Lil Wayne
From WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
Lil Wayne is an American Hip-hop and Grammy-nominated rapper. He is also known as the president of the New Orleans-based record label Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment.
Contents |
Biography
Early Life
He was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Dwayne was in the gifted program at Lafayette Elementary School, and was in the drama club in middle school. At age eleven, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Lil Wayne accidently shot himself in the chest with a .44-caliber and was in critical condition but recovered. Wayne had a daughter named Reginae Carter with Antonia "Toya" Johnson, his high school sweetheart. They got married on Valentines Day of 2004, the two would later divorce in 2006.
Hot Boys
In 1997, Lil Wayne formed a supergroup called Hot Boys. Juvenile, BG, & Turk formed along with him. They released there debut album "Get It How You Live". It was released October 28, 1997. There first single was "We On Fire", followed by "Neighborhood Superstar" as there second single. After the Get It How You Live Era, they released there sophomore album "Guerrilla Warfare". It was there first album to go platinum. It was released July 27, 1999. There first single was "We On Fire" & second single was "I Need A Hot Girl". "Let 'Em Burn", there third album was released March 23, 2003. It's first single is "My Section". There second single is "Gangsta Nigga". The album unfortally didn't go platinum or gold. In 2001, Turk, BG, & Juvenile left Hot Boys & Cash Money Records due to money problems, leaving Lil Wayne the only member left of Hot Boys. It was recently announced in 2008, The Hot Boys would be reuniting and will be working on there next album as soon as BG completes his album "Too Hood To Be Hollywood".
Solo Career
Wayne first released his debut album "Tha Block Is Hot" in 1999 & was certified double platinum. He sold approxamently 1,300,000 copies of his first studio album, with his hit singles, "Tha Block Is Hot" & "Respect Us". Wayne released his sophomore album "Lights Out" in 2000, but didn't reach a high level of popularity expectations. It was certified gold on it's first week, but went platinum in 2001. It had three singles. "Get Off Tha Corner" was Wayne's first single, followed by "Everything" & it's third single "Shine". Wayne came back to the studio with "500 Degreez". It was his third album & second album to acheive gold. the album was only 100,000 away from going platinum & this is Wayne's lowest sales. It's first single "Way Of Lfe" wasn't much of a hit. his second single "Where U At" was his main track of the album.
Tha Carter Series
In summer of 2004, Wayne released an album called "Tha Carter". He signifantly changed his whole style of music to create a platinum studio album. also, including the fact his album art had his first ever signature dreadlocks. He sold over 1,000,000 copies of "Tha Carter" & his hit single "Go DJ" became a top 5 hit. His album was organized by the theme of his manshion, witch he reffers to "Tha Carter". The tracks "Walk In", "Tha Carter", & "Walk Out" proves the concept of Tha Carter is his manshion. He talks about the activity in his manshion on those tracks. This idea was from the movie "New Jack City" starring Wesley Snipes, In witch Nino Brown (Snipes) calls his drug building The Carter. After the release of Tha Carter, Wayne features on Destiny's Child's hit single "Solider", along with T.I.. It peaked at #3 on the U.S. Hot 100 & R&B Charts. In december of 2005, Wayne delivered the second installment of Tha Carter Series, also known as "Tha Carter II". Wayne sold more than 238,000 copies in the first week of the release, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. The leading single of Tha Carter II is "Fireman" peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Hustler Musik" was Wayne's second single, peaking at 87 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, 26 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, & 16 on the U.S. Hot Rap Tracks. The third single "Shooter" features Robin Thicke & is on 2 other albums. The tracks peak position was 97 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. In March of 2008, Lil Wayne released a single called "Lollipop". It is Wayne's first track to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, & Hot Rap Tracks. a month later, Wayne releases his second single called "A Milli" featuring Cory Gunz, a new Young Money artist. It was said those tracks will be on "Tha Carter III". It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. A month after that, Wayne released his third single called "Got Money" featuring T-Pain. It peaked #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. A couple days later, "Tha Carter III" was released. The album sold 1.7 million copies & peaked #1 on the Billboard 200 & United World Chart. iTunes released 2 bonus tracks. one was "Lollipop (Remix) featuring Kanye West & one was "Prostitute 2". Target released "Action" (a remix of the track "Showtime") & "Whip It" as bonus tracks. The deluxe edition contained the whole album & "The Leak". after Tha Carter III was released, Wayne released a video & confirmed at the end he was getting back to work on Tha Carter IV. also on the A Milli (A Milli Sold Remix), He says "A million sold, first day i went gold, how do i celebrate? work on Tha Carter 4". This hints possilbly a next Carter album.
