It just looked too funny and too absurd to be the cover of a real album that your fans have been waiting for since forever. I thought any self-respecting rapper-eater with multiple tear drop tattoos would of course go the superthug imagery route, perhaps a drophead phantom in the middle of projects, maybe a little shirtlessness, some knots ‘o’ cash, perhaps a bag of mystery powder in arms reach?

But I was wrong. Earlier today, Simon Vozick-Levinson over at EW.com hit me because a label source told him that the baby album art was the real deal. (I like this part of his post: “I think I finally understand why last summer, the one time I talked to Wayne — shortly before he abruptly began screaming profanities for no apparent reason and hung up on me — he told me he’d been recording Tha Carter III ‘my whole life… I’d assumed it was just another semi-coherent boast, but I see now that he was being mad literal.”)

And then my own pal Big D, who runs with Lil Wayne at Universal confirmed: It was Weezy’s idea to take his baby photo and alter it for the Carter III cover.

DeWayne, I’ll never doubt you or your crazy juice again.

lil wayne carter III