Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born
September 27,
1982[1]), better known for his
stage name Lil Wayne, is an
American rapper. He met the
Cash Money Records collective as a teenager and eventually recorded for the label. He was a member of the rap group,
Hot Boys.
Biography
Early life
He was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.[2] Dwayne was in the gifted program at Lafayette Elementary School, and was in the drama club in middle school.[3] At age eleven, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records.
Wayne recorded freestyle raps on Williams' answering machine; Williams
would eventually mentor the young Wayne and include him in Cash
Money-distributed songs.[4] He dropped out of school at age 14, but then later gained his credits.[3] Wayne had a daughter named Reginae Carter with Antonia "Toya" Johnson, his high school sweetheart. The two later divorced.[5]
In an interview with Blender, Wayne revealed that one of his favorite bands growing up was Nirvana, including their song "Smells Like Teen Spirit".[6]
Career with Hot Boys
In 1997, Wayne formed the group Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, Turk, and B.G., who released their debut CD Get It How You Live that year. In 1998, the group's major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare was released; it was followed in 2003 by Let Em Burn.
The first music album to feature Lil Wayne's vocals was the debut album of the Cash Money-signed group Hot Boys titled Get It How U Live!, released in 1997; Lil Wayne was the youngest member of that group. In 1998, Wayne was featured on the song "Back That Azz Up" by Juvenile. The second album by the group, titled Guerrilla Warfare, was released in 1999 before Wayne's solo debut was released.[2]
Solo career
His solo career began with Tha Block is Hot in 1999. After releasing the albums Lights Out in 2000 and 500 Degreez in 2002 to little success, in 2004 he released the bestseller Tha Carter and eventually was featured in the popular song "Soldier" by the R&B group Destiny's Child. Tha Carter II followed in 2005. In June 2008, "Tha Carter III" was released.[2]
Wayne's debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys and went double platinum, climbing to #3 on the Billboard album charts.[2] The album earned Wayne a 1999 Source magazine award nomination for "Best New Artist",[7] and also became a Top Ten hit.[2] After the release of Tha Block is Hot, Wayne was featured on the single, "Bling Bling", with B.G., Juvenile, Turk, and Big Tymers.
His 2000 follow-up album Lights Out failed to attain the level of success achieved by his debut[2] but was certified gold by RIAA.[8] At this point in his development as an emcee, Wayne was criticized for coasting on his fame and the collective success of the Hot Boys.
Critics pointed to the lack of coherent narratives in his verses as
evidence that he had yet to mature to the level of his fellow Hot Boys.[9] Near the release of Lights Out, Wayne was featured on the single, "1# Stunna" with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which rose to 24th place on the Hot Rap Tracks charts.
Wayne's third album 500 Degreez, released 2002, followed the format of his previous two, with significant contributions from the Hot Boys and Mannie Fresh. While certified Gold like its predecessor[8], it too failed to match the success of Wayne's debut.[2] The title was a reference to the recently estranged Hot Boys member Juvenile's recording, 400 Degreez.[10] After the release of 500 Degreez, Wayne was featured in the single, "Neva Get Enuf" with 3LW.[11]
Tha Carter albums
In the summer of 2004, Wayne released Tha Carter. Often cited as a highlight of his career, Tha Carter marked a significant development in Wayne's flow and delivery, as the young rapper began to employ more original diction and syntax,
while occasionally experimenting with his voice and inflection. In
addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Wayne's
now-signature dreadlocks.[2] Tha Carter gained Wayne significant recognition, selling over 1 million copies in the United States, while the single "Go DJ" became a Top 5 Hit.[12]
The album was loosely organized around the theme of Wayne's mansion,
which he refers to as Tha Carter. The tracks "Walk In," "Tha Carter,"
and "Walk Out" employ this concept, as Wayne takes the listener through
his house, rapping about the activity therein. This idea was influenced
by the movie New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes, in which Nino Brown (Snipes) calls his drug building The Carter.
