The album's second single, "A Milli
", was another top ten. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also won a Grammy for Best Rap Song. The video for the second single, "A Milli", was set to be released in May, and has since been mainstreamed. Multiple versions of the track were to be included on the album as "skit-like" tracks, featuring artists such as Tyga
, Cory Gunz, Hurricane Chris
and Lil Mama
. Another artist, 13-year-old Lil Chuckee, was also set to appear on one of the "A Milli" skits. None of the skits made the final cut of the album. The third single is "Got Money
", featuring T-Pain
. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single is "Mrs. Officer
", featuring Bobby Valentino. It made the Top 20 in just four weeks. "Lollipop", "A Milli", "Got Money", and another track, "Mr. Carter
", were nominated for a Grammy. Lil Wayne also performed "Tie My Hands" with Robin Thicke
at the 51st Grammy Awards.
The album also featured the releases of promo singles. "3 Peat" peaked at number 66 on the Billboard 100. "You Ain't Got Nuthin
" featuring Fabolous
and Juelz Santana
was released as a promo single, peaking at number 81 on the Billboard 100. "Mr. Carter
", featuring Jay-Z
, peaked at number 62 on the Billboard 100, number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, and number 13 on the Top Rap Songs. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or a Group in 2009.
. filed a lawsuit
against Lil Wayne for copyright infringement
and unfair competition
, specifically referring to the track "Playing with Fire". In the lawsuit, Abkco claims that the song was obviously derived from The Rolling Stones
' "Play with Fire
", to which Abkco owns the rights. Subsequently, "Playing with Fire" was removed from the tracklist of Tha Carter III on all online music stores and replaced with the David Banner
produced track, "Pussy Monster".
On March 2011, producer Deezle
(Darius Harrison) sued Wayne and his parent labels Cash Money Records over unpaid royalties from Tha Carter III album. On May 2011, producer Bangladesh also filed a lawsuit against Weezy & Co. over unpaid royalties as well. In early June 2011, another producer named David Kirkwood
filed a lawsuit against Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records on claims that the labels have failed to pay him over $1.5 million dollars in royalties and production services for his work on the album, also including his songwriting on "Love Me or Hate Me", a bonus song featured only on the deluxe edition of the album. Also in June 2011, Dallas producers Play-N-Skillz
filed a lawsuit against him claiming Wayne owed them at least $1 million in unpaid royalties for "Got Money
" from Tha Carter III.
's The Massacre
(2005). Tha Carter III has also reached the top spot in the Canadian Albums Chart
, selling nearly 21,000 units. Elsewhere, the album achieved moderate success, entering at only number 23 in the UK and number 34 on the Irish Album Chart. In the album's second week, it sold a reported 309,000 copies, helping Tha Carter III towards becoming Lil Wayne's most successful selling album to date.
Tha Carter III had sold approximately 2.88 million copies in 2008, after selling another 985,000 and 964,000 in two week span week June 24–July 8 and well over 697,000 the following week in a 7 day span, becoming 2008's best-selling album. By the end of 2008, it was named the best-selling album of the year in the United States by Billboard
. On February 12, 2009, the album was certified triple-platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), following shipments of three million copies. As of July 2011, it has sold 3.6 million copies in the US.
s. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 84, based on 26 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Allmusic editor David Jeffries gave it four out of five stars and praised Wayne's "entertaining wordplay and plenty of well-executed, left-field ideas". NOW
gave it a five out of five rating and called it a "subversive masterpiece". The Guardian
s Alex Macpherson lauded Wayne's rapping, stating "Just trying to keep up with Wayne's mind as he proves the case is a thrill. 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". Rolling Stone
writer Jody Rosen
commended its themes and stated "This isn't a mixtape, it's a suite of songs, paced and sequenced for maxaqimum impact." Jonah Weiner of Blender
gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "a weird, gripping triumph". Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
commented that Wayne "has clearly worked to make Tha Carter III a statement of its own: one that moves beyond standard hip-hop boasting (though there's plenty of that) to thoughts that can be introspective or gleefully unhinged". Pitchfork Media
's Ryan Dombal stated, "he distills the myriad metaphors, convulsing flows, and vein-splitting emotions into a commercially gratifying package". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave it an A- rating, indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks." Christgau noted that "every track attends to detail" and quipped, "From the start you know this is no mixtape because it's clearer and more forceful."
