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Free Weezy Album

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Free Weezy Album
Studio album by
Lil Wayne
ReleasedJuly 4, 2015
Recorded2015
GenreHip hop
Length64:39
Label
Producer
Lil Wayne chronology
Sorry 4 the Wait 2
(2015) 		Free Weezy Album
(2015) 		No Ceilings 2
(2015)

Free Weezy Album (abbreviated as FWA) is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on July 4, 2015, by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records, exclusively on TIDAL.[1][2][3] It was released on Spotify and Apple Music on July 3, 2020, to commemorate its five-year anniversary, though some samples were changed due to clearance issues, and some tracks are absent completely.

Background

On December 4, 2014, just five days before Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V was due to be released, Wayne issued a statement saying the album would not be released on its expected release date, due to his displeasure with Cash Money Records label-boss Birdman, not wanting to release the album although it had been completed. Wayne also expressed his feelings by stating he felt both he and his creativity were "being held prisoner".[4][5] On January 20, 2015, Wayne self-released Sorry 4 the Wait 2, a mixtape to compensate for the continued delay of Tha Carter V. It is the sequel to 2011's Sorry 4 the Wait, which served for the same purpose during the delay of his ninth album, Tha Carter IV (2011).[6][7] Upon Sorry for the Wait 2's release, it was noted Wayne disses Birdman and Cash Money Records, several times throughout the mixtape.[8][9][10] On January 28, 2015, it was reported Wayne filed a $51 million lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money Records over the delay of Tha Carter V.[11][12][13][14]

On the 5 year anniversary of the initial release, the album was made available on all streaming platforms in 2020. It included the bonus track "We Livin' Like That" but is missing original tracks "I Feel Good", "Thinking About You", "He's Dead" and "Without You". Additionally, many tracks had production changes to avoid sample clearance issues."[15]

Release and promotion

In February 2015, due to Tha Carter V's continuous delay, Wayne announced a Free Weezy Album, would be released prior to the fifth installment in his popular series.[16] In June 2015, Wayne announced he joined fellow American rapper Jay-Z's TIDAL, as an artist owner, kicking off the partnership by exclusively releasing a single on the service titled "Glory".[17] The album's cover art and track-listing were unveiled on July 3, 2015.[18] After the album was released on July 4, 2015, exclusively to TIDAL, Free Weezy Album had been streamed over 10 million times in first week of availability.[19]

On July 3, 2020, the album was re-released on all platforms.[20] In addition to this, multiple songs such as "Glory", "Pick Up Your Heart" and others were altered in order for sample clearances.

For the week of July 18, 2020, Free Weezy Album entered and peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at number 77.[21]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundC+[22]
HipHopDX7/10[23]
Pitchfork Media5.5/10[25]
RapReviews6.5/10 [26]
The Odyssey NewspaperB-[27]

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. The Atlantic positively stated, "Free Weezy Album at first seems like pure swagger. But then you realize what's really on the rapper's mind" and critiqued the first few tracks, although praised closer "Pick Up Your Heart".[28] HipHopDX's Ural Garrett enthusiastically said, "Free Weezy Album features both that lovely stream-of-consciousness lyricism and oddly refreshing conceptual themes that made him so worthwhile. Wayne sounds like he finally gets it."[29] Uproxx wrote very favourably, "Free Weezy Album is proof Lil Wayne is on his way back" going on to say, "invigorated by his long, drawn-out dispute with Cash Money Records, Wayne seems to have new life in him on this impromptu project. For the first time since Tha Carter III, Wayne has put out a body of work that has inspired beats, as well as meaningful content", finishing the review with "Wayne has some kinks to continue to work out, but for an artist whose name was becoming more of a punchline with each release, FWA is a huge step forward."[30]

Track listing

Free Weezy Album
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Glory"
5:07
2."He's Dead"
4:31
3."I Feel Good"
  • Carter, Jr.
  • Rodriguez-Diaz
  • Terry "T@" Bourgeois
3:10
4."My Heart Races On" (featuring Jake Troth)
3:48
5."London Roads"
London on da Track3:55
6."I'm That Nigga" (featuring HoodyBaby)
  • Carter, Jr.
  • Omolulu "HoodyBaby" Akinlolu
  • Aponte
OnHel3:44
7."Psycho" (featuring Leah Hayes)
  • Carter, Jr.
  • Leah Hayes
  • Rodriguez-Diaz
Infamous4:04
8."Murda" (featuring Cory Gunz, Capo, and Junior Reid)
3:49
9."Thinking Bout You"
  • Carter, Jr.
  • Bourgeois
  • Rodriguez-Diaz
  • T@
  • Infamous
4:03
10."Without You" (featuring Bibi Bourelly)
  • Nascent
  • Sakwe[a]
4:16
11."Post Bail Ballin'"
DVLP3:55
12."Pull Up" (featuring Euro)
Twice as Nice4:15
13."Living Right" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)
  • T@
  • Infamous
5:01
14."White Girl" (featuring Jeezy)
Infamous4:43
15."Pick Up Your Heart"
Cool & Dre6:10
16."Street Chains"
  • Carter, Jr.
  • Nicholas "StreetRunner" Warwar
  • Tarik Azzouz
  • StreetRunner
  • Azzouz[a]
3:36
Total length:64:29
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
  • "He's Dead", "I Feel Good", "Thinking Bout You" and "Without You" are removed on Apple Music and Spotify.
Sample credits
  • "Glory" contains a sample from "Arise, Shine" performed by Greg Dykes and The Synanon Choir.
  • "He's Dead" contains a sample from "I See Ghost" performed by As Animals.
  • "I Feel Good" contains a sample from "I Got You (I Feel Good)" performed by James Brown.

