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Tha Carter III

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Tha Carter III is the Grammy Award winning sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. The first three singles released from the album, ("Lollipop", "A Milli", and "Got Money"), have all achieved top ten success on the Billboard Hot 100, a very rare feat for a rap album. The fourth single, "Mrs. Officer", reached the Top 20 quickly in 4 weeks after Wayne confirmed this song to be an official single. The album received positive reviews and from several music critics and publications, while it earned universal acclaim, according to the website aggregator Metacritic,[1] following an anticipated release. On New Year's Eve, it was named the top-selling album of 2008 in the United States, selling 2.88 million copies. [2]

Due to an original December 11, 2007 release date, Tha Carter III was named the "#1 most anticipated album of 2007" by XXL[3][4] and the #3 album of 2008 by Rolling Stone.[5] The cover, featuring a baby picture of Lil Wayne, follows designs of album covers done by American rappers Nas (Illmatic) and The Notorious B.I.G. (Ready to Die).[6] In December 2008, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album to be presented at the 51st Grammy Awards.[7]


Collaborators include Fabolous,[8] T-Pain, Brisco, Bobby Valentino, Betty Wright, Static Major, Robin Thicke, Kidd Kidd, Jay-Z,[9] Juelz Santana,[10] and Busta Rhymes.[11] MTV reported that Wyclef Jean worked on a couple of tracks for the album and that a song featuring Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, and Timbaland is likely to appear on the album.[12][13] However, that Timbaland produced track did not make the final cut. David Banner confirmed that he will be credited for five tracks on the final cut of Tha Carter III, but only one is featured on the album.[14] After the copyright controversy of "Playing with Fire", the track was later removed, replaced with another David Banner produced-track "Pussy Monster". Swizz Beatz has stated he is also working on the album.[15]

When asked about how many tracks Kanye West has contributed, he answered: "On the first visit he had 5 joints. On the second visit he gave me a CD with 15 joints on it. I then told him to slow down and he left me alone. But we got a good three on the album." He confirmed that he had a few tracks on The Leak that are produced by Kanye West.[16]

Release and promotion

Album leaks

After most of the album leaked on the Internet in mid-2007, Lil Wayne used the leaked tracks, plus four new songs to make an album titled The Leak.[3] The Leak was to be officially released on December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until June 10, 2008.[17] When questioned about the unplanned leak, Lil Wayne said:

We have to find out exactly what's out there. I'll probably just [collect] all the songs that's floating around and make my own mixtape called The Leak since people want the music so bad. To tell you the truth though, there's a song I did with Kanye West out there—of course you want to save that for your album, but the rest of them songs probably wouldn't have made the album. There's a song floating around that says 'produced by Timbaland'; Tim didn't produce that record though.[12]

On May 24, 10 second snippets of multiple songs were leaked onto AT&T Media Mall.[18]

On May 30-31st, Tha Carter III was leaked internationally. The first of the leaks were distributed on May 30 at around 8pm where five songs from the track list were available on the internet. Hours later on May 31 at 12am-1am the whole album was leaked and posted on various websites for free download. The DJ responsible for the leaks was DJ Chuck T who retaliated for an interview conducted by Wayne, where he discredited all DJ's and the mixtape scene days before.[19]

Lil Wayne later called DJ Drama's radio show Shade 45 Sirius Satellite Radio to explain that his comments were meant specifically for the Empire DJ's who leaked his materials periodically without his permission, consent, or knowledge; he also apologized for any misunderstandings between him and the numerous DJ's that have aided him in the mixtape industry. He made it clear, however, that he wished for any feelings of dislike or resentment to remain.[20]

Singles

The first single, "Lollipop", was at #1 on the Billboard 100 for 5 non-consecutive weeks. It features the late Static Major. The second single is "A Milli". It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for the second single, "A Milli", was set to be released in May. Multiple versions of the track were to be included on the album as "skit-like" tracks, featuring artists such as Tyga, Cory Gunz, Hurricane Chris and Lil Mama.[21] Another artist, 13-year-old Lil Chucky, is also set to appear on one of the "A Milli" skits. None of the skits made the final cut of the album. The third single is "Got Money", featuring T-Pain. It reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single is "Mrs. Officer", featuring Bobby Valentino. It made the Top 20 in just 4 weeks. "Lollipop", "A Milli", "Got Money", and another track, "Mr. Carter", are nominated for Grammys. Lil Wayne also performed "Tie My Hands" with Robin Thicke at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Reception

