After amassing more than 800 recording credits and garnering GQ Man of the Year status, Lil' Wayne has finally managed to shed the mixtape messiah cloak and put together an album that actually sounds like an album. 'Tha Carter III' has continuity, psychedelic lyricism, atrocious metaphors and that trademark cough-medicine induced New Orleans drawl in spades. It is also the album that announces 'Weezy' as the premier player on a crowded block.

Strong colabs with Jay-Z on 'Mr Carter', Busta Rhymes on the whimsical 'La-la' and R&B crooners Babyface and T-Pain up the ante when the tattooed former child star is not doing his stream-of-conscience thing. And not even the tired pop smarts and recycled beats of the infectious 'Lollipop' (no prizes for guessing what the metaphor refers to) or rant 'Misunderstood' can detract from tracks like 'Dr Carter', where Wayne performs lyrical surgery on some of his fading peers, and the dynamite-laden 'A Milli'. Kanye West and Swizz Beatz are also on hand to lend their sublime production skills to proceedings.

"Off the richter Hector Camacho Man Randy Savage Far from average above status quo Flow so pro I know," he comes at you like a southpaw swinging hooks wildly. Lil' Wayne is disjointed, surreal, and compelling, a freefall through the chasm of an intoxicated mind and a world away from the gangster posturing ennui of his genre-mates — indeed, he deflects criticism by taking on a Martian alter-ego. When he lays claim to being the best rapper alive, you can sense it's no idle boast.

He even finds the time to compare himself with Martin Luther King, and while that comparison is odious in the extreme, there can be no doubt that the 'King' is seated firmly on rap's throne. Look out for 'Tha Carter III' to be up there with the hip-hop albums of the year. "Next time you mention Pac, Biggie or Jay-Z/Don't forget Weezy Baby," as the man himself spits on his way to the rap pantheon.