Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter Series: Six Albums, Six Eras, One Legend
Thursday, September 18th, Lil Wayne brings the Tha Carter VI Tour to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston—another chance to celebrate two decades of a series that has been central to his legacy. To prep for the show, it’s worth rolling through each Tha Carter album: where it came from, what it did, and how it still echoes today.
Tha Carter (2004)
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter dropped on June 29, 2004, and marked a turning point. It debuted at #5 on the US Billboard 200, selling about 116,000 copies first week. It gave him his first major mainstream solo hit with “Go D.J.”, which cracked the top 15 on the Hot 100—something he hadn’t done at that scale before. Over time the album reached platinum status in the US, and was later certified 2× platinum for combined sales + album-equivalent units. Tha Carter planted the seed: Wayne wasn’t just a hot mixtape rapper—he was building an album legacy.
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Tha Carter II (2005)
*A year later came Tha Carter II, released December 2005. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, selling around 240,000 copies first week in the U.S. It featured the singles “Fireman,” “Hustler Musik,” and “Shooter”—“Shooter” with Robin Thicke being a standout (both for fans and as proof Wayne was growing in both confidence and versatility). Over time the album was certified double platinum, solidifying Wayne’s status not just as a hype mixtape star but as an album artist whose lyrical skill and ambition were catching eyes.
Tha Carter III (2008)
This one changed everything. Tha Carter III debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, moving about 1,005,545 copies in its first week—Wayne’s first #1 debut. It had huge hits: “Lollipop,” “A Milli,” “Got Money,” “Mrs. Officer,” etc. It was the biggest hip-hop album of 2008 in the U.S. and eventually certified 6× platinum, with millions more through streaming over the years. It elevated Wayne into superstardom—everybody knew his name, his flow, and his punchlines.
Tha Carter IV (2011)
After a lot of anticipation (and delays), Tha Carter IV dropped and opened at #1 with 964,000 copies sold first week in the U.S. It had hits like “How to Love,” “She Will” (featuring Drake), “6 Foot 7 Foot” (feat. Cory Gunz), “John” (feat. Rick Ross), and others. The album was certified 5× platinum in the U.S., with well over 2 million in sales and strong worldwide numbers. Some critics felt it didn’t quite match Tha Carter III‘s fire top-to-bottom, but there’s no denying its commercial force and many songs still show up in Wayne’s live shows.
Tha Carter V (2018)
Tha Carter V was another heavyweight moment—not just musically but legally, personally, professionally. After years of legal battles and delays, it finally dropped in September 2018. The album still managed strong numbers, and though it didn’t move quite as fast as Carter IV first week, its impact was huge: ties to legacy, proving that Wayne could bounce back. According to tracking, Tha Carter V has sold about 2 million+ copies and is certified 2× platinum in the U.S. It reminded fans (and the industry) that Wayne’s still got lyrical punches, still has stories to tell.
Tha Carter VI (2025)
The latest installment, Tha Carter VI, dropped June 2025. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 equivalent album units in its first week; about 34,000 of those were pure album sales, and the rest came from streams. By chart metrics, it became Wayne’s 11th No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart (even though it didn’t hit #1 on the Billboard 200), showing that his pull in that space is still very strong. The critical reception has been mixed, but there are moments on it that take risks, change up flows, and speak to legacy, aging, and influence.
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Why These Albums Matter & My Take
Looking back, the Tha Carter series isn’t just about chart numbers—it’s a map of Lil Wayne’s evolution. With Tha Carter, he shifts from mixtape king to serious artist. Tha Carter II shows his growing lyrical confidence and fanbase. Tha Carter III was his commercial peak, pure ubiquity, and the project that many measure everything by. Carter IV showed maturity, experimentation, and ability to still dominate in sales. Carter V reasserted his place after adversity. And Carter VI—even if it didn’t break his previous records—proves that Wayne still matters, still can create, still commands stages (like Houston in September!).
For me personally, Tha Carter III and IV are the albums that hit me hardest—songs from those still take me back. But if I had to pick a favorite from the series, Tha Carter III is iconic—the album voice, the production, the hits. Carter VI is cool in its own way, more reflective, more seasoned—but it doesn’t match the visceral impact of those earlier records for me. Still, I’m stoked to hear them live, and to see how Wayne brings the whole legacy to Houston.
