Your favorite raspy rapper has gone platinum in one week. Selling one million copies since its June 10 release “The Carter III”, Wayne’s sixth album, gives him the best debut so far this year. The last album to sell one million in its debut week was “The Massacre” by 50 Cent. No album in 2006 broke 800,000 copies sold in its first week out. Kanye West’s 2007 effort “Graduation” was a mere 50,000 shy of the platinum mark selling 957,000 in its first week despite the competition from Curtis (no pun intended).

Proclaiming himself the “best rapper alive”, Wayne has considerably increased his fan base. His previous best week was the opener for “The Carter II” which entered the 2005 charts at No. 2 moving 238,000 units its debut week. Wayne says “The Carter III” released via Cash Money/ Universal is “completely left field”. He also, apparently, has taught himself to play guitar taking credit for riffs on [Shop Boyz'] “Party Like A Rockstar (remix)”. “A lot of people don’t know that’s me,” said the rapper born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.

Reviews have been mixed for “The Carter III”; the Boston Globe seeming ‘polite by obligation’ while XXL says it was just “OK” and OkayPlayer doesn’t even seem to acknowledge the release. Additionally, the album suffered many delays and setbacks. So fans expectations are probably set to be underachieved regardless of the performance on wax. The frequent changes to the release date were mostly due to leaks. So many occurred that Sylvia Rhone (Universal Motown President) decided to release five to six of the leaked tracks under the title “The Leak”. When asked if he has ever leaked his music Wayne responded:

Hell, no. I’m not with file-sharing and downloading. The reason I haven’t put an album out in four years is because for the past three my music’s been leaked. If you think about it, “Tha Carter III” is really technically like “Tha Carter VI.” That’s how busy I’ve been. That’s why I put so many mixtapes out. If you hear any of them from this month or last month or the month before that, and it’s a song that doesn’t contain a beat from someone else, then that’s a leaked song.

Editorial:

Yeah, i only put this here because I figured someone else would care. Good for him for learning an instrument though, invest in your craft. He also said something about listening to Prince. Then again who doesn’t? Also, from what i hear that Coldplay album (Viva La Vida) is about to waylay the market. So bask in the thugnificence now, mayn. Gone and bank.

Hmm, how do i say this…. oh right…. “WHAT THE F*CK?!!” My how you’ve fallen Motown. There are SO many artist that should be carrying the legacy of Motown. I mean sure… Lohan… cash cow… if you got the time and materials. But at what cost, Motown?! At what cost?!

Granted, somebody has to profit off of her. Hell, i’ll even promote the reverse-oppression of the black label sending the white girl out to trick on stage then bring that dollar home (essentially pimpin’… with what we’ll call … music?!) That’s fine, they (the melanin-deficient) stole and mangled all the styles of music we created so why not bank off their efforts. (In this case, collect royalties from a Lohan.) “Royalties… like the reparations we never had”. Anyway, that aside… what are you doing Motown?! I mean … you’re Motown. You birthed the sounds of America. Name an iconic artist from the 60′s or thereafter that wasn’t influenced by you. That means even your contemporaries bit off your sound; you changed the game – not always improving but we’ll hit that another time. Motown, whole genres were birthed under your roofs. The people who inspired the people who move the world today made themselves in your studios. Granted you fell on some hard times… particularly the late 80s. You, we all let Teena Marie slide. But dang… Lindsey Lohan?! Is it like that now?! When we (your peoples) ain’t running Motown (and given the merger with MCA, then Universal that’s a matter of semantics) then what do we have left? I mean if we are trading Motown for the White House let me know. I’d gladly give up another shelved album from someone i actually want to hear (important qualifier) for some peace of mind during those 3AM phone calls. D*mn shame though. Aight, y’all place your bets on the year Motown will be completely assimilated. Peace. Wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-it a minute! (Isley “Shout” style) Now i’m sure any other blog including Lindsey Lohan recently will be about her appearance in “Everybody Nose” by N.E.R.D. seemingly promoting substance abuse. Yep, the three-time rehabitant in the ‘drug video’. Here at AfroThought, we aren’t even concerned with that. That’s publicity stunt 101. She has a new album that is due out in the near future so she clearly wants to stay in Pharrell’s good graces to get the requisite Neptunes track (sup, Chad). Also N.E.R.D. is clearly promoting their new album, they say ‘Hey, since she’s around, throw Lohan in the video; that’ll get some attention’. Publicity-wise, you have to give all parties included some props. In fact, even i’m writing a blog about this. I gotta go, i just realized i am writing a blog about Lindsey Lohan, meaning there must be something i’m neglecting in my life. I swear i have one; really.