LIL WAYNE
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Young Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.
Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), Lil Wayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and 2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on several popular rap and R&B singles.
His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 and sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included the number-one single "Lollipop" featuring Static Major. It also includes the singles "A Milli" and "Got Money" featuring T-Pain and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Lil Wayne released his debut rock album, Rebirth, in 2010 to primarily negative reception from critics. The album eventually went gold. In March 2010, Lil Wayne began serving an 8-month prison sentence in New York after being convicted of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in July 2007. While in prison he released another album entitled I Am Not a Human Being in September 2010, featuring Young Money artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Twist. His ninth studio album and first since being released from prison, Tha Carter IV, was released on August 29, 2011. The album includes the songs "6 Foot 7 Foot" featuring Cory Gunz, "How to Love" and "She Will" featuring Drake. It sold 964,000 copies in the U.S. its first week out.
Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter was born when his mother, a chef, was 19 years old. His parents were divorced when he was 2, and his father permanently abandoned the family. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School.He wrote his first rap song at age eight. In the summer of 1991, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Carter recorded freestyle raps on Williams's answering machine, leading him to mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. He also recorded his first ever collaboration album True Story with rapper B.G.. At the time, Carter was 11, and B.G. was 14, and was billed as "The B.G.'z". When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz. At age 13, he accidentally shot himself with a 9 mm handgun, and off-duty police officer Robert Hoobler drove him to the hospital. At McMain Magnet School, Carter was an honor student, but he dropped out at the age of 14 to focus on a musical career.
In October 2011 it was reported that Lil Wayne is working on sequels to I Am Not a Human Being and Rebirth. A couple months later, Birdman announced that I Am Not A Human Being 2 will be released before the summer of 2012 and that him and Lil Wayne have finished recording Like Father, Like Son 2.
On March 29, 2011, in an interview with Hot 97's Angie Martinez, Lil Wayne announced that he would retire at age 35; saying "I have four kids," and that "I would feel selfish still going to the studio when it's such a vital point in their lives."
However, in an interview with XXL, Lil Wayne hinted that Tha Carter IV would be his last album.
After earning his GED, Wayne enrolled at the University of Houston in January 2005. He dropped out in the same year due to his conflicting schedule. He also revealed on The View that he switched to the University of Phoenix and majored in psychology taking online courses. An article in Urb magazine in March 2007 asserted that Wayne had been earning high grades at Houston.
Lil Wayne is a practicing Christian, who takes time to read the Bible regularly. While playing in Newark Symphony Hall, Lil Wayne professed his belief "in God and His son, Jesus." He then asked the Newark crowd if they also believed, and they responded affirmatively with a roar. During his 2011 tour in Australia with Eminem, before beginning his bracket he proclaimed his belief in God.
On February 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and Cortez Bryant revisited their alma mater McMain Secondary School to get students to design an invitation to the gala introducing Lil Wayne's nonprofit One Family Foundation. The website Change.org states: "The mission of One Family Foundation, Inc. is to empower urban youth by engaging them in opportunities to cultivate their talents and skills, educating them to become productive and economically self-sufficient, and motivating them to dream beyond their circumstances."
After hearing word that Lil Wayne had written a diss song for him after 50 Cent made some unkind remarks, 50 lashed out at Wayne first on August 17, 2007 with the song "Part Time Lover". Wayne never really responded to the song, although a 50 Cent diss track called "Louisianimal" did leak much later on November 17, 2008. 50 responded to Lil Wayne in January 2009 in a song entitled "Play This On The Radio". As of August 14, 2009, the controversy between 50 Cent and Lil Wayne seems to have ended after 50 Cent appeared and performed at Lil Wayne's America's Most Wanted Musical Festival stop in Anaheim, California.
In early 2011, when Jay-Z & Kanye West's single "H•A•M" was released, Jay-Z took shots at Lil Wayne's mentor Birdman, saying "Really, you got Baby money" and "[you] ain't got my lady's money!". On August 24 2011, a song called "It's Good" by Lil Wayne (featuring Drake and Jadakiss) was leaked online and included Lil Wayne responding "Talkin’ ‘bout baby money? I gotcha baby money. Kidnap your bitch, get that, How much you love your lady? money". Rapper Jadakiss later absolved himself of involvement in any brewing beef on his official Twitter feed.
