If it seems like Lil Wayne’s upcoming album, Tha Carter V, has gotten caught in a holding pattern, that’s because the rapper says it is. In a series of tweets, Weezy criticized Cash Money – the label that has released all of his albums and is home to the Young Money imprint he founded – likening his contract to a prison sentence.
"To all my fans, I want you to know that my album won’t and hasn’t been released bekuz [label co-founder] Baby and Cash Money Records refuse to release it," he wrote. "This is not my fault. I am truly and deeply sorry to all my fans but most of all to myself and my family for putting us in this situation.
"I want off this label and nothing to do with these people but unfortunately it ain’t that easy," he continued. "I am a prisoner and so is my creativity. Again, I am truly sorry and I don’t blame ya if ya fed up with waiting for me and this album. But thank you."
A Cash Money representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In March, MTV reported that Tha Carter V, which Wayne called his “final solo album,” would come out that May. Around the time the record was supposed to come out, he put out “Grindin’,” a track featuring Drake. With the album unreleased, Wayne and Drake then embarked on a co-headlining summer tour, debuting the single live. In August, Wayne released a video for another new song, “Krazy,” with the album expected to come out in late October.
Just before Halloween, Wayne released another new song, “Gotti,” featuring the Lox, and Billboard reported that Tha Carter V would then be released in two parts, the first of which would come out December 9th. “I recorded so many songs,” Wayne said at the time. “I got too many songs. I worked way too much to give y’all half of it. If I would’ve dropped the album today, it would have to be 12 or 13 songs. I refuse to cheat my fans. I refuse to cheat myself.”
At present, the leaderboard on Cash Money’s website says the album is “coming soon.”
