Lil Wayne unleashed a potent rendition of his Carter V cut “Don’t Cry” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Wednesday.
The performance found Wayne tearing through the track’s brutally honest bars about life, death, success and failure: “It was dark, now the sun back/ Hit me hard, but I punched back/ The wheels fell off, I rode the hubcap/ Is it suicide or it’s do or die?/ It’s newer days and it’s bluer skies.” After each torrential verse, Wayne unleashed the song’s howling chorus, belting, “Don’t cry” alongside a recording of accused domestic abuser and late rapper XXXTentacion.
Lil Wayne released Tha Carter V in September after numerous delays. While the record technically follows Weezy’s 2011 effort, Tha Carter IV, the characteristically prolific rapper filled the interim years with a slew of mixtapes and other releases
Lil Wayne will play a handful of shows this month on his TIDAL-backed “I Ain’t Shit Without You” tour. The trek kicks off December 17th in Houston, Texas and includes stops in Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois.