The buildup has been ridiculously protracted and expectations concomitantly bloated, but Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. aka. Lil Wayne’s long-awaited sixth official solo album, Tha Carter III does not disappoint. It’s no It Takes a Nation of Millions or Illmatic, but could well be a Blueprint. In other words, not a masterpiece as an album, but still a thoroughly convincing statement of ownership on the part of its protagonist, with ample material shooting for classic status. Arguably the greatest, and certainly the most outstanding rap talent of his generation, Weezy here ups the ante of an already impressive career, taking his shit to superstar level.

The latest album by the Minneapolis hip hop group Atmosphere, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold, seems to mark a fine maturation for the pioneers of suburbia rap. This is not so much due to it being radically different from their earlier work, but rather because it refines some of the elements that has made the group so unique since they first emerged on the scene in the mid-90s. The front man, Slug, has toned down his ironically rakish charm and focuses more exclusively on the propensity for the melancholy and the creative approach to storytelling that have always been amongst his chief strengths. Add to this producer Ant’s foray into live instrumentation and the depth this gives to his rather spartan production sound, which of late had become almost unforgivably repetitive. Surprisingly, however, these new developments were hard to detect at their gig, with labelmate Brother Ali, in London last night.