Tha Carter IV

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Angry, graphic rap release isn't Lil Wayne's best work.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Tha Carter IV isn't for kids. The songs on the album include just about every form of mature content there is (and lots of it): profanity, violence, sex, substance use, and consumerism.

  • Rife with negative messages about materialism, violence, disrespect toward others, and more.
  • Lil Wayne seems angry, bitter, and defiant here.
  • Many references to guns and killing.
  • Lots of graphic talk about sex, including prostitution.
  • Liberal use of profanity: "f--k," "s--t," the "N" word, and much more.
  • Plenty of name-dropping and talk about making as much money as possible.
  • Mentions of cocaine, marijuana, drinking.

What's the story?

THA CARTER IV is rapper Lil Wayne's hotly anticipated follow-up to the high-grossing Tha Carter III and is yet another very mature CD from the notoriously raunchy rapper. The bulk of the songs on the CD revolve around guns and violence, graphic sexual descriptions, drugs and alcohol, and bragging about being the best, with plenty of profanity thrown into the mix.


Is it any good?

 

This album proves that a bunch of angry, dirty lyrics tossed together with a synth-beat do not a success make. This standard approach from Lil Wayne is simply played out at this point. Aside from guest vocals from the awesome John Legend on "So Special," and the uncharacteristically sweet ballad "How to Love," this record is more of the same-old, same-old.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how successful rap artists like Lil Wayne, who are notorious for their extremely mature lyrics, compare to cleaner rappers like B.o.B. or Travie McCoy. What are some of the advantages that cleaner rappers have?

  • Do rap fans expect explicit content in their music? Would Lil Wayne be as successful if he produced less graphic songs?


This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Teen, 16 years old
September 17, 2011
 
PASS
NOT FOR KIDS. I don't even like Lil' Wayne or his lyrics. I hate rap music, because most of the time, all it is about is money, girls, sex, gettin' it, trouble, jail, cursing..etc. Not how I wanna live. I wish I could give it 0 stars, but I can't.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 15 years old
December 17, 2011
 
Its fine for any teenager.
the language in this game isn't even half as bad as the language your kid hears at school, plus its just talk its not like movies or video games where u see inappropriate stuff. So all in all, common sense media is full of idiots who are living in the past and dont understand what kids are exposed to these days

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Parent
September 16, 2011
 
Awsome
The Carter IV is amazing i got the deluxe edition just get your kids the clean version and it will be ok

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Teen, 14 years old
December 16, 2011
 
not to bad. lil waynes been getting cleaner as his career has progressed
swearing, drinking, typical rap theme. but there r some really good songs on here. how to love is one of them. i have this and im 14

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Teen, 14 years old
December 15, 2011
 
NOT FOR ANYONE
not for anyone lil wayne ruins any songs he does.. no offence to fans.

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Teen, 17 years old
September 27, 2011
 
yepp
uqhh lovee it

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Kid, 12 years old
September 25, 2011
 
Not aprpriate for kids and tweens.
The Carter 4 is s very good CD. This album contains language that most parents would find very inapropriate. Even the clean version still has some inapropriate content.

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Teen, 15 years old
September 17, 2011
 
Great album! Needs to be clean.
Like every other rapper, its going to have violence, and something to do with drinking/smoking. This time, lil wayne didnt go too far over the bad side, sure its bad, but theres only some some songs that are extremely bad. There is not much sexual stuff, only in a couple of songs, but if you were too get a clean version of this, you can enjoy it still, which is what you should do.

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Kid, 12 years old
January 19, 2012
 
LIL WAYNE-THA CARTER 4
It's rap. Of course there is going to be things about drugs, violence, and swearing. That's why we have the clean version!!! I like some of his previous songs better though.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 13 years old
March 13, 2012
 
A crappy artist. Period.
Honestly, I think you should just realize what your kids are already exposed to. My personal opinion shouldn't be included in this, but it just has to be. Lil Wayne, if you don't already know this, is a member of a rap unity (for lack of a better word) called Young Money Cash Money. I believe that all of the rappers in it, Lil Wayne, Drake, Tyga, etc, are all 'rappers' that just want money, and I dont' think it should be considered rap. To those of you that say "Oh, I just hate rap", you shouldn't bring your bias views to a rap album. I like rap, and if you listen to Tupac, or Biggie, or even Eminem, they rap about real issues and real life, not about sex or drugs or money. All in all, this album really isn't good to listen to by ANYONE, and there is absolutely no value in it, those who give it five starts are either bandwagon fans, or just like the beat.

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This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
Artist:Lil Wayne
Type:Album
Release date:August 29, 2011
Label:Cash Money Records
Genre:Rap
Parental advisory:Yes
Edited version available:Yes

This review was written by Stephanie Bruzzese
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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