The Washington Post
s J. Freedom du Lac commended Wayne for his "impulses to be outrageous and unconventional", calling him a "nonsensical genius", but found the album "uneven". Tom Breihan of The Village Voice
described it as "a sprawling mess, and it clangs nearly as often as it clicks" and "a work of staggering heights and maddening inconsistencies", but commended Wayne for his unconventional performance, stating "On paper, this is a textbook focus-grouped major-label hodgepodge, replete with girl songs and club songs and street songs. But every facet of the album comes animated and atomized by Wayne's absurdist drug-gobbling persona". Drew Hinshaw of PopMatters
gave it an eight out of 10 rating and stated "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". Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times
gave the album three out of four stars and found it "scattershot", stating "When Wayne's mad alchemy works, Tha Carter III evinces shades of brilliance that merit the wild hype, but in its transparent attempts to define its era, it fails, falling victim to the imperial bloat of its big-budget mishmash of styles." Jon Caramanica of Entertainment Weekly
wrote that "this schizoid album [...] is alternately mesmerizing and inscrutable." Slant Magazine
's Dave Hughes viewed that it lacks a "focus" as an album and stated, "while there are a lot of [...] great moments here, Carter III is not the definitive statement of Wayne's mastery that he clearly intended it to be." Brandon Perkins of URB commented that "As a sum of its parts, Tha Carter III does not transcend, but a good number of those parts are otherworldly enough."
s list of the 33 best albums of 2008. It was also ranked number three on Rolling Stones list of the top 50 albums of 2008. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year
, and it won for Best Rap Album
at the 2009 Grammy Awards, while "Lollipop
" won for Best Rap Song
and "A Milli
" won for Best Rap Solo Performance
. Billboard
magazine ranked the album number 103 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade.
Notes
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rapper Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
, released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011...
. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream. The album's cover art features a baby picture of Wayne and is similar to covers of hip hop albums such as Illmatic
Illmatic
Illmatic is the debut album of American rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994, on Columbia Records. Following his signing to Columbia with the help of MC Serch, recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording...
(1994) and Ready to Die
Ready to Die
Ready to Die is the debut album of American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released September 13, 1994 on Bad Boy Records. The first release on the label, it features production by record producer and Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse,...
(1994). Amid release delays and leaks
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
, Tha Carter III became one of the most anticipated releases of 2008.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week. It reached sales of 2.88 million copies by the end of 2008 and produced four singles that achieved chart success, including the international hit "Lollipop
Lollipop (Lil Wayne song)
"Lollipop" is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B artist Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008. The song is Lil Wayne's & Static Major's most successful to date,...
" and Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
hits "A Milli
A Milli
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is the second official single, and the official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...
", "Got Money
Got Money
"Got Money" is the third single by American recording artist Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III . The single features singer-songwriter T-Pain. Both T-Pain and Lil Wayne use the auto-tune effect in the song. The single was released as a digital download on iTunes on May 27, 2008...
", and "Mrs. Officer
Mrs. Officer
"Mrs. Officer" is the fourth and final single from Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III. The song features Bobby Valentino and Kidd Kidd, and is produced by Deezle. The song officially debuted on September 9, 2008 It was ranked the No. 25 Hip-Hop song of 2008 by MTV.-Music video:ale cop an hour...
". Upon its release, Tha Carter III received general acclaim from music critics and earned Lil Wayne several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
. It has been certified triple-platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
and has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States.
Background and recording
Lil WayneLil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
stated that producers would include The Alchemist
The Alchemist (producer)
Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...
