Tha Carter II

Tha Carter II
Studio album by Lil Wayne
Released	December 6, 2005 (2005-12-06)
Recorded	2004–05
Genre	Southern hip hop, gangsta rap
Length	77:22
Label	Cash Money, Young Money, Universal
Producer	Birdman (exec.), Ronald "Slim" Williams (exec.), The Runners, DJ Nasty & LVM, Robin Thicke, Young Yonny, The Heatmakerz, Cool & Dre, Deezle, Bigg D, Doe Boys, T-Mix, Batman, Matlock
Lil Wayne chronology
Tha Carter (2004) Tha Carter II (2005) The Dedication (2005)
Singles from Tha Carter II
"Fireman" Released: October 25, 2005 "Hustler Musik" Released: January 10, 2006 "Shooter" Released: April 9, 2006

Tha Carter II is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005, by Cash Money, Young Money, and Universal. The album serves as a sequel to his fourth album Tha Carter (2004). Its music incorporates southern hip hop styles. As executive producers, Birdman and Ronald "Slim" Williams enlisted a variety of collaborators, including The Runners, Robin Thicke, and The Heatmakerz.

Upon its release, Tha Carter II received acclaim from music critics, who complimented its musical progression from his previous albums. The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of over 254,000 copies. The album has sold over 1,400,000 copies since its release.^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
Robert Christgau	B+[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B[5]
Pitchfork Media	(8.1/10)[6]
PopMatters	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Stylus	B+[9]
USA Today	[10]
Village Voice	(favorable)[11]
XXL	(XL)

Upon its release, Tha Carter II received general acclaim from music critics, with several praising the lyricism and artistic growth demonstrated by Wayne on the album. David Jeffries of AllMusic praised the album's balance of "hookless, freestyle-ish tracks" and "slicker club singles", commenting that "the well-rounded, risk-taking, but true-to-its-roots album suggests he can weather the highs and lows like a champion."^[2] Entertainment Weekly‍ '​s Ryan Dombal wrote that Tha Carter II "transcends [Wayne's] inflated ego" and complimented the album's "sturdy funk-blues tracks... that offer genuine value".^[5] David Drake of Stylus Magazine called the album "one of the year's best releases" and lauded his "entire persona, an aura, a rap creation that seems fully-developed and fascinating".^[9] Despite writing that "Wayne's verses need a good polish", Nick Sylvester of Pitchfork Media wrote that the album contains "jaw-droppers aplenty" and complimented Wayne's growth as a lyricist, stating:

People who met Wayne on "Go DJ" and thought him a lunchroom hack emcee – who knows what's happened since then, but damn has he learned how to write. His squeak is now a croak, his laugh a little more burly, his flow remarkably flexible. Sometimes he's deliberate like syrup cats ("But this is Southern, face it/ If we too simple then yall don't get the basics") but when he needs to be, he's nimble as that Other Carter: "I ain't talking too fast you just listening too slow." Remy and weed, fast things and women, the corner – these are Wayne's wax since B.G.'ing with B.G., putting piff on the campus before he ever enrolled in college.^[6]

—Nick Sylvester

IGN writer Jim During gave the album an eight out of ten and commented that Wayne "[punishes] the mic with hard-hitting verbal tenacity", and wrote that the album shows him "at his most focused, and is a strong next step for a relatively young career."^[12] Matt Cibula of PopMatters wrote ambivalently towards that album's production, writing that "the producers here are mostly no-namers who do their jobs well but not spectacularly", but praised Wayne's "amazing" words and remarked that "he really IS the best rapper alive, at least when he tries".^[7]

Track listing

Notes

• (co.) denotes co-producer

Sample credits

• "Tha Mobb" –Contains samples of "Moment of Truth" performed by Willie Tee.
• "Best Rapper Alive" –Contains samples of "Fear of the Dark" performed by Iron Maiden.
• "Grown Man" –Contains samples of "Sparkle" performed by Cameo.
• "Receipt" –Contains samples of "Lay-Away" performed by The Isley Brothers
• "Shooter" –Contains samples of "Oh Shooter" performed by Robin Thicke and "Mass Appeal" performed by Gang Starr.
• "I'm a D-Boy" –Contains samples of "Paid in Full" performed by Eric B. & Rakim.
• "Get Over" –Contains samples of "Love Is What We Came Here For" performed by Garland Green.

Personnel

Credits for Tha Carter II adapted from Allmusic.^[13]

Charts and certifications

Certifications

References