Sundance Review: The Carter
Filed under: Documentary, Sundance, Theatrical Reviews, Sundance Reviews 2009
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Heading in to watch The Carter, a new documentary that chronicles the life and times of Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (aka Lil' Wayne), I thought what more is there to know about the hip, slick, fast-paced rapper lifestyle? Well, surprisingly, director Adam Bhala Lough expertly pieces together not just a movie about another well-to-do rapper, but one about a workaholic, a drug addict, a father, an artist and an icon.
When we first shove our way into Lil' Wayne's life, he's holed up in a hotel room in Amsterdam, smoking mass amounts of marijuana while he religiously stands at a make-shift mic for hours recording songs on the fly thanks to the portable studio he brings with him everywhere. We learn Wayne's new album, The Carter III, is due in stores in nine days -- and even though a million copies have already leaked overseas, Wayne and his manager both feel they'll sell a million copies in the first week. As we jump back and forth between the United States and Europe, we slowly become more intimate with Wayne through his interviews with international reporters, as well as through the unpredictable man himself.
Wayne, who was born and raised in New Orleans, has risen to become one of (if not) the most famous and sought-after rap artists in the world. And if there were any doubters out there, they're silenced when, during his new album's debut week, The Carter III easily surpasses Kayne West's latest with a million sold. The news hits Wayne while he's on his tour bus, smoking pot, blasting his own music with a television turned only to ESPN on mute. His reaction: "Next time it's five million in one week."
The topic of drugs comes up briefly a couple times -- most notably when Wayne's manager reveals that he no longer rides on "the bus" because of his old friend's addictions. And it's not just marijuana; Wayne carries with him a bottle of "the syrup" everywhere he goes, which is some sort of codeine-based concoction he mixes with whatever he's drinking at the time so that a constant and consistent buzz is felt. When drugs are brought up to Wayne during an interview, he gets serious about his no alcohol stance and even laughs off ever doing heroin because he's too hyper ... even if his current pleasures place him one step above a smack addict.
But when it comes to his music, Wayne is a machine. The man is constantly recording new songs (he's now up over 1000) without writing anything down for fear someone would try to sell his "journals" or "notes" when he dies. And when he's not recording, he's on his bus or in a hotel room or on stage blasting his own music, memorizing the lyrics -- dancing, swaying, smoking and simply becoming his own number one fan. Speaking of ego, one of the more memorable parts of the doc comes when, during a one-on-one interview, Wayne abruptly shuts it down mid-sentence when the reporter asks whether New Orleans jazz or poetry was ever an influence on his music. But Wayne doesn't want to talk jazz or poetry because Wayne didn't invent jazz or poetry -- and the last thing he wants is someone comparing him to something else. Wayne wants to be an original -- he wants to be the inventor -- and if you question him on this, you won't get very far.
Director Adam Bhala Lough takes an interesting approach with the doc, providing little to no framework -- just harsh, loud, frenetic snippets of Wayne's life on the road -- some of which include Wayne's lyrics and a chat with his young daughter who says the greatest present she's ever received from her father was his company. And while those hardcore fans of Lil' Wayne might enjoy the doc more for the music and those up-close-and-personal shots of their hero, the rest of us will watch a passionate, talented man who's slowly losing himself; fading into a world that probably won't need him anymore in a couple years ... if he stays alive that long.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-22-2009 @ 11:08PM
kevin said...
I cannot believe that a man of such up and coming undeserved fame who has been just short of mainstream for a decade, and suddenly breaks into the top 5 or ten artists of 2008 gets all this respect. The director and writer may be talented, but Lil Wayne is the worst rapper in the industry follonwing Soulja Boy. Meaningless songs that are incoherent and lack creativity and continuity flood his work. He is a businessman, good at marketing. He is no artist.
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1-23-2009 @ 1:49AM
Riley Freeman said...
i agree with everything kevin said. souljah boy and lil wayne. both need to be taken out. 2 for 1 package.
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1-23-2009 @ 8:07AM
Kyle said...
Lil Wayne is the greatest rapper alive ever. And hes still alive at least. Lil Wayne is better then Biggie and tupac. They are has beens and lil wayne is like the godfather of rap. His rhymes are fluent and creative. Everyone who listend\s to rap loves lil wayne, except these to douchbags who left comments that are obviously ignorant. Souja boy has no talent its the same shit over and over again. Lil wayne always has good bats and rhymes and they are always fresh and new. Wayne is a lyrical genius and a genius. Yeah hes a very good marketer so stop bitching. Lil wayne 4 Prezident!
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1-23-2009 @ 10:34AM
John D said...
Please tell me you forgot to put a sarcasm tag at the end of that.
1-26-2009 @ 10:41AM
Nate said...
Please explain why Lil Wayne won't be relevant in a couple years, considering he's been improving, commercially and critically, for ten years.
Please explain why his "marijuana addiction" inspires you to end your review with a disgusting line like, "if he stays alive that long."