, Cool & Dre
Cool & Dre
Cool & Dre are a team of hip hop producers from Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon.-Epidemic Records:...
, Deezle
Deezle
Darius Harrison, better known as Deezle, is an American record producer who was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is most known for co-producing Lil Wayne's hit single Lollipop alongside Jim Jonsin...
, Jim Jonsin
Jim Jonsin
James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur...
, Just Blaze
Just Blaze
Justin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Mannie Fresh
Mannie Fresh
Byron O. Thomas, better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is currently an artist and hip-hop producer who records for Def Jam South and his own division Chubby Boy Records...
, The Runners
The Runners
The Runners is a hip hop production duo from Orlando, Florida, consisting of Andrew "Dru Brett" Harr and Jermaine "Mayne Zayne" Jackson. They came together to form the team in 2000, but they have known each other since they were in kindergarten. They are best known for producing the hit singles "Go...
, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Danja, The Sjkid,Arash, and will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
. In an interview with HipHopCanada.com, Solitair
Solitair
Solitair is a Canadian hip-hop MC and producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is currently a member of the Black Jays record label and production team...
of the Black Jays
Black Jays
Black Jays is a Canadian independent record label, production company, and musical collective, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music. Founded in 2000 by rappers Kardinal Offishall and Solitair, it was originally known as Silver House and the Girl . In 2004, the group came to prominence...
stated that he and Cipha Sounds
Cipha Sounds
Cipha Sounds is an American radio and television personality of Puerto Rican descent...
produced a track called "Outstanding", which later eventually leaked. The Runners have stated that they have produced three tracks for Tha Carter III. Lil Wayne revealed that he has a track for Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, which he has yet to send to him. He described this song as the "craziest". However, it is thought that Eminem turned down the request.
The album features guest appearences by Fabolous
Fabolous
John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
, T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
, Brisco
Brisco (rapper)
British Alexander Mitchell , who performs under the stage name Brisco, is an American rapper.-Early life:Mitchell grew up in Opa-locka, Florida. His mother died when he was 9, and four years later; at age 13, his brother was killed in a car accident...
, Bobby V, Betty Wright
Betty Wright
Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name, Betty Wright , is a Grammy winning Miami-based soul and R&B singer-songwriter, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night"...
, Static Major
Static Major
Stephen Ellis Garrett also known as Static Major, was a Grammy Award-Winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static Major gained posthumous fame for appearing on Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III on the...
, Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, Kidd Kidd, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...
, and Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
. MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reported that Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
worked on a couple of tracks for the album and that a song featuring Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, and Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
is likely to appear on the album. However, that Timbaland-produced track did not make the final cut. David Banner
David Banner
Lavell Crump , better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Southern University. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz before going solo in 2000...
confirmed that he will be credited for five tracks on the final cut of Tha Carter III, but only one is featured on the album. After the copyright controversy of "Playing with Fire", the track was later removed and replaced with another David Banner-produced track "Pussy Monster". Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
stated he was also working on the album. When asked about how many tracks Kanye West had contributed, he answered:
Music
Tha Carter IIIs lead single, "LollipopLollipop (Lil Wayne song)
"Lollipop" is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B artist Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008. The song is Lil Wayne's & Static Major's most successful to date,...
", peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, staying at the top for three weeks. It was Wayne's most successful solo single in his career, winning one Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, a BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
Award, and an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
VMA. The song was praised as an "electro-bumpin'...infectious track", perceived as more of a "bubblegum" pop track than rap. The second track on the album, "Mr. Carter
Mr. Carter
"Mr. Carter" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as the third promotional single from his sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The song features fellow American rapper Jay-Z and features production from DJ Infamous, with co-production from Andrews "Drew" Correa. In the song, Wayne...
", was nominated for a Grammy while also peaking within the Hot 100. It was praised for featuring Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, which was seen as Jay-Z passing the throne to Wayne. The second single, "A Milli
A Milli
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is the second official single, and the official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...
