Dedication 4 Mixtape From Lil Wayne Finally Released, Gets Good Reviews

Dedication 4 had a few false starts with its release, but, once Lil Wayne finally put out the long-awaited mixtape online for free downloads, it was met with good reviews from fans and critics.

The Dedication 4 mixtape was pushed back a couple of times, but, when it finally came out, it gave fans of Lil Wayne a big dose of exactly what they’ve been waiting for — catchy hooks and breathless bars all sampled over familiar beats.

“The reason why I’m recording mixtapes is because I’ve grown a whole fanbase that just loves Wayne mixtapes,” Lil Wayne told MTV News. “Me being the generous dude I am, I have to cater to those people, so that’s why I do the mixtapes now.”

Vulture‘s Zach Dionne says it’s good to hear from the old Lil Wayne again:

“It’s been a while since anyone’s heard Lil Wayne sound alternately insane, clever, and breathlessly enthusiastic. It’s been a long enough stretch to reasonably wonder if Weezy F. Baby was essentially gone for good, for whatever reason — lack of interest, jail, success, sizzurp, age, an increasing affinity for skateboarding.”

In the past, Lil Wayne has been known to steal the hottest beats from current rap songs but told Mixtape Daily that he wanted something a little different for Dedication 4.

“Usually, I kill all the hot songs that’s out,” Lil Wayne said. “But I’m on all the hot songs that’s out. So now I have nothing to kill.”

The 15-song Dedication 4 has been getting good reviews so far with Lil Wayne returning to the in-the-booth rapping that made him famous and avoiding all the other side projects he’s gotten into lately. Fans can hear Wayne rap over beats from Rick Ross and Future, and Nicki Minaj joins Weezy on a track that samples G.O.O.D. Music’s “Mercy” track.