Flash, style and fame, these things all embody the 27 year old Grammy Award winning rapper Lil Wayne. From an early age Lil Wayne would start rapping under the tutelage of New Orleans rapper and founder of Cash Money Records, Brian Williams. He has rose to the top despite many difficulties and this is the career path that took him there.
Lil Wayne’s Early Life and Cash Money Records
Born September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., or Lil Wayne as he is better known, knew from an early age what he intended to do. Carter was raised in the poorest of neighborhoods in New Orleans called HollyGrove. At age eight Lil Wayne began writing his first raps.
Three years later fate would be at hand when Lil Wayne met Cash Money Record founders Slim Williams and Brian Williams (also known as rapper Birdman/Baby). The two gave him a business card and went on their way. But Wayne wasn’t about to leave it at that. He began to leave freestyles of him rapping on the Williams’ answering machines until Brian Williams finally was impressed enough to take Lil Wayne under his wing.
It was also around this time that Lil Wayne accidentally shot himself in the chest while playing with a gun reportedly belonging to his mother. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne found school to be a breeze and found himself being placed in honors classes until he dropped out at the age fourteen. Around this time Lil Wayne began dealing crack to make ends meet.
Hot Boys
Things were about to turn around for Lil Wayne’s life and career though. Now officially signed to Cash Money Records as a member of the group the Hot Boys, he was finally about to release his first LP. The Hot Boys included rappers Juvenile, Turk, and B.G and Lil Wayne. Despite being the youngest member, Lil Wayne proved through his writing ability that he could more than stand on his own two feet. Today in fact, Lil Wayne is looked at as one of rap’s top ghostwriters.
The Hot Boys released Get It How U Live! in 1997. It was an underground hit selling 400,000 copies. This album was followed by Guerrilla Warfare and was the Hot Boys’ major label debut album. It sold more than 1 million records making Lil Wayne at 16 a huge star.
Lil Wayne’s Solo Career
In 1999, Lil Wayne released a solo album entitled Tha Block is Hot. This album topped hip hop charts and sold over 2 million copies. Fellow Cash Money Records recording artist Mannie Fresh (Big Tymers) was behind the mixing board for the project as he would be for many of Lil Wayne’s future projects.
2000’s Lights Out didn’t sell as well, nor did Lil Wayne’s 500 Degree album that was released in 2002. Wayne desperate for change decided to release his first mixtape. This mixtape featured other musicians’ beats with Lil Wayne rapping over them. It was an underground smash hit.
In 2004, Tha Carter was released to rave reviews from both fans and critics alike. It is said that this is actually one of his best efforts to date. It sold 1 million in the United States alone. Tha Carter II was then released in December 2005. Producer, friend and mentor Mannie Fresh for the first time in Lil Wayne’s solo career was not behind the mixing board for any of the tracks. Fresh had left Cash money Records over disputes with executives.
Brian Williams announced in 2005 that Lil Wayne would be named as president of Cash Money Records. That same year Lil Wayne would start his own imprint, Young Money Entertainment, under Cash Money Entertainment. Wayne would announce that he would be stepping down from both executive positions in 2007.
Lil Wayne would spend much of 2006-07 releasing numerous mixtapes and collaborating with many different artists. Some of those artists include Birdman, Chris Brown, Akon, DJ Drama, Fat Joe and R&B sensation Lloyd just to name a few.
Lil Wayne’s Grammy Win and Sentencing
Initially planned for release in 2007, Tha Carter III was released to an amazing mass appeal. The album sold well over 1 million copies in its first week. The single “Lollipop” featuring Static topped pop charts. This was Lil Wayne’s first Top 10 solo single. Lil Wayne continued to collaborate with many different artists including rock artists in 2008.
Lil Wayne would win Best Rap song for “Lollipop”, Best Rap Solo Performance for “A Milli”, and Best Rap Album at the February 2009 Grammy Awards. He also would receive an award with Kanye West, Jay-Z and T. I. for “Swagga Like Us” as Best Rap Performance by a Group or Duo.
Despite Lil Wayne’s success in early 2009, late 2009 would prove to be difficult for Lil Wayne. He plead guilty to gun possession charges in Manhattan, New York, USA October 22, 2009 and is looking at a sentencing of up to one year in prison.
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