Photo from MCT

Since joining the free world in November, the public eagerly has been awaiting the drop of Lil Wayne’s album “Tha Carter IV.”

Lacking the influence of his former alcohol and drug-fueled lifestyle, the album has some hits and misses.

This album isn’t horrible; it’s just a mess.

Kudos to Weezy for being healthy, but sobriety has taken away the distinct sound that officially launched his super star status.  The grain and the grit of his voice are gone.

Not only has his voice become more clear but his lyrics lack the struggle and plight of the youth culture he used to so closely mirror.

Anguish is missing.  His post-prison lifestyle has created lyrics that mimic cheesy jingles—“You can have it your way…Burger King,” or “When it Waynes, it pours.”

His mixtapes, notably “Dedication 2” and “Da Drought 3,” and previous albums revealed a prolific and captivating stream of beats and words that officially put him on the charts.

Lil Wayne’s impressive line-up of guest tracks give the public what they expect from him: soul, struggle and strength.

Despite the fact that each track has a different sound, with no real flow, the album has a bit of organizational structure.  The Intro, Interlude and Outro make up the body of the album, while the other songs and artists fill in the rest, giving the body a little boost in personality.  Tech N9ne is sure to gain a few thousand fans from their guest appearance.

Other guests include Busta-Rhymes, Andre 3000, T-Pain, Bruno Mars and the oh-so- smooth John Legend.

Aside from an all-star lineup of guest tracks, the other high points of the album are the invigorating “6 foot 7 foot” and the acoustic “How to Love.”  These two tracks alone demonstrate the shift of Lil Wayne’s career over the past months.
“6 foot 7 foot,” while not incredibly unique, illustrates Lil Wayne’s ability to excite a crowd and connect to the audience,  leaving them wanting more.

“How to Love” is mainstream, no doubt, but caters to a different audience, showing  Lil Wayne’s willingness to be daring and try a different style.

One of the final tracks, “Mirror, Mirror,” illustrates Lil Wayne’s life in a reflective ballad. With Bruno Mars, he manages to produce the most honest of all the tracks of “Tha Carter IV.”

While most of the album is Lil Wayne’s lament about women, drugs and death,  “Mirror” ends the album with a touch of hope.

References to his past in prison and the ending of his old ways suggest that his once crazy, irresponsible and somewhat dangerous lifestyle is over.