Much has been made of the wait for the release of Tha Carter IV, which comes three years after Tha Carter III and after Lil Wayne’s completed eight-month prison sentence. Really, prison time and all, Lil Wayne has released rap-rock album Rebirth, extended EP I Am Not a Human Being and mixtape Sorry 4 the Wait since then, and Tha Carter IV continues Lil Wayne’s prolific, occasionally bewildering and often brilliant release schedule. Tha Carter IV is strongest at its harshest, bleakest moments. The insane beats of “6 Foot 7 Foot” up the ante from Tha Carter III’s “A Milli” (sharing producer Bangladesh’s choice samples and spare, forceful presentation), and “President Carter” is one of his strongest statements yet, setting his boasts over stark production, while Wayne sneaks in antiwar rhetoric as the song closes (“The body count is the physical proof/And they thought drugs were killing the youth”). Guest spots by Drake, Nas and especially Rick Ross on the theramin-crazed “John” help lighten the mood and enlighten the record throughout.

Also available as a Deluxe Edition CD and on LP.