It was Dedication 4 where Wayne first rapped over the “Special Delivery” beat, which C5’s “Uproar” repurposes with a Swizz Beatz assist. The mid-aughts run of No Ceilings, and multiple rounds of Da Drought and Dedication series, have been cited as influences by performers ranging from ASAP Rocky to Lil Yachty to Chance the Rapper. Of course, there are moments that harken back to Wayne’s mixtape peak, the gold standard to which purists and diehards hold his every verse.
Later, on “Start This Shit Off Right,” Wayne reunites with Mannie Fresh on a production that takes its title from a 1992 bounce classic, DJ Jimi’s “Where They At,” which Wayne previously referenced on “Pop That.” It’s a lilting reminder of how long he’s been in the game (“Tell these niggas I been rich since the Hot Boys”) but also of the bounce influence on Young Money chart-toppers like Nicki’s “Truffle Butter” and the good songs from Drake’s Scorpion (“Nice for What” and “In My Feelings”). Wayne is arguably the most influential New Orleans musician since Louis Armstrong With that, it’s easy to envision him in a booth, standing on tiptoe, spitting the wending punchlines that make you wonder when he’s gonna take a breath. The moment is a lighter-flick that signals which Wayne has shown up for C5. So if I die young, blame the juice/Bury me in New Orleans/Tombstone reads 'Don’t cry, stay Tuned/Bring me back to life/Got to lose a life just to have a life/But if heaven's as good as advertised/I want a triple extension on my motherfuckin’ afterlife/Rest in paradise Between X’s wails, Wayne is firmly in his pocket: Cita’s stage-setting, Wayne arrives with a posthumous XXXTentacion cameo and the fully engaged bars that fans have been bracing for. Instead C5 finds Wayne talking to his kids-literally on “Famous,” where he duets with first-born Reginae, and figuratively as he jousts with those he’s influenced throughout the rest of the album. The two settled a $51 million lawsuit back in June, paving the way for Wayne’s first non-Cash Money release ever. I come direct with my shit/I come correct with my shit/A blank check on your face, put some respek on my shit
Cita’s is the first and last voice heard on Tha Carter V, with nary a peep in between about his father figure, whom Wayne addressed without ambiguity on 2017’s Dedication 6: Reloaded after the infamous Breakfast Club interview: It’s a place to prove that, at his best, Wayne is worth any wait. Now that it’s here, Tha Carter V provides Wayne with the forum to be intentional and calculated about his position in hip-hop. Given the herky-jerky release date announcement and pushbacks for C5, his commitment to putting out a proper album was at first met with anticipation and then, hard as that is to sustain, derision. Wayne has been uneven and prolific between albums, his stature allowing him to release whatever he wants or to broadcast his concerts whenever he wants via the internet. Releases came and went, some unremembered ( T-Wayne) and some criminally underrated (“D’Usse,” “Big Bad Wolf,” ColleGrove). It’s been six years since Lil Wayne announced Tha Carter V’s completion, and in that time audiences have been reminded of his propensity to come back hard from a layoff (à la the post-Rikers “6 Foot 7 Foot”) and for dropping lesser efforts in the downtime ( Sorry 4 the Wait and its sequel). What’s an album to a goblin, at this point?