Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V

Pitchfork 74

The long-delayed album captures Wayne how we want to remember him: openhearted, word-drunk, and exhilarated by the possibilities of his own voice.

The Guardian 60

(Young Money)

The most anticipated hip-hop album of the autumn – Kanye West’s Yandhi – did not appear on schedule. Another long-awaited set did, though: Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V (due in 2013). The wait for C5 has involved label ructions, suits, countersuits, the disgraced Martin Shkreli and the rise of numerous rappers deploying the prefix “Lil” – many of whom model themselves in some way (face tattooes, slurred delivery) on the New Orleans powerhouse.

It’s a measure of water under the bridge that Dedicate – a confident vamp – samples ex-president Obama holding Lil Wayne up as an overachiever. One Wayne protege, Nicki Minaj, guests; it’s unclear why the other biggie, Drake, isn’t here.