", was a top ten hit and was praised as one of the best songs of 2008. The song garnered countless freestyles and remixes, while Wayne's original version was praised with "spectacular rhyme". "Dr. Carter", the sixth track, was also praised for lyrical content and humor as Wayne took on the persona of a doctor performing surgery on various patients (a metaphor for Wayne resurrecting hip-hop). "Tie My Hands", featuring Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, was praised as a deep track featuring "political commentary" and "despair" with Thicke's performance being the most complementary to Wayne. "Phone Home" also features various alien metaphors reminiscent of the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
(1982).
Leaks
After most of the album leaked on the Internet in mid-2007, Lil WayneLil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
used the leaked tracks, plus four new songs to make an album titled The Leak. The Leak was to be officially released on December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until June 10, 2008. When questioned about the unplanned leak, Lil Wayne said:
On May 24, 2008, 10-second snippets of multiple songs were leaked onto AT&T Media Mall. On May 30-31, Tha Carter III was leaked internationally. The first of the leaks were distributed on May 30 at around 8pm where five songs from the track list were available on the internet. Hours later on May 31 at 12am-1am the whole album was leaked and posted on various websites for free download. The DJ responsible for the leaks was DJ Chuck T who retaliated for an interview conducted by Wayne, where he discredited all DJs and the mixtape scene days before. Lil Wayne later called DJ Drama
DJ Drama
Tyree Cinque Simmons better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I.....
's radio show Shade 45 Sirius Satellite Radio to explain that his comments were meant specifically for DJ Empire who leaked his materials periodically without his permission, consent, or knowledge; he also apologized for any misunderstandings between him and the numerous DJs that have aided him in the mixtape industry. He made it clear, however, that he wished for any feelings of dislike or resentment to remain.
Singles
The album's lead single, "LollipopLollipop (Lil Wayne song)
"Lollipop" is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B artist Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008. The song is Lil Wayne's & Static Major's most successful to date,...
", topped the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for 5 non-consecutive weeks, making it Wayne's most successful single in his career. It features the late rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
singer Static Major
Static Major
Stephen Ellis Garrett also known as Static Major, was a Grammy Award-Winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static Major gained posthumous fame for appearing on Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III on the...
. The album's second single, "A Milli
A Milli
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is the second official single, and the official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...
", was another top ten. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also won a Grammy for Best Rap Song. The video for the second single, "A Milli", was set to be released in May, and has since been mainstreamed. Multiple versions of the track were to be included on the album as "skit-like" tracks, featuring artists such as Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, Cory Gunz, Hurricane Chris
Hurricane Chris (rapper)
Chris Dooley, Jr. , better known by his stage name Hurricane Chris, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2007 hit single "A Bay Bay" from his debut album 51/50 Ratchet. In 2009, Chris released his second album Unleashed.- Early life :Hurricane Chris was born and raised in the Cedar Grove...
and Lil Mama
Lil Mama
Niatia Jessica Kirkland professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer.-Early life:...
. Another artist, 13-year-old Lil Chuckee, was also set to appear on one of the "A Milli" skits. None of the skits made the final cut of the album. The third single is "Got Money
Got Money
"Got Money" is the third single by American recording artist Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III . The single features singer-songwriter T-Pain. Both T-Pain and Lil Wayne use the auto-tune effect in the song. The single was released as a digital download on iTunes on May 27, 2008...
", featuring T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single is "Mrs. Officer
Mrs. Officer
"Mrs. Officer" is the fourth and final single from Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III. The song features Bobby Valentino and Kidd Kidd, and is produced by Deezle. The song officially debuted on September 9, 2008 It was ranked the No. 25 Hip-Hop song of 2008 by MTV.-Music video:ale cop an hour...
", featuring Bobby Valentino. It made the Top 20 in just four weeks. "Lollipop", "A Milli", "Got Money", and another track, "Mr. Carter
Mr. Carter
"Mr. Carter" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as the third promotional single from his sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The song features fellow American rapper Jay-Z and features production from DJ Infamous, with co-production from Andrews "Drew" Correa. In the song, Wayne...
