Known for his hits like “A Milli” and “Lollipop,” Lil Wayne is a Grammy-winning rapper.
Before embarking on a solo career with the critically acclaimed Tha Carter album and its number-one follow-ups 2, 3, 4, and 5, Lil Wayne was a member of the hip-hop group the Hot Boys. A Milli” and “Lollipop” were among his Grammy-winning singles in 2009, He’s collaborated with everyone from Robin Thicke to Nicki Minaj. In 2010, the rapper was sentenced to prison for criminal possession of a weapon, After running afoul of the law numerous times. Lil Wayne’s Road To Success
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., better known as Lil Wayne, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 27, 1982. While growing up in Hollygrove, one of New Orleans’ most impoverished neighborhoods, Lil Wayne began making music at a young age.
When he was 8, he began rapping. Cash Money Records founders Bryan and Slim Williams were impressed enough with his abilities to give him one of their business cards, which he later collected from other musicians. Wayne, who was ambitious, kept calling them until they took him under their wing and let him hang out in the label’s offices.
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On Lil Wayne’s debut album for Cash Money Records, True Stories (1993), he collaborated with fellow rapper B.G. as part of the BGs project. He was reckless when he wasn’t in the studio. An article in Rolling Stone claims that while selling crack, he accidentally shot himself in the chest. Wayne admitted to the magazine in 2008 that the gun he used belonged to his mother. “It felt as if a chopper had slammed into me. However. The bullet passed through me cleanly, and I was fully recovered within two weeks.” At some point, after his mother told him he was no longer allowed to rap anymore, Wayne shot himself in the head. According to an interview with Billboard published in 2018.
‘Get It How U Live!!’ and ‘Guerilla Warfare’
Lil Wayne’s first taste of fame came as a member of the Hot Boys. B.G., Juvenile, Turk, and Wayne were all members of Cash Money’s up-and-coming talent pool. Over 400,000 copies of Get It How U Live!!, Guerilla Warfare (1999) was even more successful, selling over 1 million copies worldwide. Lil Wayne was on the verge of stardom when he was just 16 years old.
‘The block is a Hot’
Tha Block Is Hot was Lil Wayne’s debut album as a solo artist (1999). In addition to the album’s title track, the album peaked at number one on the hip-hop charts as a result. With contributions from the Hot Boys, Big Tymers (Brian Williams and Mannie Fresh), and others, the album was certified twice platinum. Wayne’s producer on the recording was Fresh as well.
‘Lights Out,’ ‘500 Degreez’ and ‘Da Drought’
The rapper’s next two albums, Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002), both sold for less than his debut. Following this career-changing decision, Lil Wayne released his first mixtape collection, Da Drought, instead of continuing to create an album in the traditional style. (2003). His mixtapes frequently feature beats and lyrics that he writes over samples from other artists.
‘Tha Carter’ and ‘Tha Carter II’
Tha Carter, Lil Wayne’s massively successful fourth studio album. Was released in 2004 and helped solidify his position as one of rap’s most prominent performers. In both hip-hop and pop, the song “Go D.J.” did well. Wayne’s “syrupy drawl sounds more dextrous than ever,” according to Rolling Stone critic Christian Hoard.
Lil released Tha Carter II in December 2005, just a few months after this latest run of success. Wayne received more acclaim for the album, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts. With a cameo on Destiny’s Child’s smash hit “Soldier,” Wayne’s star rose even higher.
‘Like Father, Like Son’ and ‘Dedication, Vol. 2’
Throughout the next few years, Lil Wayne put out a slew of successful mixtapes with DJ Drama, the most well-known of which was 2006’s Dedication, Vol. 2. To coincide with the release of Like Father, Like Son (2006), Wayne collaborated with Bryan William (also known as “Baby” and “Birdman”) on the song “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy.”
Lil Wayne’s 2007 download-only EP The Leak was released as a response to the leak of several unreleased tracks over the internet. Tha Carter III, his eagerly awaited third studio album, debuted at the top of the rap, hip-hop, and pop charts and went on to sell over one million copies in its first week on sale.
A Milli and “Lollipop,” a track he recorded with Static Major, are among Tha Carter III’s many chart-topping singles. Mr. Carter featured Jay-Z and T-Pain, with Mr. Carter featuring T-Pain on “Got Money.” Cameos were also made by Babyface, Robin Thicke, Busta Rhymes, and Juelz Santana.
Best Rap Album Grammy went to this album, and Lil Wayne won three more Grammys in February 2009 for “Lollipop,” “A Milli,” and “Swagga Like Us,” a duo or group performance with Jay-Z, T.I., and Kanye West.
Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival, which Lil Wayne was a part of, featured Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy, and Drake during the summer of 2009. Wayne signed the rapper Bow Wow to his record label in August of that year. In the same year, he collaborated with Jay Sean on the smash hit “Down” from Sean’s critically acclaimed 2009 album All of Nothing, which featured the rapper.
‘Rebirth’ and ‘I Am Not a Human Being
In February 2010, Lil Wayne released his rock-influenced seventh studio album, Rebirth. And the same year, his eighth studio album, I Am Not a Human Being. Both initiatives were well-received by the community.
‘Tha Carter IV’ and ‘I Am Not a Human Being II’
When Wayne’s Tha Carter IV came out in August of that year, it was an instant hit. There were 300,000 song downloads on iTunes in the first four days of the album’s release, a new record. Hits from the album include Bruno Mars’ smooth vocals on “Mirror” and Drake and Jadakiss’ collaboration on “It’s Good.” Lil Wayne, never one to rest on his laurels, Released his highly anticipated tenth studio album, I Am Not a Human Being Part 2, in March of 2013. In its first week, the album sold 217,000 copies and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.
‘Free Weezy Album’ and ‘Tha Carter V’
However, due to disagreements with the Cash Money record label. Wayne did not release Tha Carter V as planned. And instead released the mixtape Sorry 4 The Wait 2 and his Free Weezy Album in 2015. As promised, Tha Carter V finally dropped in September after the rapper finally bailed on his Cash Money deal in June of this year.
Hurdles In Life:
Lil Wayne has run afoul of the law numerous times because of his penchant for smoking marijuana. In 2006, he was arrested for drug possession in Georgia, and in 2008 he was arrested for drug offenses again in Arizona.
Rikers Island prison complex in 2010 after another drug-related arrest in 2007. In 2016, he wrote a book about his time at Rikers Island called Gone Til November: A Journal of Rikers Island.
To promote the Mountain Dew soda brand, Lil Wayne released a song in May 2013 that contained derogatory lyrics about civil rights icon Emmett Till. As a result, the company dropped him.
After Hurricane Katrina decimated the athletic fields at his old high school, Eleanor McMain Secondary School, the rapper founded the One Family Foundation to help rebuild them. Through this organization, he has been working to help urban youth since 2005.
Wayne has a daughter from a previous marriage to a high school girlfriend. In addition, he’s the father of four children from previous marriages.