Awards & Certifications
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Billboard Music Award | Nominated for Rap Album of the Year for "Tha Carter II" |
| 2006 | BET Hip-Hop Award | Nominated for Hip-Hop MPV of the Year |
| 2006 | Grammy Award | Nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Soldier" |
| 2006 | BET Hip-Hop Element Award | Nominated for Lyricist of the Year |
| 2006 | BET Hip-Hop Award | Nominated for Hip-Hop CD of the Year for "Tha Carter II" |
| 2005 | BET Award | Nominated for Best Collaboration for "Soldier" |
| 2005 | BET Award | Nominated for Viewer's Choice for "Soldier" |
| 2005 | Vibe Award | Nominated for Coolest Collabo for "Soldier" |
| 2000 | Source Award | Nominated for New Artist of the Year, Solo |
Certifications
| Year | Album | Certification | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Block is Hot | 2x Platinum | United States - RIAA |
| 2000 | Lights Out | Platinum | United States - RIAA |
| 2002 | 500 Degreez | Gold | United States - RIAA |
| 2004 | Tha Carter | Platinum | United States - RIAA |
| 2005 | Tha Carter II | Platinum | United States - RIAA |
| 2008 | Tha Carter III | Platinum | United States - RIAA |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Tha Block Is Hot | 72 | 24 | 27 | Tha Block Is Hot |
| 2000 | Get Off The Corner | N/A | 88 | N/A | Lights Out |
| 2001 | Shine | 96 | 39 | N/A | Lights Out |
| 2002 | Way Of Life | 71 | 23 | 16 | 500 Degreez |
| 2004 | Bring It Back | N/A | 47 | N/A | Tha Carter |
| 2004 | Go DJ | 14 | 4 | 3 | Tha Carter |
| 2005 | Fireman | 32 | 15 | 10 | Tha Carter II |
| 2006 | Hustler Musik | 87 | 26 | 16 | Tha Carter II |
| 2006 | Shooter | N/A | 97 | N/A | Tha Carter II |
| 2007 | Gossip | 115 | 109 | N/A | The Leak |
| 2007 | I'm Me | N/A | 63 | N/A | The Leak |
| 2008 | Lollipop | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tha Carter III |
| 2008 | A Milli | 11 | 2 | 3 | Tha Carter III |
| 2008 | Got Money | 13 | 40 | 5 | Tha Carter III |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedule for the artists.
Announcements
- Hot Boys has reunited and will work on there fourth album as soon as BG completes "Too Hood To Be Hollywood".
- T-Pain & Lil Wayne formed a supergroup called "T-Wayne". There album will be released late of 08 & is called "He Rap, He Sing".
Discography
Comprehensive list of the recordings made.
Albums
 November 2, 1999 Cash Money |
 December 5, 2000 Cash Money |
 July 5, 2002 Cash Money |
 June 29, 2004 Cash Money |
 December 6, 2005 Cash Money |
 June 10, 2008 Cash Money |
Collaborations
 October 31, 2006 Cash Money |
Mixtapes/EP Albums
 2004 Young Money |
 2004 Young Money |
 2005 Cash Money |
 2005 101 Distribution |
 2005 We The Best Music |
 2006 101 Distribution |
 2007 Young Money |
 December 25, 2007 Cash Money |
Upcoming
- 2008: Weezy: The Mixtape To End All Mixtapes
- 2008: I Can't Feel My Face (w/ Juelz Santana)
- 2008: He Rap, He Sang (w/ T-Pain)
- ????: Luv Sawngz
- ????: Best Of Young Worlds (w/ Lloyd)
- ????: Dedication 3
- ????: Untitled (w/ Hot Boys)
- ????: Tha Carter IV
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Tha Block Is Hot | Tha Block Is Hot |
| 1999 | Respect Us (feat. Juvenile) | Tha Block Is Hot |
| 2000 | Get Off the Corner | Lights Out |
| 2001 | Shine (feat. Mack 10, Mikkey, and Baby) | Lights Out |
| 2001 | Everything | Lights Out |
| 2002 | Way of Life (feat. Big Tymers and TQ) | 500 Degreez |
| 2002 | Where You At | 500 Degreez |
| 2004 | Go DJ | Tha Carter |
| 2004 | Bring It Back (feat. Mannie Fresh) | Tha Carter |
| 2005 | Fireman | Tha Carter II |
| 2006 | Hustler Musik | Tha Carter II |
| 2006 | Shooter (feat. Robin Thicke) | Tha Carter II |
| 2006 | Stuntin' Like My Daddy | Like Father, Like Son |
| 2006 | Leather So Soft | Like Father, Like Son |
| 2006 | Know What I'm Doin' (feat. Rick Ross & T-Pain) | Like Father, Like Son |
| 2007 | You Ain't Know | Like Father, Like Son |
| 2007 | Gossip | The Leak |
| 2007 | I'm Me | The Leak |
| 2007 | The Only Reason (feat. Sizzla & T-Streets) | The Drought Is Over 5 |
| 2008 | Lollipop (feat. Static Major) | Tha Carter III |
| 2008 | A Milli (feat. Cory Gunz) | Tha Carter III |
| 2008 | Got Money (feat. T-Pain) | Tha Carter III |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Lil Wayne was recruited by the Boyz N Da Hood. But due to scheduling conflicts involving promotion of Tha Carter II, he was never formally named an active member of the group. He still maintains a very good relationship with the group recording new tracks with them often.
- Lil Wayne was arrested on charges of possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance on August 14, 2006. But was later released from Georgia's Fulton County Jail on $11,000 bond.
- Toi Montgomery Jr. is good friends with Dwayne Michael Carter "Lil Wanye."
Reviews
External Links
- Cash Money Records Official Website
- Lil Wayne at Wikipedia
- Lil Wayne at Soundcheck - presented by AXE
