The 36 Best Songs From Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter Series

In honor of Wayne’s 36th birthday…

Across Lil Wayne’s discography, his mixtapes and studio albums have always been treated as separate entities: the former featuring Wayne’s most creative work, and the latter home to his more polished material. Of course, there’s an additional divide within his commercial catalogue, with Tha Carter series representing the highest tier his studio offerings, the blockbuster releases responsible for making Wayne a superstar.

The Carter series provides an accurate roadmap of Wayne’s career, with each of the five installments tracking his position in the rap game at the time of its release: 2004’s Tha Carter saw Wayne escape the Hot Boys’ shadow and establish himself as a potential star; 2005’s C2 tapped him as the favorite to usurp JAY-Z as the Best Rapper Alive; 2008’s C3 was the official coronation, cementing Wayne as the defining rapper of his generation; 2011’s C4 kick-started his decline; and, finally, the 2018’s C5, the long-awaited return, and a reminder as to why we fell in love with Wayne in the first place.

In honor of Lil Wayne’s recent 36th birthday, and the overwhelming praise Tha Carter V has received from critics and fans alike, we have ranked the 36 best songs from Tha Carter series.