genre hiphop

Free of Wayne bars, “King Carter” cleanses the palette for listeners heading into Tha Carter VI. The intro features a narrator hailing Weezy’s greatness like a Roman Empire ruler returning to his throne. “With metaphors sharp as a gleaming blade, he changed the game,” the narrator states while thunderous horns rain down. “Wayne stays timeless, he’ll never die.”

Out of all the fire production at his disposal, this circus beat should’ve been passed on. Weezy repeatedly says Donald Trump is the red elephant of the Republican party, but it’s unclear if it’s a jab at the president he was photographed with and pardoned by in 2021.

The bell sounds and Weezy lets the chopper sing like a mini-uzi of punchlines for three minutes straight. This is a track Wayne would’ve absolutely ripped during the height of his mixtape era circa ’07, but instead of blazing 100 mph down the freeway, the New Orleans icon keeps it cruising at 65.

Tha Carter V saw Wayne team up with his daughter, Reginae, and C6 brings on another family affair with teenage son Kameron Carter helming chorus duties. It’s catchy for a teen who raps about “zooming in a Rari through L.A.” Although he’s not old enough to drive just yet, he’s probably ridden in his fair share of exotic sports cars over the years.

Weezy has fancied himself as an alien in the past, and his spaceship takes orbit to a different planet on “Mula Komin In.” A maximalist take on SoundCloud rap, Wayne lets his son, Lil Novi, bask in the spotlight before showing him father knows best. “He take after me, I’m the big apple tree/ And you know the apple don’t fall too far from it/ He only fourteen, but that’s nothing but numbers,” Wayne raps while saluting his son’s aspirations.

Nobody — and I mean nobody — saw a Jelly Roll and Big Sean union with Wayne coming. But that’s what makes Wayne great — being able to sew unlikely teammates into formation. Jelly handles chorus duties, singing about the haters lying in the weeds. “Can’t trust nobody,” Weezy inflects. “Where was everybody at when I was just nobody?” Big Sean closes ruminating about those he lost and the exes left behind, while calling out “new enemies” being “old friends.” It’s tough to digest, but “Snakes will” live in the middle of the pack.

Wayne attempts to reconnect with his rock roots while his syrupy croon floats over Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” beat. Parts of the track seem to work, but others just feel like Wayne’s lost on the island he’s rapping about. This could be the one that takes off on TikTok, though.

Fans got a taste of “The Days” when it was used as part of the NBA Finals promo, and it appears to be Wayne’s shot at a commercial-friendly single from C6 with a lift from U2’s Bono. Weezy speaks directly to America, but things are brighter. He claims to have been in Manhattan on 9/11’s tragedy, whether that be physically or spiritually, who knows? At 42, Wayne doesn’t take any day for granted while thinking back to the times he was locked up or lying flat on a hospital bed, not knowing what was ahead. This would’ve been a smash circa 2010.

The first signature lighter intro of the night smokes out the desolate drum kicks. Weezy picks up the pace, sliding into his slurry flow, and it gets cold, so bundle up. The faucet runs as bars pour out of Wayne and the dark days turn to starry nights.

Nobody was more hyped to notch a Carter VI feature than Machine Gun Kelly, who formed the unlikely trio alongside Wayne and Kodak Black on “Alone in the Studio With My Gun.” A starry beat that Juice WRLD would’ve ripped, a sorrowful MGK takes on the chorus while Wayne raps about having more guns on the wall than guitars and more beats in his head than his heart. Kodak squeezes into the mix and leaves listeners with more to be desired.

Backed by horns, Weezy leans on New Orleans’ jazzy roots for “Flex Up.” He condenses his flow nose-diving into action with plenty of drug references and gaudy name-drops to perk listeners’ ears up from Christina Aguilera to Slim Shady. It’s a Welcome 2 Collegrove reunion with 2 Chainz joining the sugar rush, and these guys will be able to join forces with ease until their in the retirement home.

Wayne wasn’t shy about his rock star wishes when he made the rock pivot in 2010. Here, Weezy glides over soothing strings while his guitar doubles as a lover who played him and got away. It’s an enjoyable listen, but the experimental attempt feels misplaced on the album. “Damn, I’d do the most for you/ I should use that bridge you sold me to get over you,” he softly speaks in a raspy flow about a former flame. A lonely Wayne playing the guitar in front of a campsite bonfire feels like the right setting for a visual.

The nostalgia is strong with “Banned From NO” as longtime fans will go back to Weezy blacking out on No Ceilings standout “Banned From TV” while taking a second swipe at the N.O.R.E. classic. Wayne growls about those who crossed in his hometown, and could possibly have undertones tied to his New Orleans Super Bowl snub.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli roars in the background throughout “Maria” while bringing Tha Carter VI to the opera house. Wayne grabs the baton from Wyclef Jean and locks in with a shout-out to his rap hero Missy Elliott. He focuses on more serious subject matter, touching on seeing his father abuse his mother and the self-inflicted gunshot wound that nearly took his life. Rapping-wise, this is one of Weezy’s best performances on the album and a peek behind the tattoos, shades and recluse’s curtain.

A church choir chants “Welcome to the Carter” and then fades into the background to blend seamlessly with the holy production. Weezy effortlessly bounces off the drums while interpolating Diddy bars from the 1997 classic “Victory.” Wayne lives in his own world so it’s possible he’s oblivious to the troubling allegations and charges surrounding Combs.

A gospel record with shrewd sports-themed name-drops from Metta World Peace to Sean McVay and a tribute to Lakers legend Jerry West gets the stamp of approval.

Wayne throws up his B’s and slides on “Loki’s Theme.” This was a bona fide standout from C6 with vintage Weezy threats repping his set until a stark turn into the rock lane to close it out brings the unmitigated chaos. Regardless, it’s one of the memorable tunes on the album.

BigXthaPlug continues his winning streak going toe-to-toe with Wayne. He kicks off the groovy “Hip-Hop” with a tight verse where he’s feeling like 2Pac. They even duet on the chorus, which comes very unexpected. “B—-s all over me and X like Twitter, n—a,” Wayne raps with another cheeky punchline that Wayne has made a living spewing for nearly three decades. Hopefully there’s more X and Weezy collabs down the line.

A self-expression empowerment anthem, Wayne reunites with Cash Money engine Mannie Fresh, who builds a tarmac for Tunechi to take flight with a soul sample looped around flutes. If there’s one thing about Wayne, he’s always going to be the fullest version of himself, and not change for anybody. “Do a song about myself featuring myself,” Wayne raps. While AI continues to pop up and cause some to take cover in music, Weezy is confident no robot can replicate his brain. “It could be AI, it still ain’t him/ And if it ain’t my YM, we ain’t them,” he spews. Weezy’s right at home on “Bein Myself.”

Wayne saves the best for last with “Written History” serving as a powerful outro and final chapter to close the book on C6. Kicked off by a 1974 speech from boxing legend Muhammad Ali before stepping into the ring against Sonny Liston for the second time.

Weezy touts his status in the rap game atop the food chain and calls out those who have attempted to mimic his style, but there’s only one Tunechi. “Don’t eat the fruit without acknowledging the label, n—a,” he raps.