After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" with T.I., which peaked at #3 on the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B Charts.[13]
December 6, 2005 brought the second installment of Tha Carter series, Tha Carter II. The album marked yet another shift in Wayne's career, as it was his first major release to lack the beats of longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had since left the label. As a result, Tha Carter II
contained a more diverse range of production style than had previously
been present on Wayne's recordings. Tha Carter II sold more than
238,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. The lead single, "Fireman," became a hit in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. The second single, "Grown Man", received little attention, while
the third single "Hustler Musik" received a video and gained moderate
airplay. Other notable tracks include "Fly In," "Carter II," and "Fly
Out" which mirror the series of "walk" tracks that appeared on Tha Carter. Wayne also furthered his claim of being the "Best Rapper Alive" by including a track of the same name on the album.
From the release of Tha Carter II to the end of 2005, Lil Wayne was featured in two singles as a featured performer. His first single was on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me", which rose to #13 on the U.S. R&B Charts.
In 2005, Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money.[14]
However, as of late 2007, Wayne reports that he has stepped down from
the management of both labels and has handed management of Young Money
over to Cortez Bryant.[15]
In 2006, he collaborated with rapper Birdman for the album Like Father, Like Son. He was featured on Fat Joe's single "Make it Rain" later that year as well. In 2007, he also appeared on the R&B single "You" by singer Lloyd[16], among 864 recording appearances and verses he recorded that year alone.[17]
In 2007, an MTV poll selected Lil Wayne as 'Hottest MC in the Game.'[18] The same year, he was named one of the "Men Of The Year" for Workaholic by GQ Magazine, and in 2008 he was named "Best Rock Star Alive" by Blender Magazine.[19] In Rolling Stone's Best of Rock 2008 issue, Wayne was named the "Best MC".[20]
In 2008, he released the first single from his upcoming Tha Carter III album, entitled "Lollipop",
which would bring him a level of commercial success he had never before
seen: going on to become his first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tha Carter III
was released on June 10, 2008, selling more than a million copies in
its first week of release, the first to do so since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005.[21]Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III's
largest delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and
distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and "The
Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Wayne initially decided to use the leaked
tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album, titled Tha Carter III: The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008,[22] The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but an official EP titled The Leak and containing five tracks was released digitally on December 25, 2007. The first single "Lollipop", featuring Static
has been released. The single quickly became the rapper's most
commercially successful song of his career thus far, topping the Billboard Hot 100,
making it the first Top 10 single for Wayne as a solo artist, as well
as his first #1 on the chart. It also gave him his first #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks.
Focus on mixtapes and guest appearances
In the years following "Tha Carter" albums, no major solo album was
released. Wayne did have a collaboration album with Birdman, called Like Father, Like Son.
Instead, Wayne reached his audience through a plethora of mixtapes and
guest appearances on a variety of pop and hip-hop singles.Of Wayne's many mixtapes, Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3 received the most media exposure and critical review. The former, released in 2006, paired Wayne with DJ Drama and contained the acclaimed socially conscious track "Georgia.......Bush," in which Wayne critiqued President George W. Bush's response to the tragic effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans. Da Drought 3
was released the following year and was available for free legal
download. It contained Wayne rapping over a variety of beats from
recent hits by other musicians. The impressive flow, varied deliveries,
charisma, dexterous freestyling that appeared on these mixtapes vaulted
Wayne into the public eye, and won him a number of features in
prominent hip-hop magazines, such as XXL and Vibe.Rolling Stone said of Wayne's Da Drought 3 and The Drought Is Over 2, as being "among the best albums of 2007."
Despite no album release for two years, Wayne appeared in numerous
singles as a featured performer. Wayne's first performance in 2006 was
on the remix of Chris Brown's "Gimme That", which rose to #15 on the U.S. Hot 100 and #5 on the R&B charts. Another single, "Make It Rain" with Fat Joe, rose to #13 on the Hot 100, #6 on the R&B, and #2 on the U.S. Rap Charts. His next performance, on Lloyd's "You",
peaked at #9 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B, the highest ever for
a song featuring Wayne. Wayne's first performance of 2007, with DJ Khaled, Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and Birdman on "We Takin Over",
rose to #11 on the Rap charts. Lil Wayne and Birdman again teamed up,
after the release of "Like Father, Like Son", on the song "Pop Bottles". The single reached #15 on the R&B charts, and #6 on the Rap charts. His next featured single, "Duffle Bag Boy" with Playaz Circle, reached #15 on the Hot 100, #4 on the R&B and #2 on the Rap charts. The next single, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" with Wyclef Jean and Akon, peaked at #12 on the Hot 100. Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Rick Ross all teamed-up on the "I'm So Hood" remix, which rose to #19 on the Hot 100, #9 on the R&B, and #5 on the Rap charts. Wayne was also featured on Little Brother's 2007 album Getback on the 9th Wonder produced "Breakin My Heart", as well as on Jay-Z's American Gangster album, on the song "Hello Brooklyn 2.0".
