edithrouth: Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV Drops At Midnight After VMAs

Monday, August 22, 2011

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV Drops At Midnight After VMAs

Weezy's VMA performance and nominations lead up to the long-awaited release on Sunday night.
By Alvin Blanco

Lil Wayne
Photo: Clinton Gilders/ FilmMagic

Lil Wayne is going to dabble in a little midnight madness. Already scheduled to perform at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Weezy has just announced that he'll also be dropping his highly anticipated new album, Tha Carter IV, at midnight, right after the show.

"I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea. I hope that I can open the door for others," Lil Wayne said in a press statement.

The YMCMB rapper's latest will be released digitally via iTunes, Amazon and other legal MP3 download destinations at 12 a.m. on August 29. Those still dedicated to physical CDs need not worry since the album will be in retail stores later that Monday.

The release of Tha Carter IV will be the capstone to a big night for Weezy, who is also up for Moonmen in the Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Collaboration categories. And despite Wayne's skateboarding accident over the weekend (he tweeted that he needed nine stitches for a gash over his eye), he is sure to take the Nokia Theatre stage by storm this week.

"The MTV Video Music Awards are one of the most watched and respected shows in the industry," Ronald "Slim" Williams, CEO of Cash Money Records, said in a statement. "Wayne is one of the most respected and prolific artists in the industry. By pairing the release of Tha Carter IV with the VMAs, it will certainly add to the overall anticipation and excitement for fans everywhere for what will surely be an unforgettable evening."

With Jay-Z and Kanye West throwing a wrench into traditional album-release strategies with their Watch the Throne project, Lil Wayne has chosen to make his own release an event by coinciding with another. "Lil Wayne continues to change the game; this time with a new release strategy that demonstrates the power of the VMAs to grab the attention of music fans," MTV President Stephen Friedman said. "After our millions of viewers experience the VMAs, they can go online at midnight and download the album they've all been waiting for."

Tha Carter IV's latest single is "She Will" and will feature appearances from, T-Pain, Tech N9ne, Rick Ross, John Legend, Jadakiss, Nas and Busta Rhymes, among others.

The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year's highlights and vote for Best New Artist at VMA.MTV.com.

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