Tomorrow sees the release of one of the most highly-anticipated hip-hop albums in years in Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III. Long thought of as an underground sensation, Weezy has parlayed his saturation of the mixtape market into a number one single in “Lollipop,” and Tha Carter III stands to do big business. Why all the free music? “When I put out so many different types of music, you can’t help but know me or notice me,” he explains. “If I get that one moment of attention, then I know I’m going to make you like me. You want every record to be bigger than the last. That Tha Carter II didn’t do what I wanted it to do was a disappointment because I put my all into it, just like I did with this one, but I ain’t gonna dwell on it.” Click below for more on the evolution of Lil Wayne, check out the four-and-a-half star review of Tha Carter III and stay tuned to RollingStone.com for an in-depth Lil Wayne interview later this month.

• How Lil Wayne Became a Superstar

• Album Review: Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III