Since then, he's dropped a string of mixtapes and a mildly successful 2 Chainz collaborative album titled ColleGrove, which managed to keep his name in the headlines. 1 in its third week.) In 2015, Wayne released Free Weezy Album as a Tidal exclusive, earning lukewarm reviews and otherwise doing little to assert his status as a creative and commercial powerhouse. 2 and moved far fewer copies than the most recent installments in his tentpole series. Wayne also bookended Tha Carter IV with I Am Not a Human Being and I Am Not a Human Being II, both of which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went gold. The rapper followed up Tha Carter III with Rebirth, a disastrous rap-rock attempt that nevertheless debuted at No. Not all of Wayne’s releases over the past decade have been received so warmly.

Now, after six years of anticipation, pushed-back release dates and legal entanglements, Lil Wayne stands to make a triumphant return to the top of the charts with Tha Carter V and potentially end his career on the high note it deserves. Both albums went on to earn multiplatinum certifications, establishing Tha Carter as one of the most successful and beloved series in modern hip-hop.

1 on the Billboard 200 with an astronomical 964,000 copies in its first week, the biggest hip-hop debut since its predecessor, Tha Carter III, opened with 1.01 million copies in 2008. It may seem like a lifetime ago now, but Weezy was still one of the most commercially viable rappers alive when he dropped Tha Carter IV in 2011. Wayne’s two biggest advantages this week are legacy and anticipation.

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