Artist: RWD

It's been bootlegged to hell, yet despite this, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III will have the biggest first week US sales of 2008, surpassing even Mariah Carey and Usher.

In fact, his first day sales are already more than M.C's entire first week!!!

420,000 people bought the album yesterday, although it has been widely available on the Internet after a bitter DJ purposefully leaked it after Wayne made some derogatory comments about mixtape DJs.

However, industry insiders think this has actually helped sales with many of those who bootlegged it, going out to get a physical version after realising it would be money well spent.

The third installment of Wayne's Carter series is also currently hovering outside the Top 10 in the UK.

In RWD mag's 'Head2Head' special out next week, Hattie Collins and Raj Kapone go Head2Head over the album; here's what they had to say:

Raj Kapone
2/5

I (begrudgingly) listened to this album with the (remote) hope that it would disprove my (passionate) hate for Lil Wayne and his (questionable) music. Alas, it only made it worse. Aside from a few good songs (Mr. Carter, Tie My Hands, Lollipop and Shoot Me Down>) it was just more of the same wheezy (someone get this guy an asthma pump), incoherent babble that has been misinterpreted by many as ‘charisma’. On Dr. Carter Wayne proves that the NHS might not be so bad after all, A Milli has all the qualities of a scratched CD, and Phone Home is so absurd that it proves that even Gazza is probably in a better mental state than Young Carter. If Lil Wayne is the hottest thing in hip hop, then Nas got it spot on with his last album title.
Track To Check: Mr. Carter (Ft. Jay-Z)

Hattie Collins
4/5

I must admit I was a (little) nervous about this album when the
(download link) popped into my inbox. After all the hype, crazy talk and
expectation, would the Lil Fella actually deliver? Well, (thankfully) for
the most part, yes. True, there’s some some skippages (La La and Nothin’ On
Me we’re talking to you!), a few odd choices of collaborators, while a
couple of beats border on the bland. But concepts, flows and lyrics? You
want somma that? The Jay-Wayne dreamteam is, to quote Semtex, sublime, Maestro makes you want to re-peat 3 Peat while Kanyizzle keeps it conceptual on
Let The Beat Build. And among all the Shoot Me Down, Comfortable, Officer, Got Money, Lollipop, A Millie and Playin' With Fire (so many tunes!), there’s the mad, genius, insane scientist of similes, owner of the craziest pair of vocal chords, and, sorry Jeezy, but he’s also the ad-lib king too. Best rapper alive? The jury is still out, but this is the No.1 Hip Hop album of ’08.
Track To Check: Mr. Carter Ft. Jay-Z

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