Commercial performance

With opening day sales figures of approximately 423,000, the album sold 1,005,545 units in its first week in the United States.[22] With its first week sales, it is the largest first week sales for any album in 2008 in the United States and the first album to reach the million mark in one week since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005. Tha Carter III has also reached the top spot in the Canadian Albums Chart, selling nearly 21,000 units. Elsewhere, the album achieved moderate success, entering at number 23 in the UK and number 34 on the Irish Album Chart. In the album's second week, it sold a reported 309,000 copies, helping Tha Carter III towards becoming Lil Wayne's most successful selling album to date.[23]

Tha Carter III had sold approximately 2.4 million copies, after selling another 209,000 and 200,000 in two week span week June 24–July 8 and well over 100,000 the following week in a 7 day span, becoming 2008's best-selling album.[24][25] As of March 4th, Tha Carter III has sold 3,044,600 copies domestically, and has been certified 3x Multi-Platinum.[26]

Critical Response

The album was included in HipHopDX.com's Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of 2008 after receiving 3.5 out of 5 and called it 2008's "one true unescapable presence." [27] The album was ranked #1 in Blender magazine's list of The 33 Best Albums of 2008.[28] Tha Carter III was ranked #3 in Rolling Stone's list of Top 50 Albums of 2008.[29]
The album won Best Rap Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards, as well as the singles, 'Lollipop' winning Best Rap Song and 'A Milli' winning Best Rap Solo Performance.[30]

Lawsuit

On July 24, 2008, Abkco Music Inc. filed a lawsuit against Lil Wayne for copyright infringement and unfair competition, specifically referring to the track "Playing with Fire".[31] In the lawsuit, Abkco claims that the song was obviously derived from The Rolling Stones' "Play with Fire", song that Abkco owns right to.[31][32] Subsequently, "Playing with Fire" was removed from the tracklist of Tha Carter III on all online music stores and replaced with the David Banner produced track, "Pussy Monster".[33][34][35]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."3 Peat"Maestro3:19
2."Mr. Carter" (ft. Jay-Z)Infamous, Drew Correa5:16
3."A Milli"Bangladesh3:41
4."Got Money" (ft. T-Pain)T-Pain, Play-N-Skillz4:04
5."Comfortable" (ft. Babyface)Kanye West4:25
6."Dr. Carter"Swizz Beatz4:24
7."Phone Home"Cool & Dre3:11
8."Tie My Hands" (ft. Robin Thicke)Robin Thicke5:19
9."Mrs. Officer" (ft. Bobby Valentino, Kidd Kidd1)Deezle4:47
10."Let the Beat Build"Kanye West, Deezle5:09
11."Shoot Me Down" (ft. D. Smith)D. Smith4:29
12."Lollipop" (ft. Static Major)Jim Jonsin, Deezle4:59
13."La La" (ft. Brisco, Busta Rhymes)David Banner4:21
14."Playing with Fire2" (ft. Betty Wright)StreetRunner4:21
15."You Ain't Got Nuthin" (ft. Fabolous, Juelz Santana)The Alchemist, Deezle5:27
16."DontGetIt"Rodnae & Mousa9:54
UK Bonus Track
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
17."Action"Deezle3:45
iTunes Bonus Tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
17."Lollipop (Remix)" (ft. Kanye West, Static Major)Jim Jonsin, Deezle4:55
18."Prostitute 2"Maestro, Deezle5:50
Standard Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."I'm Me"DJ Nasty & LVM4:55
2."Gossip"StreetRunner3:25
3."Kush"Maestro3:42
4."Love Me or Hate Me"GX4:00
5."Talkin' About It"Infamous3:31
Target Limited Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Action"Deezle3:45
2."Whip It"Deezle6:01
3."I'm Me"DJ Nasty & LVM4:55
4."Gossip"StreetRunner3:25
5."Kush"Infamous3:42
6."Love Me or Hate Me"GX4:00
7."Talkin' About It"Infamous3:31

