Lil Wayne Not Pressed To Do "Carter III"-Like Record Sales, Says Young Money President

With Lil Wayne's long-awaited Tha Carter IV finally in stores, Young Money president Mack Maine reveals how unfazed Weezy is about the LP selling as many opening week copies as its predecessor.

Although Carter III sold over a million copies in its opening summer 2008 week, Maine is not expecting the new LP to have similar initial results

"[Wayne] actually told us if he don't do those same numbers again as C3 don't be mad," Mack admitted. "I said this before -- I told Nicki [Minaj] -- she was kinda nervous about her first-week sales -- I said, 'First week sales don't matter.' I'd rather my final sales matter. I know albums from Juvenile 400 Degreez to [Justin] Beiber's first album sold 20, or 30,000 the first-week and went onto sell 2 million one album then 6 million on another album. I saw [Lady] Gaga did the 99 cent thing [and] then [her] second-week it did like 175,000. Congratulation as it relates to her. With Wayne, I don't want him to sell a million the first-week, [and] then drop to 100,000 the next week then 50,00 the following week. I'd rather sell ten times platinum total." (XXL Mag)

Prior to her now-platinum Pink Friday debut, Maine previously revealed Nicki Minaj's sales fears.

"She was worrying about first week. She was like, 'Drake sold [463,000]. What you think I'ma sell? As if she gon' sell less," recalls Maine. "I explained to her, 'You know a lot of the press and the media really got it brainwashed with first week sales.' Bieber went on to sell 2 million and Bieber might have only sold 17,000 the first week. Juvenile sold like 30,000 his first week of 400 Degreez and went on to sell 6 million...I don't know what happened to working the record and making sure that the artist reaches a certain point. I rather the end number be higher than the beginning. These days, it's all about: Let me do 500,000, a million the first week. Don't get caught up in what Wayne did. You don't want your pinnacle to be your first-week sales. Then everything's downhill from there and then what? I don't care if you sell 10 the first week and you go on to sell 5 million--we did better than the person that sold 300 the first week." (VIBE)

Last week, Cash Money Records co-owner Birdman said two million copies have been shipped in preparation for Wayne's first week.

Cash Money delivered Carter IV to Universal about 10 days in advance, which Williams says was necessary to press the two million units being shipped in its first week. "The goal is to sell a million-plus copies," he explains. Although that's likely what led to Carter IV breaking free, Williams says he's actually OK with leaks, to a point. "I can deal with it for short period of time," he says. It's when you have a leak out for a long time that it's crazy." (Rolling Stone)

Young Money's Gudda Gudda recently spoke to SOHH about the LP living up to 2008's Tha Carter III.

"I think it's going to be big and I'm not just saying that because he's my homie," Gudda Gudda told SOHH when asked about the delayed project. "I'm just being honest. I think it's going to be big and it can match up to what Tha Carter III did. The expectations are really big and it's going to be really big for hip-hop when it finally comes out." (SOHH)