", were nominated for a Grammy. Lil Wayne also performed "Tie My Hands" with Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
at the 51st Grammy Awards.
The album also featured the releases of promo singles. "3 Peat" peaked at number 66 on the Billboard 100. "You Ain't Got Nuthin
You Ain't Got Nuthin
"You Ain't Got Nuthin" is a song by American hip-hop artist Lil Wayne, released as the first promotional single from his sixth studio album, Tha Carter III . It features fellow American rappers Juelz Santana and Fabolous, and is produced by The Alchemist, with additional production from Deezle...
" featuring Fabolous
Fabolous
John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
and Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...
was released as a promo single, peaking at number 81 on the Billboard 100. "Mr. Carter
Mr. Carter
"Mr. Carter" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as the third promotional single from his sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The song features fellow American rapper Jay-Z and features production from DJ Infamous, with co-production from Andrews "Drew" Correa. In the song, Wayne...
", featuring Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, peaked at number 62 on the Billboard 100, number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, and number 13 on the Top Rap Songs. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or a Group in 2009.
Lawsuits
On July 24, 2008, Abkco Music IncABKCO Records
ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. is a major independent record label, music publisher, and film and video production company. It owns and or administers the rights to music by Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Marianne Faithfull, The Kinks as well as the Cameo Parkway label,...
. filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Lil Wayne for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
and unfair competition
Trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attaching to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees...
, specifically referring to the track "Playing with Fire". In the lawsuit, Abkco claims that the song was obviously derived from The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Play with Fire
Play with Fire (The Rolling Stones song)
"Play with Fire" is a song by English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones, originally released as B-side to the song "The Last Time". It was later included on the American release of their 1965 album Out of Our Heads....
", to which Abkco owns the rights. Subsequently, "Playing with Fire" was removed from the tracklist of Tha Carter III on all online music stores and replaced with the David Banner
David Banner
Lavell Crump , better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Southern University. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz before going solo in 2000...
produced track, "Pussy Monster".
On March 2011, producer Deezle
Deezle
Darius Harrison, better known as Deezle, is an American record producer who was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is most known for co-producing Lil Wayne's hit single Lollipop alongside Jim Jonsin...
(Darius Harrison) sued Wayne and his parent labels Cash Money Records over unpaid royalties from Tha Carter III album. On May 2011, producer Bangladesh also filed a lawsuit against Weezy & Co. over unpaid royalties as well. In early June 2011, another producer named David Kirkwood
David Kirkwood
David Kirkwood, 1st Baron Kirkwood, PC was a socialist from the East End of Glasgow, Scotland, viewed as a leading figure of the Red Clydeside era.Kirkwood was educated at Parkhead Public School and was trained as an engineer....
filed a lawsuit against Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records on claims that the labels have failed to pay him over $1.5 million dollars in royalties and production services for his work on the album, also including his songwriting on "Love Me or Hate Me", a bonus song featured only on the deluxe edition of the album. Also in June 2011, Dallas producers Play-N-Skillz
Play-N-Skillz
Play-N-Skillz are an American hip-hop electronic music record production duo from Irving, Texas, consisting of brothers Juan "Play" Salinas and Oscar "Skillz" Salinas, who are also rappers...
filed a lawsuit against him claiming Wayne owed them at least $1 million in unpaid royalties for "Got Money
Got Money
"Got Money" is the third single by American recording artist Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III . The single features singer-songwriter T-Pain. Both T-Pain and Lil Wayne use the auto-tune effect in the song. The single was released as a digital download on iTunes on May 27, 2008...
" from Tha Carter III.
Commercial performance
With opening day sales figures of approximately 423,000, the album sold 1,005,545 copies in its first week in the United States. With its first week sales, it is the largest first week sales for any album in 2008 in the United States and the first album to reach the million mark in one week since 50 Cent50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
's The Massacre
The Massacre
The Massacre is the second studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released March 3, 2005 on Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records in the United States. Its initially planned release was pushed five days ahead to avoid Internet leakage. The album debuted at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard...
