The years since the 2008 release of Tha Carter III have not been Lil Wayne’s best. There were eight months of a one-year prison term spent in Rikers Island, of course. And his misguided foray into rock with Rebirth left a bad taste in fans’ mouths that went uncleansed by the releases of I Am Not a Human Being and mixtapes like Sorry 4 the Wait. With the upcoming release of Tha Carter IV this Monday, August 29, Wayne demonstrates he’s still got what it takes to compete in the rap game.

Lil Wayne is growing on me for sure, but I would of never guessed that he would of been so much more popular than 2Pac!