Poetically enough, Lil Wayne's classic 2008 album Tha Carter III will turn 10 years young mere days after we received word that Weezy had landed a settlement in his suit against Cash Money. With the long-delayed Carter V now an actual possibility, Weezy fans have the unique opportunity to look back on Wayne's greatest era while simultaneously speculating about what's ahead.
As genre-redefining albums go, Carter III is rare in that it successfully walked the line between outright commercial bait ("Lollipop") and introspective social commentary (the "Dontgetit" outro) without sacrificing the album's consistency in tone. As we await what this next chapter in Wayne will bring, why not marvel at Carter III's iconic cover art through a series of recreations starring many of the artists Wayne has directly influenced?
Lil Uzi Vert, Chance the Rapper, Quavo, Trippie Redd, Ty Dolla Sign, Takeoff, Offset, Wiz Khalifa, and more have linked with Spotify to emblazon their faces on the classic 2008 cover ahead of the tenth anniversary. "When I heard Tha Carter III, I knew Wayne was the greatest rapper alive," Uzi, whose Wayne inspiration has been heavily discussed among his peers, said.
Lest we forget, 2008 was also the year Wayne blessed Fall Out Boy's Folie à Deux with an unforgettable verse that saw him penning an open letter to gravity:
Following the Blast's report early Thursday that Wayne had been given a settlement check from Universal and was finished with the long-running Cash Money dispute, Wayne's team offered some clarity. "Per our settlement agreement, the matter has been amicably resolved to the satisfaction of all parties," Wayne's attorney Ron Sweeney said. "In terms of the particulars, we're prohibited legally from saying anything further. I can say that my client is happy. He is his own man, a man that owns his assets, his music, and himself. At some point, Wayne will let his fans know what's going to happen next."
Presumably, "next" will include the final word on the Carter franchise.