(2005). Tha Carter III has also reached the top spot in the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, selling nearly 21,000 units. Elsewhere, the album achieved moderate success, entering at only number 23 in the UK and number 34 on the Irish Album Chart. In the album's second week, it sold a reported 309,000 copies, helping Tha Carter III towards becoming Lil Wayne's most successful selling album to date.
Tha Carter III had sold approximately 2.88 million copies in 2008, after selling another 985,000 and 964,000 in two week span week June 24–July 8 and well over 697,000 the following week in a 7 day span, becoming 2008's best-selling album. By the end of 2008, it was named the best-selling album of the year in the United States by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
. On February 12, 2009, the album was certified triple-platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), following shipments of three million copies. As of July 2011, it has sold 3.6 million copies in the US.
Critical response
Tha Carter III received general acclaim from music criticMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
s. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 84, based on 26 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Allmusic editor David Jeffries gave it four out of five stars and praised Wayne's "entertaining wordplay and plenty of well-executed, left-field ideas". NOW
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
gave it a five out of five rating and called it a "subversive masterpiece". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Alex Macpherson lauded Wayne's rapping, stating "Just trying to keep up with Wayne's mind as he proves the case is a thrill. 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". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....
commended its themes and stated "This isn't a mixtape, it's a suite of songs, paced and sequenced for maxaqimum impact." Jonah Weiner of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "a weird, gripping triumph". Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented that Wayne "has clearly worked to make Tha Carter III a statement of its own: one that moves beyond standard hip-hop boasting (though there's plenty of that) to thoughts that can be introspective or gleefully unhinged". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Ryan Dombal stated, "he distills the myriad metaphors, convulsing flows, and vein-splitting emotions into a commercially gratifying package". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave it an A- rating, indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks." Christgau noted that "every track attends to detail" and quipped, "From the start you know this is no mixtape because it's clearer and more forceful."
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s J. Freedom du Lac commended Wayne for his "impulses to be outrageous and unconventional", calling him a "nonsensical genius", but found the album "uneven". Tom Breihan of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
described it as "a sprawling mess, and it clangs nearly as often as it clicks" and "a work of staggering heights and maddening inconsistencies", but commended Wayne for his unconventional performance, stating "On paper, this is a textbook focus-grouped major-label hodgepodge, replete with girl songs and club songs and street songs. But every facet of the album comes animated and atomized by Wayne's absurdist drug-gobbling persona". Drew Hinshaw of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
gave it an eight out of 10 rating and stated "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". Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
gave the album three out of four stars and found it "scattershot", stating "When Wayne's mad alchemy works, Tha Carter III evinces shades of brilliance that merit the wild hype, but in its transparent attempts to define its era, it fails, falling victim to the imperial bloat of its big-budget mishmash of styles." Jon Caramanica of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that "this schizoid album [...] is alternately mesmerizing and inscrutable." Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Dave Hughes viewed that it lacks a "focus" as an album and stated, "while there are a lot of [...] great moments here, Carter III is not the definitive statement of Wayne's mastery that he clearly intended it to be." Brandon Perkins of URB commented that "As a sum of its parts, Tha Carter III does not transcend, but a good number of those parts are otherworldly enough."
Accolades
Tha Carter III was ranked number one in BlenderBlender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
s list of the 33 best albums of 2008. It was also ranked number three on Rolling Stones list of the top 50 albums of 2008. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, and it won for Best Rap Album
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
at the 2009 Grammy Awards, while "Lollipop
Lollipop (Lil Wayne song)
"Lollipop" is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B artist Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008. The song is Lil Wayne's & Static Major's most successful to date,...
" won for Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...
and "A Milli
A Milli
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is the second official single, and the official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...
" won for Best Rap Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine ranked the album number 103 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade.
