Tha Carter VI
Fourteenth solo studio album by Lil Wayne, released June 6, 2025.
Tha Carter VI is the fourteenth solo studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on June 6, 2025, by Young Money and Republic Records. It serves as the sixth installment of the Tha Carter album series, following his collaborative album with 2 Chainz, Welcome 2 Collegrove (2023), and marks seven years since its predecessor Tha Carter V (2018). The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 108,000 album-equivalent units.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Lil Wayne
- Released
- 6 June 2025
- Recorded
- 2013/2014–2025
- Genre
- Hip hop
- Label
- Young Money, Republic
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Carter | Dwayne Carter, Manny Galvez, Christopher Townsend | 1:48 |
| 2 | Welcome to Tha Carter | D. Carter, Angel Alponte | 3:35 |
| 3 | Bells | D. Carter, Galvez, James Smith, Frederick Rubin | 3:24 |
| 4 | Hip-Hop (with BigXthaPlug featuring Jay Jones) | D. Carter, Xavier Landum, Ronald Jones, Marco Rodriguez-Diaz, Alexander Wu, Einer Bankz, Benjamin Diehl | 4:01 |
| 5 | Sharks (with Jelly Roll and Big Sean) | D. Carter, Jason DeFord, Sean Anderson, Taylor Phillips, Rocky Block, Jordan Schmidt, Jaxson Free, Julian Harris, Matthew Samuels, Scotty Coleman, Amir Sims | 3:49 |
| 6 | Banned from NO | D. Carter, Mario Jefferson, Darius Ginn Jr., Victor Santiago Jr., Christopher Rios, Cameron Giles, Jason Phillips, Jermain Baxter, David Styles, Kasseem Dean | 3:38 |
| 7 | The Days (with Bono) | D. Carter, Paul Hewson, Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Simon Carmody, Nadir Khayat, Bigram Zayas | 4:21 |
| 8 | Cotton Candy (with 2 Chainz) | D. Carter, Tauheed Epps, Galvez, Roberto Curti | 3:26 |
| 9 | Flex Up | D. Carter, Ryan Vojtesak, Robert Richardson, Masamune Kudo | 2:50 |
| 10 | Island Holiday | D. Carter, Galvez, Julian Munro, Rivers Cuomo | 4:17 |
| 11 | Loki's Theme | D. Carter, Ernesto Shaw, Galvez, Munro | 4:10 |
| 12 | If I Played Guitar | D. Carter, Patrick Beta, Marcus Lomax, Midi Jones | 2:52 |
| 13 | Peanuts 2 N Elephant | D. Carter, Lin-Manuel Miranda | 3:12 |
| 14 | Rari (with Kameron Carter) | D. Carter, Kameron Carter, Wesley Glass, Richardson | 2:50 |
| 15 | Maria (featuring Andrea Bocelli and Wyclef Jean) | D. Carter, Andrea Bocelli, Wyclef Jean | 3:23 |
| 16 | Bein Myself (featuring Mannie Fresh) | D. Carter, Byron Thomas, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland, Richard Wylie | 4:39 |
| 17 | Mula Komin In (with Lil Novi) | D. Carter, Neal Carter, Gregory Phillips, Adam Oyenuga | 3:51 |
| 18 | Alone in the Studio with My Gun (with MGK and Kodak Black) | D. Carter, Colson Baker, Bill Kapri, Derek Smith | 2:52 |
| 19 | Written History | D. Carter, Glass, Harley Arsenault, Alex Lustig | 4:42 |
| Total length | 67:49 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Background and recording
Prior to the album's release, Lil Wayne was the cover story for Rolling Stone's May 2025 issue, where he discussed the album's background and recording. He revealed that Kanye West and Wheezy had production on the album, though the track assisted by West might be removed due to recent controversy. Possible features mentioned included Miley Cyrus, Andrea Bocelli, and his son Kameron. A Billie Eilish sample was mistakenly credited as a feature until a correction was published. Wyclef Jean played a major role in production and recording, stating that he and Wayne recorded over 30 tracks for the album.
Release and promotion
After Lil Wayne declared Tha Carter V would be his final album, Young Thug announced his debut album would be titled Tha Carter VI in honor of Wayne, causing Wayne's displeasure and contributing to troubles with Cash Money Records label boss Birdman. With the threat of legal action, Young Thug renamed his project to Barter 6. In a July 2020 interview with Variety, Wayne called his favorite Carter album 'the next one.' In August, he announced Tha Carter VI while stating his mixtape No Ceilings 3 would precede it. At a Young Money Reunion Concert in Toronto on August 6, 2022, Wayne hinted at the album's release, and a pre-save link was shared via Instagram. In September, he posted a photo in the studio with Juelz Santana captioned 'CARTER 6 In Process...#ICFMF.' On September 29, 2023, he released the mixtape Tha Fix Before Tha VI. On January 20, 2025, Wayne stated the album was 'guaranteed' for 2025. On February 9, 2025, a Cetaphil commercial during Super Bowl LIX showed Wayne entering a studio with signs reading 'CARTER VI' and 'DO NOT DISTURB TIL 06-06-2025,' and Republic Records confirmed the June 6, 2025 release date. On April 22, 2025, Wayne announced his first solo headline show at Madison Square Garden on the album's release night and unveiled the cover art depicting his baby self with facial tattoos.
Critical reception
Tha Carter VI received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Robin Murray of Clash magazine wrote that the album 'doesn't reach the heights of III but probably crests V,' highlighting 'Hip-Hop,' 'Bein Myself,' and 'Cotton Candy' as among Wayne's finest work. Paul Attard of Slant Magazine called it 'one of Wayne's most meandering, insular, and uninspired to date,' though he identified 'Banned from NO' and 'Hip-Hop' as high points. Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone felt Wayne's sound evolved into a more mainstream pop persona lacking urgency. AllMusic's Fred Thomas found 'Bein' Myself' reminiscent of earlier works but described most tracks as 'loud and bewildering.' Paul Thompson of Pitchfork deemed the album not well-thought-out, with nearly every verse defaulting to a dense, superficially complex style. Michael G. Barilleaux of RapReviews called it 'an oddly shaped misfire of a satirical take.' Kabelo Chirwa of Spectrum Culture noted that many explicit punchlines 'hit different coming from a 42-year-old father.'
Track listing
The album includes samples and interpolations: 'Bells' samples LL Cool J's 'Rock the Bells'; 'Banned from NO' samples N.O.R.E.'s 'Banned from T.V.'; 'Island Holiday' interpolates Weezer's 'Island in the Sun'; and 'Maria' samples Andrea Bocelli's performance of 'Ave Maria' (composed by Vladimir Vavilov).
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