Lil' Wayne Video: The History
| Tue 09 February 2010 |
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Lil' Wayne Video: The History |
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Lil' Wayne, The American Hip Hop rapper -- born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. -- was born on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood. His last name, Carter, is taken from his step father, who died in tragic circumstances. Lil' Wayne is also known as Weezy, J.R., Raw Tune, Birdman, and Weezy F Baby. Lil' Wayne was enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School. At age eleven, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. After developing a very keen interest in Rap music, Lil' Wayne began recording freestyle raps on Williams' answering machine and Williams eventually mentored the young Carter and included him in songs distributed by Cash Money Records. Lil' Wayne signed his first contract ever, with Cash Money Records, at the very tender age of 11. At age 14, Lil' Wayne dropped out of school but later earned his GED. At the age of 16 Lil' Wayne became a dad: he has a daughter -- Reginae Carter -- with Antonia "Toya" Johnson, his high school sweetheart. Lil' Wayne and Antonia were married on Valentines Day in 2004; they divorced in 2006. During his acceptance speech for "Lyricist of the Year" at the 2008 BET Awards, Lil' Wayne announced that he was about to become a dad for the second time. His newborn son, Dwayne Carter III, was born on Oct. 22 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. One of Lil' Wayne's favorite bands from childhood was the rock group Nirvana -- a group that has influenced his music. In 2005, Lil' Wayne was named president of Cash Money Records, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an offshoot of Cash Money Records. However, Lil' Wayne reported that he has stepped down from the management of both labels and has handed management of Young Money Entertainment over to Cortez Bryant, a longtime friend. Lil' Wayne has a Degree in Psychology from the University of Houston in Texas.
[ Top of page ] Lil' Wayne & The Hot BoysIn 1997, Lil’ Wayne, Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. came together to form the rap group the Hot Boys. At 15 years of age, Lil’ Wayne was the youngest member at that time. The Hot Boys' debut album "Get It How U Live" was released the same year in 1997. This was Lil’ Wayne's first album with the Hot Boys. "Get It How U Live" was then followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut album "Guerrilla Warfare", which reached #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #5 on the Billboard 200. During their career, the Hot Boys had two charting singles, "We On Fire" from the album "Get It How U Live" and "I Need a Hot Girl" taken from the album "Guerrilla Warfare". Lil’ Wayne was also featured on Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. "Let 'Em Burn", a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded. It reached #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #14 on the Billboard 200.
[ Top of page ] Lil' Wayne's Solo CareerLil' Wayne's first solo album was "Tha Block is Hot", which came out in 1999 and debuted in the top ten of the American Billboard 200 chart. In the same year (1999) Lil' Wayne was nominated for "Best New Artist" by The Source magazine. After the success of his hit debut album, "Tha Block Is Hot", Lil' Wayne released two further albums: "Lights Out" which was released in 2000 and "500 Degreez" which was released in 2002. These two subsequent albums didn't achieve the level of success achieved by "Tha Block Is Hot", partly due to limited promotion. In 2004, Lil' Wayne reached higher levels of popularity with "Tha Carter". And the two follow-up albums, "Tha Carter II" (2005) and "Tha Carter III" (2008) in particular, made Lil' Wayne into a Hip Hop rap phenomenon, with "Tha Carter III" (Cash Money/Universal) winning the accolade of the best-selling album of 2008 after shifting a total of 2.88 million units. Lil' Wayne's Studio AlbumsTha Block Is Hot (1999)
Following his success with "Tha Block Is Hot", Lil' Wayne soon began featuring on other rappers' singles, including B.G.'s "Bling Bling" and Big Tymers' "#1 Stunna". Lights Out (2000)
The second single which received less attention was "Shine" featuring The Hot Boys. Just before the release of "Lights Out", Lil' Wayne was featured on the single, "#1 Stunna" with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which rose to 24th place on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. 500 Degreez (2002)
The title "500 Degreez" was a response to Juvenile's (estranged Hot Boys member at the time) recording of "400 Degreez". The lead single was "Way Of Life" which, like the album, failed to match the success of his previous singles. After the release of "500 Degreez", Lil' Wayne was featured on the single, "Neva Get Enuf" with 3LW. Tha Carter (2004)
Lil' Wayne gained significant recognition for "Tha Carter", selling over 1 million copies in the United States, while the single "Go DJ" became a top five hit. After the release of "Tha Carter", Lil' Wayne was featured on 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. The song "Get Something" (featuring Mannie Fresh) was supposed to appear on the album but failed to make the cut. However, the music video was released. Tha Carter II (2005)
