Getty Drake and Lil Wayne
We’re less than a week away from the release of Lil Wayne’s anticipated album Tha Carter V. The album has been in the works since 2013, and has been the victim of numerous delays and legal problems with Wayne’s record label Cash Money. It is currently scheduled to come out on Friday, September 21.
Given that the album has had five years to gestate and evolve, there are dozens of artists who are said to have contributed production and guest verses. It’s status as a mythic work has almost rivaled that of Dr. Dre’s Detox. Now that we’re on the brink of its release, however, we’ve decided to break down all the artists who are said to appear on the final tracklist.
Drake
Drake and Lil Wayne have had a storied history together, with classics like “Love Me,” “She Will,” and “The Motto” to their name. Drake was even featured on a pair of early promotional singles for the album: “Believe Me” and “Grindin’.”
While there’s been tension between the other artists on the Young Money/Cash Money label, particularly with Birdman and Nicki Minaj, the relationship between Drake and Wayne has remained strong, and its safe to assume that the former will drop by for at least one verse.
Justin Bieber
Rumors of a collaboration between Wayne and Justin Bieber date back to 2015, when rapper French Montana said that both he and Bieber would appear on the same track. “I remember I was in the studio and I came by and we were doing a song with Justin Bieber for Carter V,” he revealed to MTV News.
On September 14, a song titled “No Chill” was leaked online with both Bieber and Montana on the hook. It’s unclear whether the mastered version of the song will appear on the final tracklist.
Soulja Boy
In a 2015 interview with The Fader, Soulja Boy said that he also worked with Wayne and Bieber on the album. “We was doing some stuff for the Carter V. We was down in Miami for a couple nights. Every night we was in the studio doing different stuff,” he said.
“I played him some stuff that I had, then we came up with this one record that was crazy. The vibe was cool, everybody was in their creative zone.” More recently, Soulja said that he contributed productions and vocals on “like three songs,” and that he fully expects them to make the cut.
Kendrick Lamar
Back when Kendrick Lamar was promoting his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, he let slip that he was working on Tha Carter V. “Me and Wayne worked,” he told 97.1 AMP Radio. “I don’t know if it’ll be on Tha Carter V, or it’ll be a leak. I’ve always been a fan of Wayne, so wherever it goes, it’s all love with me. I’m just honored to work with bro; he’s always been an influential cat coming up.”
Last year, Martin Shkreli claimed that he got his hands on some of the tracks that Wayne and Lamar worked on, and previewed them online. The tracks are tentatively titled “Mona Lisa” and “The Life of Mr. Carter” and can be heard above.
Mannie Fresh
Wayne and Mannie Fresh go back to the late ’90s, when they were part of the legendary group Hot Boyz. Fresh has produced tracks on Wayne albums like 500 Degreez, Tha Block Is Hot and Tha Carter IV, and the trend looks as though it will continue with Carter V.
The duo posted several Instagram photos of themselves throughout 2014, all but guaranteeing that Fresh would be involved with the album in some capacity.
Big Sean
Big Sean has cultivated a friendship with Wayne over the years, to the extent that Wayne let the younger emcee give an update on Tha Carter V during a 2017 interview. “I’m one of the biggest Lil Wayne fans in the world, so you can just imagine what that feel like,” he told MTV News.
“And that Carter V on the way too,” he added. “He told me to say that. I just wanna see Wayne at his best.” Wayne and Sean collaborated on the track “Mute,” which leaked out during a DJ set on March 7, 2017.
Christina Milian
Wayne and Christina Milian were said to be dating when Tha Carter V was originally slated for release, and the two collaborated on the promotional track “Start a Fire.” During an interview with HipHopDX, Milian revealed that she’s on other tracks on the album as well.
“He just goes into the studio and knocks it out and he’s so clever,” she said. “I’m on a couple of records on Tha Carter V so of course I want it to come out because I want the world to hear it and I’m a supporter of him.”
Mike WiLL Made-It
The Atlanta producer has also contributed music to Tha Carter V. In a 2013 interview with The Breakfast Club, he said that he sent Wayne a batch of beats to pick from, and that three wound up making the cut. “I got three records with Lil Wayne for the Carter V,” he said. “Wayne’s on one right now, he’s ripping everything.”
Wayne and Mike WiLL Made-It previously worked on the hits “Love Me” and “Bandz a Make Her Dance” alongside 2 Chainz and Juicy J.