The lead single from the album, called "Fireman" was released on October 25, 2005. The song was produced by DVLP and Filthy. While they were recording the song at the time, both DVLP and Filthy first burst into a music scene as the production duo, called Doe Boys. The album's second single, "Hustler Musik" was released on January 10, 2006. The song was produced by T-Mix and the unknown producer named Batman. The album's third single, "Shooter" was released on April 9, 2006. The song features guest vocals from an American R&B singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, who also produced this track. The song also was later included on Thicke's then-upcoming album, titled The Evolution of Robin Thicke.
Commercial performance
Tha Carter II was certified Gold status by the RIAA on January 18, 2006. After six weeks dating on March 23rd, the album was Platinum. On September 28 2006, Tha Carter 2 was certified Double Platinum for shipments of 2,000,000 copies.
Critical reception
Upon its release, Tha Carter II received widespread critical acclaim from music critics, with several praising the lyricism and artistic growth demonstrated by Wayne on the album. AllMusic's David Jeffries praised the album's balance of "hookless, freestyle-ish tracks" and "slicker club singles", commenting that "the well-rounded, risk-taking, but true-to-its-roots album suggests he can weather the highs and lows like a champion." Entertainment Weeklys Ryan Dombal wrote that Tha Carter II "transcends inflated ego" and complimented the album's "sturdy funk-blues tracks... that offer genuine value". David Drake of Stylus Magazine called the album "one of the year's best releases" and lauded his "entire persona, an aura, a rap creation that seems developed and fascinating". Despite writing that "Wayne's verses need a good polish", Nick Sylvester of Pitchfork wrote that the album contains "jaw-droppers aplenty" and complimented Wayne's growth as a lyricist, stating: IGN writer Jim During gave the album an eight out of ten and commented that Wayne " the mic with hard-hitting verbal tenacity", and wrote that the album shows him "at his most focused, and is a strong next step for a relatively young career." Matt Cibula of PopMatters wrote ambivalently towards that album's production, writing that "the producers here are mostly no-namers who do their jobs well but not spectacularly", but praised Wayne's "amazing" words and remarked that "Straws really IS the best rapper alive, at least when he tries".
Track listing
;Sample credits
"Tha Mobb" contains a sample of "Moment of Truth" written and performed by Wilson Turbinton.
"Best Rapper Alive" contains a sample of "Fear of the Dark" written by Steve Harris, and performed by Iron Maiden.
"Grown Man" contains a sample of "Sparkle" written by Paul Harden, and performed by Cameo.
"Shooter" contains a sample of "Oh Shooter" written by Robin Thicke, Robert Daniels, James Gass and Robert Keyes, and performed by Robin Thicke, and contains the interpolation of "Mass Appeal" performed by Gang Starr.
"I'm a D-Boy" contains a sample of "Paid in Full" written by Eric Barrier and William Griffin, Jr., and performed by Eric B. & Rakim.
"Get Over" contains a sample of "Love Is What We Came Here For" written by Phill Hurtt and Walter Sigler, and performed by Garland Green.