Discography:
THA BLOCK IS HOT
(1999)
Tha Block Is Hot is the debut studio album by Lil' Wayne. It was released on November 2, 1999 by Cash Money Records.
The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 229,000 copies sold in its first week released. This was significant, as none of the other members of Hot Boys had released solo albums that had charted so high. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies in the US.
LIGHTS OUT
(2000)
Lights Out is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released December 19, 2000 on Cash Money Records.
500 DEGREEZ
(2002)
500 Degreez is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released July 23, 2002 on Cash Money Records.
The title of the album is a nod to fellow rapper Juvenile's album from four years earlier, 400 Degreez. The album peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and peaked at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. But the album was certified gold by the RIAA next to his recent second album Lights Out.
THA CARTER
(2004)
Tha Carter is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on June 29, 2004 on Cash Money Records and Universal Records.
The album was the last featuring Cash Money's former in-house producer, Mannie Fresh before he split from the label. The album is based on Lil Wayne's last name, Carter. Tha Carter is generally considered as Lil Wayne's "break out" album, due to the maturity in both his subject matter, and delivery compared to his first three albums. Tha Carter was the start of a highly successful album saga for Wayne. The album has spawned three sequels, Tha Carter II which was released in 2005, Tha Carter III which was released in 2008, Tha Carter IV which was released in 2011.
Tha Carter followed Lil Wayne's work in Da Drought mixtape. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, and number two on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with 116,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over 1,252,000 copies in the US.
THA CARTER II
(2005)
Tha Carter II is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005 in the United States. The album has sold over 2.1 million copies in the United States.
Upon its release, Tha Carter II received generally positive reviews from most music critics, with several praising the lyricism and artistic growth demonstrated by Wayne on the album. David Jeffries of Allmusic praised the album's balance of "hookless, freestyle-ish tracks" and "slicker club singles", commenting that "the well-rounded, risk-taking, but true-to-its-roots album suggests he can weather the highs and lows like a champion." Entertainment Weekly's Ryan Dombal wrote that Tha Carter II "transcends [Wayne's] inflated ego" and complimented the album's "sturdy funk-blues tracks... that offer genuine value". David Drake of Stylus Magazine called the album "one of the year's best releases" and lauded his "entire persona, an aura, a rap creation that seems fully-developed and fascinating". Despite writing that "Wayne's verses need a good polish", Nick Sylvester of Pitchfork Media wrote that the album contains "jaw-droppers aplenty" and complimented Wayne's growth as a lyricist, stating:
People who met Wayne on "Go DJ" and thought him a lunchroom hack emcee – who knows what's happened since then, but damn has he learned how to write. His squeak is now a croak, his laugh a little more burly, his flow remarkably flexible. Sometimes he's deliberate like syrup cats ("But this is Southern, face it/ If we too simple then yall don't get the basics") but when he needs to be, he's nimble as that Other Carter: "I ain't talking too fast you just listening too slow." Remy and weed, fast things and women, the corner – these are Wayne's wax since B.G.'ing with B.G., putting piff on the campus before he ever enrolled in college.
—Nick Sylvester
THA CARTER III
(2008)
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream. The album's cover art features a baby picture of Wayne and is similar to covers of hip hop albums such as Illmatic (1994) and Ready to Die (1994). Amid release delays and leaks, Tha Carter III became one of the most anticipated releases of 2008.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week. It reached sales of 2.88 million copies by the end of 2008 and produced four singles that achieved chart success, including the international hit "Lollipop" and Billboard hits "A Milli", "Got Money", and "Mrs. Officer". Upon its release, Tha Carter III received general acclaim from music critics and earned Lil Wayne several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 51st Grammy Awards. It has been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States.
Tha Carter III was ranked number one in Blender's list of the 33 best albums of 2008. It was also ranked number three on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2008. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and it won for Best Rap Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards, while "Lollipop" won for Best Rap Song and "A Milli" won for Best Rap Solo Performance. Billboard magazine ranked the album number 103 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade.