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1-23-2009 @ 1:50PM
Jordan said...
I don't believe the ending line is a reference to his marijuana addiction, moreso a reference to his heavy use of prescription cough syrup.
1-23-2009 @ 10:41AM
Tash said...
While I agree with most that Lil' Wayne is undeserving of his recent placement in many Top 10 or 5 MC's of recent memory, or even of all time, the comparison to him and Soulja Boy is quite weak. Soulja Boy is a marketing genius who saw a fad in his age demo and cashed in on it. Lil' Wayne has been toiling around hip-hop for over a decade and only in the past two or three years has he become relevant. Soulja Boy is a businessman; Lil' Wayne, as hard as it is for me to say, is a rapper. He's not horrible, but he is nowhere near above the greats of the past or the present. He's right above someone like Silkk the Shocker, but right behind someone like Sheek from the Lox.
With that being said, I am looking forward to checking this documentary out when it hits DVD. Sounds intriguing in the least.
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1-23-2009 @ 3:22PM
kevin said...
The problem is that Lil Wayne, along with Auto-Tune junkies like T-Pain and Flo-Rida, and recently Kanye West (god...I used to worship his work) are pushing along this trend of utterly meaningless and annoying to listen to music. It is a continous drone with little variety. Katie Perry and Lady Gaga hold up the female side of this movement..
Look at Kanye, or even Wayne's pre-2008 work. Most of Kanye's work was up there with Common, Jay-Z, and other respected, serious rappers. Now he features himself on clubby remixes and songs by other artists which all sound the same, and, like Wayne, uses garbage software like Autotune to fix blemishes in his songs cheaply.
Like you said, Wayne has been in hip-hop for 10 years or more. But he has always had cheap rhymes that are simply obnoxious. Birdman, or whoever is in charge, just decided to give him money for commercials and to throw at MTV so ignorant people would believe his work is good. Like many marketing genuises before him, Wayne will become the punchline of the industry he is in.
Other noteable examples of this phenomenon: Limp Bizkit, Michael Bay, Stallone, Soulja Boy, Jim Belushi.
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1-24-2009 @ 12:53AM
JBob said...
clearly none of the above commenters are hip-hop fans. lil wayne has been around for a long time, just because you havent heard him in his "pop state" for very long doesnt mean he hasnt been out there. he's been tied to the birdman like a lung for quite some time now. becuase, when you mention pac, biggie, and jay-z, dont forget to mention wheezy, baby, because he comes out with new stuff so fast and so often, and everything is just gold. if you dont follow the industry, you really cant comment on him.
because if you draw comparisons to kanye and *shudder* soulja boy... you clearly DO NOT follow rap. my favorite artists are zeppelin, the foo fighters, beatles, and lil wayne, all of whom have had quite the impact on their industry.
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1-24-2009 @ 2:27AM
Riley Freeman said...
for any of u that CLAIM to follow hiphop and mention lil wayne with the greats u have no clue of anything to do with hiphop. and i suggest u all drink a lot og that cough syrup u can go out with lil wayne.
he is terrible
has always been terrible
willl always be terrible
do not insult rap legends and people that make good music by mentioning the garbage that lil wayne puts out.
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1-24-2009 @ 3:39PM
JohnBlack said...
All the above comments had some truth in it and some word strait nonsense. I agreed with Kevin and with Tash (till he made the Sheek reference (really, Sheek?!?!?) I'm definitely not a Lil'wayne fan. I really never liked his music. Lil'wayne is also most definitely NOT the best rapper alive, but with The Carter III he showed that he does have some skill.
When the album dropped I didn't pay any attention to it because i generally hate his music. Then I started hearing it everywhere and succumbed to my curiosity. After the first time listening to it I concluded that the album was garbage. The only track I liked was "A Milli". The second time I listened to the album I thought it was so-so and the third time I thought it was a better than OK. Lil'wayne is most definitely not the greatest rapper nor lyricist but he showed some really clever word play, metaphors and similes on one third of the tracks on the album. It's a shame that it took him ten years to reach this level.
In conclusion, compared to really great lyricist (BIG, Big L, Pac, Jay-Z) he has a really long way to go and I honestly think he will never reach that level. But to compare him to Soulja Boy is a little insulting.
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1-27-2009 @ 12:27AM
cibaeno89 said...
You ignorant fools. If he lil wayne you speak of is the one you hear on the radio then im here to tell you you have never heard lil wayne. his radio hits are just for the general public but his real mixtapes he makes for his real fans and thats the side of weezy few people listen too. Dont get me wrong my favorite rappers include Jay-Z, Biggie, 2Pac etc. But Lil Wayne also deserves a shot at the throne to be declared the Best Rapper Alive. Being so that hip-hop isnt the only genre i follow im not just defending him out of ignorance. maybe what you guys should try doing is reading his words rather than listening to it. Maybe it will hit your brain differently. And I garuntee if someone else rapped his lyrics that didnt drink lean or smoke marijuana maybe you would like him.
