Lil' Wayne Video: The History

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.

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Lil' Wayne & The Hot Boys

In 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.

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Lil' Wayne's Solo Career

Lil' 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 Albums

Tha Block Is Hot (1999)

At age 17, Lil' 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. The album earned Lil' Wayne a 1999 Source magazine award nomination for "Best New Artist", and the lead single, "Tha Block Is Hot" also became a top ten hit.

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)

Lil' Wayne's 2000 follow-up album "Lights Out" failed to attain the level of success achieved by his debut, "Tha Block Is Hot", but was certified gold by RIAA. 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. The lead single was "Get Off The Corner" which was noticed for an improvement in lyrical content and style.

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)

Lil' Wayne's third album "500 Degreez", released in 2002, followed the format of his previous two albums, with significant contributions from the Hot Boys and Mannie Fresh (Cash Money Records producer). While certified Gold like "Lights Out", "500 Degreez" also failed to match the success of his debut album, "Tha Block Is Hot".

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)

In the summer of 2004, Lil' Wayne's album "Tha Carter" came out, marking what critics considered advancements in his rapping style and lyrical themes. In addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Lil' Wayne's new signature dreadlocks.

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 II", the follow-up to the original "Tha Carter" album, was released in December 2005, this time without production by longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had since left the label. "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, and went on to sell 2,000,000 copies world wide. The lead single, "Fireman", became a hit in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles included "Grown Man", "Hustler Muzik", and "Shooter" (featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke). Lil' Wayne also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me", which rose to #13 on the U.S. R&B Charts.

Tha Carter III (2008)

"Tha Carter III" (2008) is the album that has catapulted Lil' Wayne into Hip Hop stardom after dominating the Hip Hop music scene in 2008 with tracks like "Lollipop", "Mrs. Officer", "Dr. Carter", "Comfortable", "A Milli", "Got Money", and "Mr. Carter".

"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.

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Lil' Wayne's Mixtapes

In 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."

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Hip Hop News: Lil' Wayne

Photos | Lil Wayne Returns To Glory With I Am Still Music Tour

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'What I'm doing is really never important, actually,' Weezy tells Mixtape Daily, while hyping other Young Money releases.
By Rob Markman

Baby and Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News

<P><big><b>Celebrity Favorites: Lil Wayne</b></big><br> <a href="/music/artist/lil_wayne/artist.jhtml">Lil Wayne</a> doesn't stop. With his <i>Tha Carter IV</i> album only two months old, Young Money President Mack Maine made waves when he revealed to MTV News that Weezy is already 12 songs deep into his next album, <a href="/news/articles/1672638/lil-wayne-i-am-not-a-human-being.jhtml"><i>I Am Not A Human Being II,</i></a> and will soon start to work on his second rock album, <i>Rebirth II.</i> </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:705450" width="240" height="211"></div><p> Still, instead of promoting himself, Weezy would much rather focus on the talent around him. While on the set of <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/10/16/lil-wayne-birdman-and-nicki-minaj-all-laughs-on-video-set/">Birdman's "Y.U. Mad" video</a>, MTV News asked Tunechi about his next two albums, and he quickly diverted the attention to his artist Drizzy. "Drake's album <i>Take Care</i> is coming November 15, Nicki is about to start working on her next album," he said before turning to the Female Weezy for an update. "No name yet. She said she still figuring it out," Nicki responded, never breaking her Lady Wayne character. Weezy continued to deflect, using the opportunity to plug his own YM artists and Cash Money labelmates. Birdman (<i>Bigga Than Life</i>), Tyga (<i>Careless World</i>), Lil Twist (<i>Don't Get It Twisted</i>) and Bow Wow (<i>Underrated</i>) are all scheduled to release albums before the end of the year. "Stunna coming out; <i>I'm Not a Human Being II</i> and <i>Rebirth II</i> is so not important right now," Tune said. "We got Twist coming, we got Tyga Tyga coming, and then we have Shanell coming, then we got Bow Wow &#8212; that's what's <i>really</i> important. What I'm doing is really never important, actually. I'm a very unimportant guy. It's just me." <b>For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/topics/m/mixtape_mondays/index.jhtml">Mixtape Daily Headlines</a>.</b></p>

• Lil Wayne

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Hip Hop / Urban / Music Magazines

XXL Magazine is an urban lifestyle magazine that covers Hip Hop culture.	Word Up! Magazine focuses on Rap music and performers.	OZONE Magazine is a premier urban Hip Hop publication for the South.
Foundation Magazine is the first and only Mixtape Magazine in Hip Hop.	G.O.A.T. Magazine has established connections with the most elite that sports and Hip Hop have to offer.	Vibe Magazine covers the trends, the events, and culture of the urban scene, including Hip Hop.
Rolling Stone Magazine is a definitive source of music information and popular culture trends.	Complex Magazine magazine for a new generation of young men. It covers everything to do with Hip Hop culture.	Billboard Magazine provides award-winning and in depth coverage of every aspect of music.

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