REBIRTH
(2010)
Rebirth is the seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released February 2, 2010, on Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Motown. Originally set to be released in early 2009 before several delays, the album was produced primarily by Cool & Dre, DJ Infamous, DJ Nasty & LVM, Kevin Rudolf, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Rebirth was promoted as Wayne's rock music debut, though it includes some hip hop tracks.
The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. It became Wayne's seventh top-ten album in the United States and produced four singles that attained Billboard chart success. Upon its release, Rebirth received generally negative reviews from most music critics. It has been certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America, with domestic shipment of 500,000 copies.
I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING
(2010)
I Am Not a Human Being is the eighth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released digitally on September 27, 2010. Its physical version was released on October 12, 2010. It was recorded in 2010 prior to Wayne's nine-month prison term for criminal possession of a weapon. Production for the album was handled by Wayne and several record producers, including Boi-1da, Cool & Dre, StreetRunner, Noah "40" Shebib and DJ Infamous, among others.
The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, based on its first-week digital sales alone. Following its physical release, it featured an increase in sales and topped the chart, becoming Lil Wayne's second US number-one album and the first studio album since Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World in 1995 to reach the top slot on the Billboard 200 while its artist was jailed. Its lead single "Right Above It" became a top-ten hit in the United States. Upon its release, I Am Not a Human Being received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics. The album has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week digital sales of 110,000 downloads. In its second week, it dropped to number 16 on the chart and sold 23,000 digital copies. Following its CD release on October 12, the album sold 125,000 copies and moved up to number one on the Billboard 200 in its third week. It became Lil Wayne's second number-one album and seventh top-ten album in the US. As of November 18, 2010 the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. As of September 5, 2011 the album has sold 953,000 in the USA.
THA CARTER IV
(2011)
Tha Carter IV is the ninth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on August 29, 2011 through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2008, shortly after Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III (2008) was released to strong sales and critical acclaim: however, the sessions were put on hold, as Lil Wayne claimed he did not want to follow an album he held in high regard so quickly with another, potentially inferior release. In the interim, Lil Wayne released two other solo albums: the largely rock-themed Rebirth (2010) and I Am Not a Human Being (2010). The latter was reportedly composed from unreleased material from the original Tha Carter IV sessions, as the album was released whilst Wayne served a prison sentence at Rikers Island prison for illegal possession of a weapon, and was thus unable to record any new material: this also meant Tha Carter IV's recording sessions were once more put on hold.
Following Wayne's release from prison, the album was re-recorded from scratch. The recording sessions resumed at various locations, involving several record producers including Bangladesh, Detail, T-Minus, Noah "40" Shebib, Polow da Don, Jim Jonsin, Kane Beatz, Boi-1da, Willy Will, StreetRunner, Cool & Dre, Young Ladd, The Smeezingtons, and Kanye West. The album's largely concerns the themes of sex, violence, drugs and crime, but also love, hurt and emotional conflict. Appearances on the album include Cory Gunz, Drake, T-Pain, Tech N9ne, Andre 3000, Rick Ross, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Birdman, Kevin Rudolf, Jadakiss, Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes.
Following a heavily delayed release, Tha Carter IV was released to digital retailers at midnight on August 28, 2011, following Wayne's scheduled performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, and physical retailers received the album the following day. Tha Carter IV achieved first week sales of 964,000 copies in the United States and became Lil Wayne's second album to top the US Billboard 200 in its first week. The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were divided in their responses towards the album's production and Wayne's own performances on the album: they felt it a disappointment compared to his previous work. In an interview with XXL, Lil Wayne hinted that the album might be his last.
On November 16, 2011, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of two million copies in the United States.
Tha Carter IV had 300,000 downloads in its first four days online, which broke an iTunes record previously set by Watch the Throne. In the United States, Tha Carter IV topped the Billboard 200 on the issue of September 17, 2011. Selling 964,000 copies in its first week, it achieved the highest first-week album sales since Lady Gaga's Born This Way. It retained the top spot in its second week, despite a 77% decrease in sales, selling 219,000 copies. As of February 2012, the album had sold 1,981,000 copies in the United States. In Canada, the album debuted on the top spot on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 31,000 copies in its first week.
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