Dedication 4 where to get it

Vicious shadow. Jaylon White. Broderick Alexander. Almighty VT. Zuko Da Zombie. Jarratikan Solo. Donald Cunningham. Joseph Jimenez. Keelo Xoul. All rights reserved. As much as Lil Wayne 's "Carter" album series has defined his post-Hot Boys climb into the hip-hop stratosphere, his "Dedication" mixtapes with DJ Drama have proven just as crucial to his reinvention; in particular, 's "Dedication 2" was a thrilling follow-up to "Tha Carter II" that expanded upon that rock-solid offering.

So barely a year after his mega-selling but lackluster "Tha Carter IV," Lil Wayne is back with the equally confounding "Dedication 4," a messy rehashing of this year's respective rap bangers. Dubious choices abound, and that's not even including Nicki Minaj's misplaced Mitt Romney "endorsement" on "Mercy": year-old rapper Lil Mouse assists on the lame-brained "Get Smoked," while two Meek Mill beats, "Burn" and "Amen," are curiously placed side-by-side on the track list.

Meanwhile, Lil Wayne's hook-baiting flow shines when he hits his extra gear, as on the second half of "Cashed Out," but Weezy often resorts to spitting nonsensical sex expositions and hashtag-ready weed boasts. Still a skateboard-carrying cartoon as the "Dedication 4" cover art suggests, Lil Wayne is in need of a creatively rejuvenating project, and this tape isn't it.

But of course, this is true of any of his releases. What differentiated the Dedication series from his other tapes is something he addresses directly in the intro. It's about freeing himself from making hits, removing that limitation from the equation, focusing purely on his raw enthusiasm for the art and expression of rapping.

Get on the mixtape, have fun, enjoy myself. Say things I wouldn't say on my album, on anyone's album. Just get on the shit and go crazy. Talk what I talk, say what I say. And all the people that's featured on the mixtape—shout out to them anyway. I tell them the same thing. Do what you want, say what you want. Let's just have fun, enjoy ourselves, and show people that we can rap, we can make words rhyme.