"when i started flirtin with the hustle failure became my ex now im engaged to the game and married to success "
- Lil Wayne
PS: How many of you can say that your in the process of getting your PHD at LSU in psychology. Atleast he can.
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1-27-2009 @ 12:05PM
Dan said...
Well, for the doubters and the Wayne stans, I am a HUGE hip-hop fan, and I've been following hip-hop for years. I'll give it to you straight: years ago when Wayne was rolling with the Hot Boys, he was WACK. The Carter (the original) ain't that great, either. Somewhere in the middle, I talked a lotta smack about dude until I went out and bought Tha Carter II (which is a great album, Wayne fan or not) and sometime after that, he suddenly became the most pursued, overrated rapper in the game. Wayne ain't wack, but he his skills are way overstated. Kyle is obviously a fool, because not only can dude not spell, how you gonna try and tell anybody Wayne is better than B.I.G. or 'Pac? No way, dude, and I'll tell you flat out 'Pac is not one of the greatest either (but that's an argument for another day). More to the point, how could they be has beens when they've both been dead for 10+ years? Back to the point, Tha Carter III was mediocre ass album, and while I agree that the Souljah Boy comment is unwarranted, for anybody to come out and claim he's the greatest rapper alive, or the greatest of all time, is just flat out wrong. Forget opinions, that shit just ain't right. JBob, you're trippin', Wayne puts out so much so fast, that's why the quality of his music has declined so rapidly. He just drops shit now for the sake of dropping it, and you can tell when he puts effort into a song (and when he doesn't). Try and argue Wayne can hang with the greatest, really, here's some names to consider: Nas, Andre 3000, Jay, Eminem, Scarface, Common, Gza, Ghostface, Mos Def, Lupe-forget the Kanye comparisons, let's stack Wayne against some real reputed emcees, hell, let's go back to Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS, Ice Cube, LL, Q-Tip. Really go back and examine things, and try and tell me Wayne will be remembered the way ANY of these guys are for skill. When he's gone, people will remember him as a flicker of medicority in the game, and nothing more, and that's his own damn doing.
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2-16-2009 @ 7:29PM
Wayne's the BEST said...
For you to try and compare Wayne to any of those rappers is just stupid. His lyrics are better than any of them, his metaphors are crazy, and he is flat out THE BEST. For one you say the Carter III is mediocre, that pretty much explains your intelligence of Wayne. What was the most sold album of the year? How many Grammys was he nominated for? I mean really, he is the best. Please tell me that you dont mean LL Cool J; Head Sprung? WTF have you been listening to. Lupe was nominated for his album, I like it, but it is not on this level that Wayne is on. Overrated... No. The Drought 3 was just sick. The Dedications are great. He is the best rapper ever. Compare his best songs to Pac or Biggie, and he is much more clever than they were. He is very smart, what other rapper was on ESPN, interviewed by Katie Couric, and performed at the COUNTRY music awards. What other rapper has ever crossed over to a completely new genre of music. He is great he loves to rap, it is his life. There aren't any others that treat it like that. He doesn't flaunt himself but people notice him because of his swagger and great performances.
2-16-2009 @ 9:46PM
Dan said...
You're a total idiot. I really don't have a response to that, because everything you said is completely stupid and nonsensical. I refuse to respond to such complete and utter idiocy. Are you seriously trying to compare Wayne to B.I.G., Pac, Jay, Rakim? You do not deserve to have an opinion-that's how outrageously assinine yours is, but I will, just to shut you up. Who cares that he was nominated for Grammy's-as if that that somehow validates his musical ability just because some knucklehead like you decided he was legit? He was in no way, shape, or form better than B.I.G. OR 'Pac, and I don't give a shit that he was on ESPN, or interviewed by Katie Couric-so what? He is hardly the first person in hip-hop to push the genre, and he's not the best to do it, either. A lot of dudes love rap, that's why they do it for a living, and T.I., Jay, and plenty of others had swag first, and did it better. At the end of the day, we're really arguing opinions, and I can't tell you yours is wrong, but I could not disagree more vehemently, and for you to compare, or even argue that he surpasses ANY of the emcees I mentioned above just shows that you're ignorant and do not deserve to be considered.
1-28-2009 @ 5:36PM
Sam Tucker said...
THA CARTER II, enough said. If you can't listen to that and say possibly the greatest album ever created you aren't a music fan. This is a guy who smokes blunts and sips promethazine nonstop and has millions. He's a marketing genius, a lyrical genius, a business man, takin his talents and utilizing the American economy to the fullest. You can't argue he is an icon....an icon of music and an icon in America. All the haters better believe this man is a GENIUS. Can't wait to see this DVD and everything he creates in the future. I will agree that THA CARTER III is a step-down for me as a music fan........listen to the mixtapes. This guy is a true entrepreneur and one of a kind. Don't mess with this hustla and if you don't respect him in all aspects then take a look at your life. You are sittin here bitchin about a guy who just does not care.
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