Lil Wayne
Tha Carter
(2004) signaled a change in direction for Lil Wayne. The album itself wasn't a
huge departure from Lil Wayne's past three -- it's filled to the brim with
tracks produced by Cash Money in-house producer
Mannie Fresh,
some of which could well have been left on the cutting room floor -- yet it
showcased a more measured and mature performance by the rapper, who seemed newly
emboldened and sported a new look on the album cover (i.e., dreadlocks). The
change in direction was commercial as well as
musical,
as
Tha Carter
featured Lil Wayne's biggest hit in years, "Go
DJ";
moreover, the album itself was a Top Five hit. Also in 2004, Lil Wayne began to
be guest-featured regularly, starting with
Destiny's Child's
"Soldier," a Top Three hit.
A pair of popular 2005 mixtapes, Dedication (with DJ Drama) and Suffix (DJ
Khaled), further established Lil Wayne as a dexterous freestyle rapper. Plus,
they helped garner additional interest in his
music
among listeners who weren't part of the usual Cash Money constituency. By the
end of the year, Lil Wayne's reputation was such that
Tha Carter,
Vol. 2,
his next Cash Money album, debuted at number two on Billboard's album chart upon
its December release, and did so without the benefit of a smash hit ("Fireman"
stalled at number 32) or the productions of workhorse
Mannie Fresh,
who had left Cash Money.
In the wake of
Tha Carter,
Vol. 2,
which was a critical favorite as well as a strong seller, Lil Wayne continued to
bolster his reputation and increase his fan base via the mixtape circuit. Of the
myriad mixtapes bearing his name from 2006 onward,
Dedication,
Vol. 2
(DJ Drama, 2006) is a standout; like
Tha Carter,
Vol. 2,
it was a critical favorite, making many end-of-year lists. The Carter, Vol. 2,
Pt. 2: Like Father, Like Son (DJ Khaled, 2006) was notable, too, as some of its
material was revived for
Like Father,
Like Son
(2006), a major-label collaboration with
Baby,
aka
Birdman,
that spawned the hit "Stuntin' Like My Daddy." Lil Wayne also collaborated
regularly with
Dipset
member
Juelz Santana
during this period. After some stolen tracks for his next official album
appeared on the
Internet,
the download-only EP The Leak appeared in 2007. A year later that same EP
appeared as a bonus disc on a limited-edition release of Tha Carter III. Initial
singles from the album included "A Milli" and "Lollipop."
Hits:
‘Lollipop’: Video: Watch here
‘ Make it Rain’’ Video: Watch here
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