Weezy just can’t make it easy. His music has always been contradictory, both lyrically and aurally. For every No Ceilings (a lyrically dense mixtape masterpiece) there’s been a Dedication 3 (a feature-heavy autotuned mess). Always one step forward, one step back. And so the question becomes which type of step will Tha Carter IV be. Not only is it the only album to be able to claim “Hip-Hop Release of the Summer” over Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative effort, but it seems to be the answer to the question everyone has been asking since Wayne was released from jail: ‘Does he still have it?’

Instead of a career-defining work of art, or a career-ending flop, Tha Carter IV is simply there. There aren’t any outstanding moments, nor ridiculous failures. In fact, there are hardly any moments at all on the album.

After a dopey intro, the album kicks off with three of the best “rap” songs on the album, a sad thought considering how average they are. Aside from “6 ft. 7 ft.”, the beats are nothing special, and likewise with the rapping, the only time Wayne brings his A-Game is “6 ft. 7 ft.” On “Blunt Blowin’” he runs through generic and forgettable punchlines, just to get to the admittedly catchy chorus. This type of scheme continues throughout the whole album, and seems to point to Wayne’s future as an artist.

He’s out-rapped by every guest on the album (most notably by Tech N9ne and Andre 3000’s back to back verses on “Interlude”), the only times he actually sounds excited to be on the album are when he’s singing. And considering that two of the album’s best songs, “How to Love” and “How to Hate” are completely sung, it doesn’t seem too far off that Lil Wayne could give up rapping completely and become an R&B artist.

While that sort of musical detour may be an interesting prospect, it is disappointing to hear how generally disinterested Weezy sounds. Where No Ceilings popped with non-sequitors and Wayne’s trademark out-of-the-box lyrical reconstruction, Tha Carter IV simply fizzles out, hardly anything memorable about it. Can Wayne come back with a project that can prove he’s not out of the rap game yet? Or has it gotten to the point where we’d rather hear him on hooks and songs.

Final Verdict: Disappointing. Could have been made by anyone, something I never thought I’d say about a Lil Wayne project.