Track listing
Bonus tracksNotes
- 1 Kidd Kidd is uncredited for his work on "Mrs. Officer"
- ² "Playing with Fire" was replaced on later pressings with "Pussy Monster" due to an ABKCO Records lawsuit
- "A Milli" contains samples of "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" by Gladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
and "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (Vampire Mix)" by A Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
. - "Comfortable" contains samples of "You Don't Know My NameYou Don't Know My Name"You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Written by Keys, Kanye West, and Harold Lilly and produced by Keys and West, the track was released as the album's lead single in November 2003, and contains a sample...
" by Alicia KeysAlicia KeysAlicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
and "Player's BallPlayer's Ball"Player's Ball" is the debut single from hip hop artists Outkast. The single was released in 1993, and is taken from the group's debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. The song itself discusses the nature of living in the South of the United States, and growing up within a hip hop culture....
" by OutKastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
. - "Dr. Carter" contains a sample of "Holy Thursday" by David AxelrodDavid Axelrod (musician)David Axelrod is an American composer, arranger and producer, working in several musical genres.-Biography:...
. - "Let the Beat Build" contains a sample of "Day by Day" by Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
. - "Dontgetit" contains a sample of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
. - "Action" contains a sample of "I'm So HoodI'm So Hood"I'm So Hood" is the second single off DJ Khaled's album We the Best . The song features Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Plies and T-Pain. "I'm So Hood" was Khaled's best-known song and highest charting song until "I'm on One" peaked at #10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2011.-Video:The video was shot in...
" by DJ KhaledDJ KhaledKhaled bin Abdul Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his...
. - "I'm Me" contains samples of "Go D.J.", "FiremanFireman (song)"Fireman" is the first single from Lil Wayne's fifth studio album Tha Carter II. The single was produced by DVLP and Filthy. The song was originally recorded with slightly different lyrics. This included a completely modified second and third verse...
", "Hustler MusikHustler Musik"Hustler Musik" is the second single from Lil Wayne's 2005 album Tha Carter II. Though very popular it failed to live up on the Billboard charts to other singles put out by Lil Wayne. The song received heavy airplay on East Coast radio stations and moderate airplay elsewhere and a music video was...
", and "Cash Money Millionaires" by Lil Wayne, "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" by MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, and "Rubberband ManRubberband Man"Rubberband Man" is the third single released from T.I.'s album Trap Muzik. Containing a sample of 'Go With Me' by Mannie Fresh, Production by David Banner was noted by music reviewers, particularly the ascending organ riff that has been described as 'hypnotic' and 'pure halftime show'. Upon...
" by T.I.T.I.Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
. - "Gossip" contains a sample of "Stop in the Name of Love" by Margie Joseph.
- "Kush" contains a sample of "Honey Wild" by Con Funk ShunCon Funk ShunCon Funk Shun is an American R&B and funk band popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Influences include James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone.-History:...
.
Personnel
Credits for Tha Carter III adapted from Allmusic.- Angelo Aponte – engineer
- David Banner – producer
- Joshua Berkman – digital editing
- Miguel Angel Mendoza Bermudez – mixing assistant
- Sandy Brummels – creative director
- Katina Bynum – project manager
- Gloria Caldwell – composer
- Ludas Charles – keyboards
- Andrew Dawson – mixing
- Jim Jonsin – producer
- Jonathan Mannion – photography
- Fabian Marasciullo – mixing
- Sol Marcus – composer
- Vlado Meller – mastering
- Sha Ron Prescott – vocals
- Pro-Jay – engineer, musician, producer
- James Scheffer – composer
- Miguel Scott – engineer
- Swizz Beatz – producer
- Robin Thicke – musician, producer
- Julian Vasquez – engineer
- Gina Victoria – engineer
- Kanye West – producer
Weekly charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
|
| Dutch Albums Chart | |
| French Albums Chart | |
| German Albums Chart | |
| Irish Album Chart | |
| UK Album Chart | |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 181 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification(s) |
|---|---|
| Canada | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom | Gold |
| United States | 3× Platinum |
Chart procession and succession
External links
- Tha Carter III at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...