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Saturday, August 16, 2014

Lil Wayne Announces “Tha Carter V” Release Date, Unveils Official Album Artwork

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Rap icon’s 16th album will be out in October, his last in the Carter album series and potentially his last solo record altogether

Lil Wayne has revealed the cover and release date for Tha Carter V, billed as the final LP in his multi-million selling Carter series. Due out on 28 October, the rapper’s 16th studio album could also be his last solo outing: he claims he will only make another if he is offered at least $25 million (N4 billion)

As with the album art for Carters III and IV, the final volume shows 31-year-old Wayne at an earlier, more innocent time. “I always go with a baby picture,” he said during a Thursday appearance on ESPN SportsCenter, “and I wanted to go with one with my mom on it this time”. Not that the MC asked his mother’s permission: “I didn’t tell her,” he admitted. “I don’t think she’s going to be upset but I know personally that she don’t really like that picture of herself.”

Wayne has been murmuring about retirement since around 2012, claiming he wants to spend more time with his family. In the intervening years he has released one album, helmed two compilations, and reportedly launched a sports management company. “I personally plan on this being my final solo album … and it’s definitely the final Carter album,” Wayne told MTV News in March.

But he also remarked that “25 to 35 million [dollars] would get me to do another solo album”, and made clear that he was serious: “I didn’t smile when I said [that].” In a June video diary, the rapper indicated he has some kind of other release planned for this year, as well as a possible seven more albums. “I went to work on Tha Carter V and I don’t stop working, so it was like either Tha Carter V’s gonna be 93 songs or we gonna have to figure this out,” he joked.

Lil Wayne has sold more than 15m albums in the United States alone. His last Carter album, released in 2011, reached No 8 on the UK chart.

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