Lil Wayne

Tha Carter 6 (released June 6, 2025)

Remember Jay Z’s infamous line about his pal Memphis Bleek being “one hit away” from superstardom?

In some ways, that old adage rings true for Lil Wayne. If you ask his fans, he’s always One Hit Away from redemption.

We all know the story by now – how a teenage rapper from New Orleans wobbledy-wobbledy himself from meme to megastar, homing his craft via a legendary mixtape run that not only revamped his career but would reshape the entirely of hip-hop in his image.

His ascent was historic. But his descent? Horrific.

The 2010s were not kind to Mr. Mula. While he was arguably the most influential rapper of that decade – his blueprint guided an entire generation of new artists – his own career was defined by miss after miss after unfortunate miss.  A collection of aimless albums drowning in endless diarrhea metaphors.

So. Many. Doo-doo. Bars.

But the diehards never lost hope and it all came to a head with the release of the LONG-delayed Tha Carter 5 in 2018. Those young Wayne fans who were introduced to this thing called rap via Weezy’s Carter 3 run had an undying loyalty to Tha Carter brand. They knew that this album would be the one to validate their fandom – it would be Wayne’s redemption after a near-decade of misses and affirmation that their stanning was not in vain.

Too bad Carter 5 was an overstuffed, undercooked disappointment.

Though many of those fans have spent the past seven years wildin’ like Johnnie Cochran in defense of that album (just go look at my previous posts on it…) they knew deep down that it wasn’t the one.

For the sake of their fandom, and for the sake of Wayne’s fading legacy, the sixth time HAS to be the charm.

Tha Carter 6 looks to rewrite nearly 15 years of shaky history. It’s Wayne’s chance to prove – to the doubters and his disciples – that he truly is the best rapper alive.

Spoiler: He doesn’t. At all.

Tha Carter 6 is more Memphis Bleek than Shawn Carter. Actually, scratch that, Memph never had a project this bad.

“Welcome to Tha Carter” kicks things off with glimpses of the Weezy of old – namely, his trademark stream-of-consciousness flow littered with wild punchlines: “My flow like the flu I catch, I’m higher than your tube socks stretch/Life a b****, I’m ’bout to make her your ex.” But listen closely and you can tell that something’s missing.

The flow is kinda lethargic. The delivery doesn’t have the same bite. The punchlines don’t have the same sting.

The Fireman has lost his flame.

If you think I’m being dramatic, “Bells” will shatter your hopes and dreams. What is supposed to serve as a homage to LL Cool J’s hard-hitting “Rock the Bells” winds up as a watered-down mess. Wayne is barely on beat, the production is muffled and mangled and, worst of all, Weezy decides THIS song is the perfect opportunity to throw shots at Kendrick Lamar for the allegedly Super Bowl performance snub.

Way to prove the NFL wrong for benching you, Wayne.

Weezy’s bars have been in a steady decline since his fecal fixations but I’m shocked by how shoddy the production on C6 can be. I got excited for the first .000000001 second of “Banned from N.O.,” an obvious homage to the classic “Banned from TV” mixtape banger. But the beat sounds like it’s playing from an MP3 player in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and the track’s rambling bars and irritating hook do it no favors.

“The Days” with Bono grates on your nerves like those interchangeable electronic album cuts from the 2010s while “Peanuts 2 N Elephant” sounds like a drunken outtake from MF DOOM’s The Mouse and The Mask project. Just picture a cutaway from your favorite Family Guy episode but make it weirder and worse. So basically like a modern day Family Guy episode.

And in probably the most disastrous turn of events, Wayne decides to revisit his dreaded rock persona from his Rebirth Era – AKA the Dirt Worst Version of Wayne. “Island Holiday” covers Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” and it’s sonic waterboarding. “Just got an acting coach to help me act my age,” he claims on that song – get your money back playa, those lessons aren’t helping! “If I Played Guitar” is another cringey acoustic ballad that only worked exactly one time in his career (“How to Love”) and never has again. The streak continues.

Does ANYTHING work on this project? Well, yeah. A few times.

Literally three.

Y’all know I’m a sucker for big horns, which makes “Cotton Candy” by far the sweetest thing on this project. The lively production feels like it was plucked from a session with the Marvelettes and forces Wayne to get some pep in his step. 2 Chainz is his usual ridiculous self, bragging about his girl’s “booty softer than Uggs.” It’s not a great song, but it’s fun, and that goes a long way on such a dry, dour album.

It’s also no surprise that Mannie Fresh comes through with the best production on the LP, thanks to “Bein Myself.” It’s soulful and introspective, giving it a much deeper feel than other tracks here. I just wish he wasn’t delivering his bars with the enthusiasm of your grandma reading items off of the dollar menu. And “Rari” is far from a classic but at least has a lot of personality, with Wayne’s son Kameron autotuning his way through the hook.

The rest of the album is a wasteland of bizarre features and sloppy performances. “Maria” features Wyclef Jean sounding like he’s being held in the studio at gunpoint while a Andrea Bocelli sample belts out “Ave Maria.” Why? “Hip-Hop” features a great hook from BigXThaPlug that Wayne ruins by talking all over BigX. Why?!? The autotune on “Flex Up” is so distorting that it sounds like Wayne’s dentures are slipping out his mouth. WHY?????

Wayne’s discography post Carter 4 has had its share of lows, but C6 is scraping the bottom of the fecal barrel. Maybe that’s why Wayne spends the final track, “Written History,” making the case that he’s the greatest of all time. Is he trying to convince his lapsed fans, or is he trying to convince himself?

Doesn’t matter, he’s not finding redemption today.

Best tracks: “Cotton Candy”

2 stars out of 5