1 Kidd Kidd is uncredited for his work on "Mrs. Officer"
2 "Playing with Fire" was replaced with "Pussy Monster" on all online music stores due to an Abkco lawsuit [33][34][35]

Additional credits

# Title Notes
1 "3 Peat"

Songwriters: D. Carter, V. Brooks

2 "Mr. Carter"

Songwriters: D. Carter, A. Correa, M. Rodriquez, S. Prescott, S. Carter

3 "A Milli"

Songwriters: D. Carter, S. Crawford, C. Hester
Samples: "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (Vampire Mix)" by A Tribe Called Quest[36]

4 "Got Money"

Songwriters: D. Carter, F. Najm, J. Salinas, O. Salinas

5 "Comfortable"

Songwriters: D. Carter, K. West, K. Edmonds
Samples: "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys

6 "Dr. Carter"

Songwriters: D. Carter, K. Dean, David Axelrod
Samples: "Holy Thursday" by David Axelrod

7 "Phone Home"

Songwriters: D. Carter, A. Lyon, M. Valenzano

8 "Tie My Hands"

Songwriters: D. Carter, R. Thicke

9 "Mrs. Officer"

Songwriters: D. Carter, D. Harrison, R. Wilson

10 "Let the Beat Build"

Songwriters: D. Carter, K. West
Samples: "Day by Day" by Eddie Kendricks

11 "Shoot Me Down"

Songwriters: D. Carter, D. Smith

12 "Lollipop"

Songwriters: D. Carter, S. Garrett, J. Scheffer, D. Harrison, R. Zamor

13 "La La"

Songwriters: D. Carter, L. Crump, B. Mitchell, T. Smith

14 "Playing with Fire"

Songwriters: D. Carter, N. Warwar, J. Desrouleaux

15 "You Ain't Got Nuthin"

Songwriters: D. Carter, J. Jackson, A. Maman, L. James

16 "DontGetIt"

Songwriters: D. Carter, R. Young Mousa, B. Benjamin, G. Caldwell, S. Marcus
Samples: "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Nina Simone

* "Action"

Songwriters: D. Carter
Samples: "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled

* "I'm Me"

Songwriters: D. Carter, L. Mollings, J. Mollings
Samples: "Go DJ", "Fireman", "Hustler Musik", "Cash Money Millionaires" by Lil Wayne,
"God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" by Moby, "Rubberband Man" by T.I.

* "Gossip"

Songwriters: D. Carter, L. Dozier, B. Holland, E. Holland, N. Warwar
Samples: "Stop in the Name of Love" by Margie Joseph

* "Kush"

Songwriters: D. Carter, V. Brooks, L.L. McCall, L. McCall, D. Thomas
Samples: "Honey Wild" by Con Funk Shun

Chart history

Chart Provider Position Sales Certification
Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA
47
Canadian Albums Chart Nielsen SoundScan
1
160,000+[37]
2x Platinum[38]
Dutch Albums Chart Dutch Albums Chart
21[39]
French Albums Chart French Albums Chart
25[40]
Irish Album Chart IRMA
34
UK Album Chart The Official UK Charts Company
23[41]
100,000+
Gold
U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard
1
3,012,110[42]
3x Platinum[43]
German Albums Chart Media Control Charts
29

