Tha Carter III

Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on June 10, 2008, by Cash Money and Universal Motown. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream. The album's cover art features a baby picture of Wayne and is similar to covers of hip hop albums such as Nas's Illmatic (1994) and Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die (1994). Amid release delays and leaks,Tha Carter III became one of the most anticipated releases of 2008.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week. It reached sales of 2.88 million copies by the end of 2008 and produced four singles that achieved chart success, including the international hit "Lollipop" and Billboard hits "A Milli", "Got Money", and "Mrs. Officer". Upon its release, Tha Carter III received universal acclaim from music critics and earned Lil Wayne several accolades, including a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It has been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States.