There was a time when Lil Wayne called himself the »best rapper alive« – and he wasn’t exactly wrong. His style of rapping like it was the easiest thing in the world was astonishing. His non-stop flow often felt like someone had turned on a tap, unleashing an endless stream of words until it was finally turned off again. It was always something of a miracle that it worked so well.
On Tha Carter VI, however, nothing works anymore. Lil Wayne’s voice, always slightly grating, now becomes downright irritating – and let’s be honest, it gives you a headache. On »Flex Up« in particular, he’s practically unbearable, mumbling incoherently. One has to wonder: are those even words, mate? Only Kodak Black manages to be even more intolerable, especially on »Alone In The Studio With My Gun«.
The production is equally lifeless – while still somehow trying to sound epic, which only makes things worse. The simply titled track »Hip-Hop« is sort of charming, but the supposed ballad »Sharks« has to be a joke. And just in case that wasn’t enough, there’s a grossly patriotic Bono feature on »The Days«. The drums on that track are probably the worst I’ve heard all year – until, that is, Island Holiday comes along, with Lil Wayne doing his best Weezer impression. Awful. And that’s coming from someone who couldn’t care less about Weezer. Tha Carter VI isn’t just tasteless – it’s genuinely, irredeemably bad. I hate it. Every bit of it.
Tha Carter VI
