Legendary rapper, Lil Wayne, released “Tha Fix Before Tha VI” on Sept. 29. This mixtape is a preview of his highly anticipated album, “Tha Carter VI.” Lil Wayne is easily one of the most iconic rappers of this generation and maybe even of all-time, but his latest work doesn’t surpass or even reach the standard of his previous albums.
The main problems with this mixtape begin with the fact that he decides to sing instead of rap for most of the project. He’s made it work on projects like “Tha Carter III” but it does not even come close to working here. His singing is off-key and unsynchronized with the beat on songs like “Act Up,” it’s drenched in autotune and seems completely misplaced. As always, his rapping is stellar, but it’s heard much less than some of Wayne’s previous projects like “Tha Carter II” and “No Ceilings.”
Wayne’s best performances are on the songs “Slip” and “Good Morning” because he sticks to what he’s known for and fans want: his fast-paced rapping. This rapping ability has always been his strong suit, but he decides to sing on the majority of the album, only giving fans a sliver of what they really want to hear.
Further, the production is extremely odd on this album. “Tuxedo” has rock production, “Tity Boi” has an EDM beat and the most odd production choice was with the song “Birds” where the beat is literally birds chirping. Wayne is simply trying to do too much with songs like “Tuxedo” and “Tity Boi” where he is switching genres and it simply doesn’t work.
So far, the album has received mostly negative reviews from critics and fans alike. He is quite simply just trying to do too much. If this is an indicator of what “Tha Carter VI” is going to look like there is definitely some skepticism of what it will sound like. Now there is definitely a feeling of worry, considering the legacy of his “Tha Carter” series. The self-proclaimed “Best Rapper Alive” needs to make a change if he wants to prove that he can still be considered one of the best rappers after 20 years of being at the top.
