I remember seeing Lil Wayne on ESPN one day last summer; the day when he revealed the cover art for what could possibly be his final album, Tha Carter V. In addition to the cover art, Lil Wayne also stated that the album would be dropping on October 28. This news probably made the day of many loyal Lil Wayne fans, but, as it goes with most Hip-Hop albums, Tha Carter V was delayed.
I had already set aside time to listen to Lil Wayne’s album on October 28th – but when I woke up last Tuesday there was no album to be heard. Instead, what I found was a witty video by Lil Wayne in which he explains the reason for his album’s delay while donning a Nelly reminiscent Band-Aid.
He begins by joking that he hasn’t had time to work on the album because, in his own words: “I’ve just been skatin’ too goddamn much man… and I just forgot all about recording.” Lil Wayne’s passion for skating is not the reason for his album delay, though. Instead the problem is the fact that he has so many songs to pick from that he wants to take his time and release it the right way so he doesn’t cheat his fans. Wayne also announces that due to his influx of music, he will be releasing Tha Carter V in two parts, promising that the first part will be released on December 9th.
Personally I almost expected the album to be delayed due to the fact that Wayne had neither released a track list nor given fans an opportunity to pre-order the album. Up until day before the album released, though, there was no news of a delay, so there was a slim hope. Instead, Lil Wayne released a PSA as well as a new single, “Gotti,” so I guess we got something.
If Tha Carter V is not released on its new date, the possibility of it ever releasing will continue to shrink as it has with another famous unreleased album, Dr. Dre’s Detox. While Dr. Dre makes his billions selling Beats headphones and sound systems, Detox stands as an album that may never be released. Fans of Lil Wayne better hope that he does not achieve the same success if they desire a new album is strong enough.
Elorm is an English major at Mizzou in his first year with KCOU. Born in Ghana and raised in Illinois, he enjoys listening to a range of different music, from popular to obscure, as well as making music productions of his own. He is also a drummer and an amateur dancer.