Honestly, walking into the release of Tha Carter IV back in 2011 felt like waiting for a coronation that everyone was secretly hoping would be a disaster. You’ve gotta remember the context. Lil Wayne had just come home from an eight-month stint at Rikers Island. He was the biggest rapper on the planet, sure, but the music world had changed. Drake was becoming a supernova, and Kendrick Lamar was just starting to whisper in the rafters. Everyone wanted to know: could Weezy still do it? When we talk about Lil Wayne Tha Carter 4 album songs, we aren't just talking about a tracklist. We’re talking about a moment where the "Best Rapper Alive" had to prove he wasn't a relic of the mid-2000s.
It’s funny. People love to bash this album as the "beginning of the decline," but the numbers tell a totally different story. It moved 964,000 copies in its first week. Nearly a million. In an era where people were actually starting to stop buying CDs.
The Highs, the Lows, and the Pure Weirdness
The album opens with a bang. "6 Foot 7 Foot" is basically "A Milli" on steroids. Bangladesh produced it, and if you listen closely, it’s just Wayne and Cory Gunz (who absolutely murdered his verse, by the way) rhyming over a chopped-up sample of Harry Belafonte’s "The Banana Boat Song." It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s perfect Wayne.
But then you get into the meat of the tracklist. "Blunt Blowin" became an immediate anthem. It has that slow, menacing crawl that feels like New Orleans humidity. Then there’s "Nightmares of the Bottom," which is probably the most honest Wayne was on the whole project. He sounds tired. He sounds like a man who just saw the four walls of a cell and realized that the view from the top is actually kinda lonely.
The Most Famous Tracks You Still Hear Today
- "How to Love": This was the ultimate curveball. A rap god putting down the mic to sing an acoustic ballad? The critics hated it. The radio loved it. It’s actually a sweet song about self-worth, which is weird coming from the guy who wrote "Lollipop," but it worked.
- "She Will" (feat. Drake): This is the definitive Young Money sound. T-Minus on the beat, Drake on a hook that sounds like a dark room filled with smoke, and Wayne dropping some of his most quoted (and most questionable) punchlines.
- "Mirror" (feat. Bruno Mars): This was a deluxe track that ended up being bigger than half the standard album. It’s cinematic. It feels like the end credits of a movie you didn't want to finish.
Why the Features Are the Secret Sauce
Look, Wayne is the star, but the guest list on this album is insane. You’ve got Rick Ross on "John," which is basically a Lex Luger-style haunted house of a beat. They’re basically just shouting about being "real" over massive bass hits, and it’s glorious.
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But the real talk? The "Interlude" and the "Outro." On "Interlude," Wayne doesn't even show up. Tech N9ne and André 3000 just... take over. André's verse is often cited as one of the best guest verses of the decade. He’s conversational, off-beat, and reminds you why he’s a legend. Then the "Outro" brings in the heavyweights: Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes. It’s like a rap Olympics.
The Tracks That Aged Like Milk
Not everything is a classic. "How to Hate" with T-Pain? Kinda rough. It’s that era of over-processed Auto-Tune that feels a bit dated now. "Abortion" is another one that feels a bit lost in the shuffle. It has a heavy, guitar-driven production that Lil Wayne was obsessed with after his Rebirth rock phase, but it doesn't quite land the way "President Carter" does. Speaking of "President Carter," that track is a hidden gem. Sampling Jimmy Carter’s inauguration? That’s the kind of high-concept stuff Wayne does best when he’s actually focused.
The Beef with Jay-Z
You can't talk about Lil Wayne Tha Carter 4 album songs without mentioning "It's Good." This is the track where the subliminal shots between Wayne and Jay-Z finally went "liminal." After Jay-Z had a line on Watch the Throne about "baby money," Wayne responded with a verse about kidnapping Beyoncé (well, "kidnap your bitch"). It was a tense moment in hip-hop history. Jadakiss and Drake were on the track too, but everyone was just focused on those few bars.
The Legacy in 2026
Looking back from where we are now, Tha Carter IV is a bridge. It’s the bridge between the mixtape-run Wayne and the elder statesman Wayne. It’s not as cohesive as Tha Carter II and it’s not as groundbreaking as Tha Carter III, but it’s arguably his most "professional" sounding record. The production is glossy. The hooks are massive.
If you're revisiting the album, don't just stick to the singles. Go back and listen to "MegaMan." It’s three minutes of pure, uninterrupted bars. No hook. Just Wayne being a lyrical athlete. That’s the version of Weezy that most fans are actually looking for.
Next Steps for Your Playlist:
Go grab the "Complete Edition" on your streaming service of choice. It includes tracks like "Up Up and Away" and "I Like the View," which actually have some of the best flows on the entire project. Also, if you haven't heard the André 3000 verse on "Interlude" in a while, do yourself a favor and put on some good headphones. It’s still a masterclass in cadence.