If you were outside in 2007, you remember the chaos. Lil Wayne was a mythic figure, a rapper who seemed to breathe bars instead of oxygen. Every morning, a new track would hit the blogs. It was the era of the "leak." Amidst that tidal wave of music, one song stopped everybody in their tracks. It wasn't a club banger. It didn't have a flashy video. It was Something You Forgot.
People still talk about this song like it’s a lost religious text. Honestly, it kind of is.
The Mystery of the Carter III Sessions
The track surfaced on the legendary mixtape The Drought Is Over 2 (The Carter 3 Sessions). It wasn't supposed to be there.
Lil Wayne was at his absolute peak, working toward what would become the multi-platinum Tha Carter III. But the internet had other plans. Hackers and DJs—specifically DJ Empire—got their hands on dozens of finished records. Something You Forgot was the crown jewel of that stolen stash.
Wayne was furious about the leaks. He eventually scrapped most of that material and recorded a completely different version of the album. While the "official" Carter III was a massive success, many purists still argue that the leaked version, featuring this specific track, was actually his masterpiece.
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What Makes the Song So Different?
Usually, 2007 Wayne was about punchlines and "Young Money" swagger. But here? He sounds fragile. He sounds like he’s recorded this at 4:00 AM after a bottle of something expensive and a very bad phone call.
The song samples Heart's "What About Love." That 80s power ballad energy is baked into the beat, giving Wayne a dramatic, cinematic backdrop. He isn't just rapping; he’s lamenting.
- The Subject Matter: It's a breakup song. But not a "moving on" type of song. It’s a "I’m miserable and I know I messed up" type of song.
- The Vocal Delivery: You can hear the gravel in his voice. He’s straining. He’s almost crying on the track.
- The Lyrics: Wayne drops lines that have since become captions for an entire generation. "God knows that I'd do anything for a part two." That hits different when you're 19 and heartbroken.
He even compares his relationship to his career, saying "You mean to me what I mean to rap." For a man who claimed to be the "Best Rapper Alive" every five minutes, that was the ultimate compliment.
Why It Never Saw an Official Release
You won't find Something You Forgot on Spotify or Apple Music. Not officially, anyway.
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Sample clearance is a nightmare. Using a massive 1985 hit by Heart is expensive. Because the song was leaked and never intended for a mixtape that would be sold, the legalities were ignored. Once the song became a cult classic, trying to clear those rights for a commercial release became a bureaucratic wall.
Plus, there’s the emotional baggage. Wayne has rarely acknowledged the song in the years since. It captures a version of him that was perhaps too raw, too vulnerable, and too connected to a specific person—rumored by many fans to be Nivea or even a high school sweetheart.
The Cultural Legacy
Even without a radio push or a music video, the song grew legs. It became a staple on Limewire and burned CDs. It defined the "Mixtape Wayne" era where the best music wasn't found in stores, but in folders on a desktop computer.
It proved that Wayne wasn't just a clever lyricist. He was a songwriter with range. He could make the toughest guys in the neighborhood sit in their cars and feel things.
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How to Listen Today
Since it isn't on major streaming platforms, you have to go "old school" to find it:
- YouTube: There are dozens of uploads, some with millions of views, usually featuring a grainy photo of Wayne with his head down.
- Mixtape Sites: DatPiff (if you can find an archive) or other mixtape hosting sites still carry The Drought Is Over 2.
- SoundCloud: Fan uploads keep the track alive in the underground ecosystem.
Moving Forward: The Essential Mixtape Wayne Checklist
If Something You Forgot just sent you down a rabbit hole, don't stop there. To truly understand why 2006-2008 Lil Wayne was the most dominant force in music history, you need to hear the rest of the "unreleased" gems from that era.
Check out "I Feel Like Dying" for a psychedelic look into his mindset at the time. Then, find "Trouble" and "Pray To The Lord." These aren't just songs; they are the blueprint for the melodic, emotional rap that dominates the charts today. You'll start to see how artists like Drake and Future were influenced by these specific, leaked sessions.
Go find a high-quality upload of the track and listen to that second verse again. It’s a masterclass in honesty.