On October 3, 2007,
Vibe ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007, deciding upon
the best song from Wayne on the year. They ranked Wayne's verse in "We Takin Over" as his best song of 2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got"
from Wayne's Da Drought 3 the #2 song.
On July 22, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in New York City following a performance at the Beacon Theater. NYPD discovered Wayne and another man smoking marijuana
near a tour bus on 61st and Columbus. After taking Wayne into custody,
police discovered a pistol on his person, and he was charged with
criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana.
On October 5, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in Boise, Idaho, following a performance at Qwest Arena. Wayne was arrested on felony fugitive charges after Georgia authorities accused the rapper of possessing a controlled substance.The incident was later described as a "mix-up" and the fugitive charges were dropped.
On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona.
Lil Wayne had a .44 caliber pistol. A K-9 Unit recovered 105 grams of
marijuana (3.7 ounces), almost 29 grams of cocaine (1.02 ounces), 41
grams of Ecstasy (1.4 ounces) and $22,000 dollars in cash. It was released that he has his Concealed Weapons License, completed
for the state of Florida; however the power of jurisdiction falls under
state ruling, and his legitimacy of possessing a firearm in the state
of Florida holds no significance in Arizona. He has since been released
on bail of $10,185.
Beyond Tha Carter III
Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III's
largest delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and
distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and "The
Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Wayne initially decided to use the leaked
tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album, titled Tha Carter III: The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008, The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but an official EP titled The Leak and containing five tracks was released digitally on December 25, 2007. Tha Carter III was released on June 10, 2008. The first single "Lollipop" quickly became the rapper's most commercially successful song to date, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and making it the first Top 10 single for Wayne as a solo artist, as well as his first #1 hit. For the chart week of June 21, 2008, Lil Wayne tied T-Pain in having the most songs on the Hot 100 in one week for a rapper, appearing on seven songs in the Hot 100 that week.
He has announced several possible projects following Tha Carter III, including a collaboration with rapper Juelz Santana entitled I Can't Feel My Face. On the website HipHopDX.com, he has spoken about a possible R&B album titled Luv Sawngz, featuring heavy reliance on a vocoder. He has also tentatively scheduled a collaboration album with singer Lloyd titled Best of Young Worlds.
In January 2008, DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of the Dedication mixtape series with Wayne, who has instead stated that he will do an album (not a mixtape) under the title.
On May 30th, Tha Carter III
was leaked internationally. The first of the leaks were distributed on
May 30th at around 8pm where five songs from the track list were
available on the internet. Hours later on May 31st at 12am-1am the
whole album was leaked and posted on various websites for free
download. DJ Chuck T is responsible for the leaks, apparently in an act
of retaliation against an interview conducted days before, where Wayne
discredited all DJ's and the mixtape scene.
On June 10th, 2008, the editors at Blender Magazine launched The Great Lil Wayne Debate, a series of roundtable discussions detailing Tha Carter III and the artistic styles of Lil Wayne.
On June 17th, 2008, Lil Wayne put out a video on the internet thanking everyone for buying Tha Carter III. At the end of the video, Wayne said "Gettin' back to work. Carter IV." which hints at a possible fourth entry into Tha Carter series. Also in a new remix of A Milli one of the verses he says, "A Milli-on sold, First day I went gold, How do I celebrate? Work on Tha Carter 4".
On June 19th, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain formed a supergroup called T-Wayne, they also plan to release an album called He Rap, He Sing.
On June 20th, 2008, Billboard.com announced that Lil Wayne will be joining the lineup for the New Orleans' 2008 Voodoo Experience, being held Oct. 24-26. This event will mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career.
