Just like Kanye’s fans did last September, Weezy’s stans have come out to support their man in full swing. Tha Carter III is said to have topped 700,000 in sales and is expected to arrive at or near the 1 Million mark in its first full week. That’s a lot of CDs exchanging hands. Carter III’s already the top selling album in Canada for the week ending June 11.

Keep in mind that Tha Carter II sold 1.4 million overall. Now, we all know that Carter III pales in comparison to the outstanding Carter II. So, what’s going on here? Well, the French coined a word for this phenomenon back in the 1400s: loyalty. In other words, if you’re a Lil Wayne hater there’s nothing he could say or do to make you buy his album. But if you’re a Lil Wayne fan, there’s nothing he could say or do to keep you from buying his album.

Update: In its first week on the market, the rapper’s “Tha Carter III” sells just over 1 million units. The last album to top that milestone was 50 Cent’s “The Massacre” in March 2005. [via Billboard]

Lil Wayne – “Mr Carter” (Feat Jay-Z)
Here’s the much anticipated collaboration between the two Carters: Dwayne Carter (Lil Wayne) and Shawn Carter (Jay-Z). The execution is better than some might expect. Too bad, I can’t say the same for much of the Carter 3. I mean, this jokestar even had the nerve to swagjack Beyonce on “Comfortable.”

“Mr. Carter” appears on Tha Carter III, out June 10.

[Shout out to nation, Ayinde, Banna, and everyone else who sent me this last night]

In keeping with my policy of not commenting on albums based on their tracklist, I’ll go ‘head and cross my fingers on this one. Having said that, I couldn’t help but notice track 2, “Mr. Carter,” featuring the real Carter. Shawn Carter. The same Carter that Weezy has been obsessed with for the last 5 years. It’s smart of him to usher in that big name collaboration so early on the album, because that’s the only way to ensure that the other songs get heard in full. But if it’s anything like “Hello Brooklyn 2.0″…

Tha Carter III tracklist after the gap. Read the rest of this entry »