Charts

Chart performance for Free Weezy Album
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[31] 77
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[32] 47

Release history

Release formats for Free Weezy Album
Region Date Format Label
Various July 4, 2015 Streaming (Tidal exclusive)
July 3, 2020

References

  1. ^ Kreps, Daniel. "Lil Wayne Drops 'Free Weezy Album' on Tidal". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
  2. ^ "Lil Wayne Releases 'Free Weezy Album' on Tidal". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
  3. ^ "Lil Wayne Drops New 'Free Weezy Album'". XXL. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
  4. ^ Grow, Kory (December 4, 2014). "Lil Wayne Blasts Cash Money: 'I Want Off This Label'". Rolling Stone. United States: rollingstone.com. Wenner Media LLC. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  5. ^ Ramirez, Erika (December 4, 2014). "Lil Wayne: Birdman & Cash Money Records 'Refuse to Release' 'Tha Carter V'". Billboard. United States: billboard.com. Prometheus Media Group. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  6. ^ Minsker, Evan. "Lil Wayne Drops Sorry 4 the Wait 2". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. ^ Regan, Helen. "Lil Wayne Just Dropped His New Mixtape Sorry 4 the Wait 2". Time. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Lil Wayne Disses Cash Money On "Sorry 4 The Wait 2"". HipHopDX. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  9. ^ Rose Lilah (26 January 2015). "Shots Fired: All The Disses Aimed At Birdman & Cash Money On Lil Wayne's "Sorry 4 The Wait 2"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  10. ^ Chris Rogers. "Lil Wayne's Mixtape: He Disses Birdman & Cash Money Records On 'Sorry 4 The Wait 2′ - Hollywood Life". Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on 2015-07-19. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  11. ^ "Lil Wayne Sues Cash Money for $51 Million". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  12. ^ "Prosecutors allege Birdman and Young Thug conspired to murder Lil Wayne". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  13. ^ "Stream Lil Wayne's "FWA (Free Weezy Album)"". JustWhooKid.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-08-07.
  14. ^ "FreshNewTracks  » Lil Wayne Drops "Free Weezy Album" With Productions From NJ Producer Myles William". freshnewtracks.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-08-07.
  15. ^ "Lil Wayne Drops Revamped 'Free Weezy Album' on Project's 5th Anniversary: Stream it Here". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  16. ^ "Lil Wayne Announces 'The Free Weezy Album'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  17. ^ Trevor Smith (14 June 2015). "Lil Wayne Says He Signed A Deal With Jay Z". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  18. ^ "Stream Lil Wayne's Long Awaited Free Weezy Album". Rap Dose. July 3, 2015. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  19. ^ "TIDAL on Twitter: "Congrats to @LilTunechi for hitting 10MM #FWA streams in one week! #FreeWeezy."". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  20. ^ [1]. Apple.
  21. ^ "Chart History Lil Wayne". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  22. ^ Rosenberg, Gabe (2015-07-10). "Lil Wayne – Free Weezy Album | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  23. ^ Miller, Kellan (2015-07-07). "Lil Wayne - Free Weezy Album | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Review". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  24. ^ "Reviews for FWA (Free Weezy Album) by Lil Wayne". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  25. ^ "Lil Wayne: FWA | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2015-07-09. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  26. ^ "Lil Wayne :: Free Weezy Album :: Young Money/Republic Records". Rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  27. ^ "UPDATE: Free Weezy Album Review | The Odyssey". Theodysseyonline.com. 2015-01-14. Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  28. ^ "Review: 'Free Weezy Album' Is the Surprising Sound of Lil Wayne in Love". The Atlantic. 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  29. ^ Garrett, Ural (2015-07-07). "The "Free Weezy Album" Aftermath: Lil Wayne's Next Era | Discussing Lil' Wayne, Drake & Many More Hip Hop Artists". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  30. ^ "'Free Weezy Album' Is Proof Lil Wayne Is On His Way Back". UPROXX. Archived from the original on 2015-08-03. Retrieved 2015-08-07.
  31. ^ "Lil Wayne Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  32. ^ "Lil Wayne Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
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