References

  1. ^ Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III (2008): Reviews. "Metacritic". Accessed December 4, 2008.
  2. ^ Lil Wayne Notches Top-Selling Album Of '08. "Billboard". Accessed December 31, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Lil Wayne Announces Tha Carter III: The Leak on December 18, with Official LP Coming in February. XXL (October 26, 2007). Accessed October 26, 2007.
  4. ^ Jesús Triviño Alarcón, Matt Barone, Hillary Crosley, Thomas Golianopoulos, Brian Miller (January 30, 2007). Remedy: The Top 10 Most Anticipated Albums of 2007. XXL magazine. Accessed January 30, 2007.
  5. ^ http://www.rapbasement.com/lil-wayne/121008-lil-wayne-lands-at-number-3-in-rollingstones-top-50-albums-of-2008.html
  6. ^ 24 Hour Hip Hop Accessed July 3, 2008
  7. ^ Coldplay, Lil Wayne lead Grammy nominations. "Metacritic". Accessed December 4, 2008
  8. ^ Rap.about.com
  9. ^ ThePremier (February 25, 2008).It's Official, Jay-Z to Appear on Tha Carter III. Def Sounds. Accessed February 25, 2008.
  10. ^ Fullmetal (June 11, 2007). Lil Wayne preps Tha Carter III. Def Sounds. Accessed June 11, 2007.
  11. ^ Slava Kuperstein (February 22, 2008). Lil' Wayne Visits His School, Says "Carter III" Due in April. HipHopDX. Accessed February 22, 2008.
  12. ^ a b Shaheem Reid, Jayson Rodriguez and Rahman Dukes (June 11, 2007). Lil Wayne Plans His Own Leak; Cassidy's Live-From-Jail Rhymes. MTV. Accessed August 4, 2007.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference eminem was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Allen Starbury (November 19, 2007). David Banner Explains Constant Album Delays, Diversifies Portfolio. Baller Status. Accessed November 19, 2007.
  15. ^ Slava Kuperstein (January 31, 2008). Swizz Beatz Keeps Busy in the Studio. HipHopDX. Accessed January 31, 2008.
  16. ^ Lil Wayne Interview With SemtexTV Rap Basement. Accessed May 2008.
  17. ^ Janelle Griffith (April 9, 2008). Lil' Wayne's Carter III Pushed Back. SOHH.com. Accessed April 9, 2008.
  18. ^ AT&T Media Mall
  19. ^ RapGodFathers July 3, 2008
  20. ^ Andreas Hale (May 31, 2008). Lil Wayne Explains Mixtape Diss & Still Calls Out Deejays. HipHopDX.com. Accessed June 5, 2008.
  21. ^ Shaheem Reid (April 29, 2008).[1]. MTV. Accessed April 30, 2008.
  22. ^ Weezy Blog #1 – Thank You Accessed June 17, 2008.
  23. ^ Billboard Accessed July 3, 2008
  24. ^ Lil Wayne To Out Sell G-Unit, Tech N9ne and ByrdGang | Rap Basement
  25. ^ [News] T.O.S. Cant Terminate The Carter III
  26. ^ http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2009/02/topic/topic/news/lil-waynes-tha-carter-3-has-gone-3x-platinum/
  27. ^ [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials/id.1284 HipHopDX.com - The Top 25 Hip Hop Albums of 2008]. In December 2008, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album to be presented at the 51st Grammy Awards.[7] HipHopDX.com.Accessed December 30, 2008.
  28. ^ [http://www.blender.com/Channel/1LilWayneThaCarterIII/slideshow/46367/4430.aspx Blender Magazine - The 33 Best Albums of 2008 ]. Blender.Accessed December 31, 2008.
  29. ^ [2] Accessed January 2,2008.
  30. ^ [3]
  31. ^ a b "Lil Wayne sued for using Rolling Stones track". NME. Los Angeles. July 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  32. ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 25, 2008). "Lil Wayne Sued By Rolling Stones Publisher Over 'Playing With Fire'". MTV. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  33. ^ a b "Tha Cater III on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  34. ^ a b "Tha Cater III on Amazon". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  35. ^ a b "Tha Cater III on Rhapsody". Rhapsody. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  36. ^ Cited tracklist, credits and samples are taken from the booklet of Tha Carter III Deluxe Edition. They may not include disputed claims, as the "Playing with Fire" sample in the Abkco lawsuit.
  37. ^ [4] Accessed February 8, 2009
  38. ^ [5] Accessed February 8, 2009
  39. ^ DutchCharts Accessed July 3, 2008
  40. ^ Ifop Accessed July 3, 2008
  41. ^ News.Bbc Accessed July 3, 2008
  42. ^ [6]
  43. ^ http://www.riaa.com/
Preceded by U.S. Billboard 200 number-one album (first run)
June 22, 2008 – June 28, 2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. Billboard 200 number-one album (second run)
July 13, 2008 – July 26, 2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian Albums Chart
June 28, 2008 		Succeeded by
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