Tha Carter IV

A tenth studio effort defined by delayed timelines, prison interruptions, and a re-recorded vision that topped the charts despite mixed critical reception.

Tha Carter IV marks the tenth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on August 29, 2011, through Cash Money Records, Universal Republic Records, and Young Money Entertainment. Following the massive success of Tha Carter III in 2008, recording sessions began in late 2008 but were intentionally paused as Wayne refused to rush a sequel he felt might be inferior. The project faced significant interruptions, including Wayne's prison sentence at Rikers Island for illegal weapon possession, which halted new recordings and led to the release of Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being using older material. Upon his release, the album was re-recorded from scratch with an extensive list of producers. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 964,000 copies, becoming Wayne's third chart-topper.

Quick Facts

Artist

Lil Wayne

Released

29 August 2011

Recorded

October 2008 – July 2011

Studio

Wayne's Crib (Miami, Florida)

Genre

Hip-hop

Length

60:25

Label

Cash Money
Universal Republic
Young Money

Lore & Background

The development of Tha Carter IV was a turbulent journey beginning in late 2008. After releasing Tha Carter III to strong sales and acclaim, Wayne claimed he did not want to follow it quickly with another release. By October 2009, Birdman announced plans for three albums on December 15, 2009, but this shifted as Rebirth and We Are Young Money were released separately, pushing Tha Carter IV to 2011. Initial hopes for a May or June release were postponed by Mack Maine to ensure perfection, eventually settling on August 29, 2011. The timeline was further complicated when Wayne served time at Rikers Island; unable to record new material, he released I Am Not a Human Being with unreleased tracks from the original sessions. Following his freedom, the album underwent a complete re-recording process.

Reader's Guide

Tha Carter IV was released digitally at midnight on August 28, 2011, following Wayne's performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, with physical copies arriving the next day. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 964,000 copies sold in its first week. Five singles were officially promoted: "6 Foot 7 Foot" (featuring Cory Gunz), which peaked at number nine on the Hot 100 and featured a video inspired by Inception; "John" (featuring Rick Ross); "How to Love," which became the best-performing single peaking at number five; "She Will" (featuring Drake); and "It's Good" (featuring Jadakiss and Drake). A sixth single, "Mirror" featuring Bruno Mars from the deluxe edition, was released later. The album received generally mixed reviews, with critics divided on its production and Wayne's performance, though it earned a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Intro	Dwayne Carter, Jr., Willie Hodge II, Jermaine Preyan	2:52
2	Blunt Blowin	Carter, Jr., Bigram Zayas, Matthew DelGiorno	5:12
3	MegaMan	Carter, Jr., Orville McWhinney	3:18
4	6 Foot 7 Foot (featuring Cory Gunz)	Carter, Jr., Seandrae Crawford, Peter Panky, William Attaway, Irving Burgie	4:08
5	Nightmares of the Bottom	Carter, Jr., Preyan, Ben Vaughn, Maurice Jordan	4:41
6	She Will (featuring Drake)	Carter, Jr., Aubrey Graham, Tyler Williams	5:05
7	How to Hate (featuring T-Pain)	Carter, Jr., Faheem Najm, Tremaine Winfrey	4:38
8	Interlude (featuring Tech N9ne)	Carter, Jr., Hodge II, Preyan, Aaron Yates, Andre Benjamin	2:01
9	John (featuring Rick Ross)	Carter, Jr., Jamal Jones, Rob Holladay, Kevin Crowe, Erik Ortiz, William Roberts II	4:47
10	Abortion	Carter, Jr., Preyan, Stephen Hacker	3:43
11	So Special (featuring John Legend)	Carter, Jr., Andre Lyon, Marcello Valenzano, Eddie Montilla, John Stephens	3:52
12	How to Love	Carter, Jr., Preyan, Noel Fisher, LaMar Seymour, LaNelle Seymour, Marcus Boyd	4:00
13	President Carter	Carter, Jr., Angel Aponte, Marco Rodriguez-Diaz	4:15
14	It's Good (featuring Jadakiss and Drake)	Carter, Jr., Lyon, Valenzano, Graham, Jason Phillips, Brian Pickens, Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson	4:01
15	Outro (performed by Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes)	Carter, Jr., Hodge II, Preyan, Bernard Freeman, Nasir Jones, Jamal Barrow, Trevor Smith, Moshe Levi Ben-David	3:52
Total length			60:25

A Turbulent Roadmap from Conception to Release

Tha Carter IV emerged as a project defined by significant delays following the success of Tha Carter III. Recording began in late 2008 but was paused when Wayne claimed he did not want to follow an album he held in high regard so quickly with a potentially inferior release. The timeline shifted again when Wayne served a prison sentence at Rikers Island for illegal weapon possession, preventing new recordings and leading to the 2010 releases of Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being from unreleased material. Upon his release, the album was re-recorded from scratch with producers like Kanye West and Noah "40" Shebib. After multiple postponements in 2011 to perfect the sound, it finally released on August 29, 2011.

Artistic Shifts and Collaborative Depth

The album largely contains more introspective subject matter compared to predecessors, exploring morbid lyrical content and downtempo production. It features appearances from a diverse roster including Cory Gunz, Drake, T-Pain, Tech N9ne, André 3000, Rick Ross, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Birdman, Kevin Rudolf, Jadakiss, Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes. The lead single "6 Foot 7 Foot" featured Cory Gunz and peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, with a video directed by Hype Williams inspired by Inception. "John," featuring Rick Ross, debuted at twenty-two on the Hot 100. "How to Love" became the best-performing single, peaking at number five.

Commercial Triumph Amidst Critical Division

Following a heavily delayed release, Tha Carter IV was released digitally on August 28, 2011, and physically on August 29. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 964,000 copies, becoming Lil Wayne's third album to debut at number one. Despite these impressive numbers, the album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. They were divided on the production and Wayne's performances, often finding it a disappointment compared to his previous work. Robert Christgau noted its stunted sense of play, while others called it a "bad rap album." However, Rob Sheffield praised Wayne's unhinged delivery, and David Jeffries called it a solid, above-average hip-hop album. It received a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

Production Evolution and Unreleased Material

Recording sessions resumed at various locations involving producers such as Bangladesh, Detail, T-Minus, Noah "40" Shebib, Polow da Don, Jim Jonsin, Tha Bizness, Kane Beatz, Boi-1da, Willy Will, Streetrunner, Cool & Dre, Young Ladd, The Smeezingtons, and Kanye West. Several tracks were considered but removed or reworked; "Dear Anne (Stan Part 2)" was excluded because Wayne felt the verses were too old and originally planned for Tha Carter III. Swizz Beatz later released a new version on his Monster Mondays program. Prior to release, videos of Wayne recording "She Will" with Drake appeared online in August 2011, and T-Pain confirmed his song "How to Hate" was included.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Tha Carter IV officially released?

The album dropped on August 29, 2011, serving as the fourth entry in Wayne's flagship series. It was distributed through Young Money Entertainment alongside Cash Money and Universal Republic Records.

How did incarceration impact the music released before this record?

Since Wayne could not record new material while incarcerated, labels released Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being using older sessions instead. This strategy kept fans engaged until the final Carter IV vision was ready to launch.

What was the critical and commercial reception of Tha Carter IV?

The project topped the charts despite receiving mixed reviews from music critics upon its debut. It remains a defining record that highlighted Wayne's resilience following his legal challenges.