Tha Carter III (2008)
"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. The first single "Lollipop", featuring Static became the rapper's most commercially successful song at that point, topping the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first top ten single for Lil' Wayne as a solo artist, as well as his first #1 on the chart. His third single from "Tha Carter III", "Got Money" featuring T-Pain, peaked at #13 on the Billboard 100. After selling 2.88 million units of "Tha Carter III" and taking home first prize for the most albums sold in 2008 across all popular music genres, Lil' Wayne's place in history as one of the most successful rappers of his generation, is assured. [ Top of page ] Lil' Wayne's MixtapesIn 2006, following the release of "Tha Carter II", Lil' Wayne collaborated with rapper Birdman on the album "Like Father, Like Son". The first single from the album, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy", reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of a follow-up solo album to "Tha Carter II", Lil' Wayne reached his audience through mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop and Hip Hop singles. Of his many mixtapes, "Dedication 2" and "Da Drought 3" received the most media exposure and critical review. "Dedication 2", released in 2006, saw Lil' Wayne team up with DJ Drama on the acclaimed socially conscious track "Georgia Bush" in which Lil' Wayne criticized US president George W. Bush's response to the crisis in New Orleans after the effects of Hurricane Katrina. "Da Drought 3" was released in 2007 and was available for free legal download. The album featured Lil' Wayne rapping over a variety of beats from recent hits by other musicians. Prominent Hip Hop magazines such as XXL and Vibe covered the mixtape. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine considered the mixtapes "Da Drought 3" and "The Drought Is Over Part 2" "among the best albums of 2007."
[ Top of page ] Hip Hop News: Lil' Wayne
Photos | Lil Wayne And Drake On "America's Most Wanted" Tour
Lil Wayne And Drake On "America's Most Wanted" Tour Related ArtistsPhotos | Shawty Lo And Lil Wayne Video Shoot
Shawty Lo And Lil Wayne Video Shoot Related ArtistsLil Wayne - 4 My Town (Play Ball)
Lil Wayne - On Fire
Lil Wayne - Give It Up To Me
Lil Wayne Feels 'Blessed' To Be Part Of 'We Are The World' Remake 'After I did Bob Dylan's part, it kind of hit me that I guess this is way more important than I could ever imagine,' Weezy tells MTV News.
LOS ANGELES — "I've never been involved in anything like this," Lil Wayne said after he recorded his solo for the remake of "We Are the World" on Monday night at the Henson Recording Studios as part of an all-star benefit for Haitian relief. "My attitude coming out is I feel blessed and I feel like I've done something today, and that's always a good day."
With a large roster of rappers in the house for the session — including Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, LL Cool J, Swizz Beatz, T-Pain, Wyclef Jean, Will.I.Am, Busta Rhymes, Kid Cudi, Drake, Nipsey Hussle, Bizzy Bone, Mann and others — Wayne said he was glad hip-hop could play such a large part in the sessions, which took place 25 years almost to the day since the first recording. "I was like, 'What am I doing here?' " Wayne joked, revealing that he got to sing the part recorded by folk icon Bob Dylan on the original. "I was like, 'You guys are real good comedians,' " he laughed. "After I did Bob Dylan's part, it kind of hit me that I guess this is way more important than I could ever imagine." Wayne said the opportunity to be involved in such a major undertaking is something his children can hold onto forever. As for his mother, he chuckled when he said that all she asked was that he get Gladys Knight's photo for her. "I'm still overwhelmed," Weezy said, looking around the room at the galaxy of stars that ranged from Pink and Carlos Santana to Usher and Barbra Streisand. "I was like, 'Where do I fit in?' I thought my name got mixed up." Asked how he approached the Dylan part and whether he sang or rapped it, Wayne said that was an embarrassing story, since he's not known as a singer and he just tried to do his best to make it work. "I don't know how to sing. I approached it the best way I know how, brother," he told a reporter with a smile. When another writer asked whether he did a better job than Dylan, Wayne flashed his diamond-studded grill and said humbly, "Hell no." Because he lives in Miami, Wayne said he learned firsthand about the devastation in Haiti from his Haitian friends who lost their children in the earthquake. "Before I go," the New Orleans native added as he left the press area, "I think it's amazing what's been done for Haiti ... but I also think it's amazing what hasn't been done for New Orleans." Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsPhotos | Lil Wayne's Battle With His Gun Possession Case
Lil Wayne's Battle With His Gun Possession Case Related ArtistsLil Wayne - Respect My Conglomerate
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At age 17, Lil' Wayne's debut solo album 
Lil' Wayne's 2000 follow-up album 
Lil' Wayne's third album 
In the summer of 2004, Lil' Wayne's album 
"Tha Carter II"
"Tha Carter III"
