Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne (born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., 27.9.1982)

Lil Wayne is an American rapper and member of the group Hot Boys.

Lil Wayne: Childhood

Lil Wayne was born in Hollygrove, New Orleans, Louisiana. He was enrolled in Lafayette Elementary School, on the gifted program and later attended Eleanor McMain secondary School, where he was a member of the drama club. When he was 11, he met the owner of Cash Money Records, Bryan Williams.

Carter left freestyle raps on Williams answer machine and the label boss eventually became his mentor and included him on Cash Money-distributed tracks.

When he was 12 years old, Carter accidentally shot himself in the chest with a .44 caliber. Two years later, he dropped out of school, though he did later earn his GED.

Lil Wayne: Musical Career

Lil Wayne formed the group Hot Boys in 1997, with Turk, Juvenile and B.G., all fellow rappers. Lil Wayne was the youngest member; just 15 at the time. The band released their debut album Get It How You Live! in 1997, followed by 1999's Guerilla Warfare, their major-label debut. A compilation of unreleased tracks recorded in 1999 and 2000 was released posthumously under the title Let 'Em Burn, in 2003, a few years after the band had split.

Lil Wayne's debut solo album was entitled Tha Block is Hot. The rapper was only 16 at the time of its release and the album entered the charts at number three, soon achieving platinum status. Soon after the release of the album, Lil Wayne also featured on the single 'Bling Bling', along with the other members of Hot Boys, as well as Big Tymers.

In 2000, Lil Wayne's second studio album, Lights Out was released. The album was certified gold but did not achieve the same level of success as his debut album. Two singles were released from the album, 'Get Off The Corner' and 'Shine.'

500 Degreez was Lil Wayne's third album. Released in 2002, the album featured contributions from members of Hot Boys as well as Mannie Fresh. This album was also certified gold. 'Way of Life' was the lead single from the album.

In 2004, Lil Wayne released Tha Carter. The album was considered by many music critics to be a huge leap forward for the rapper. It was also the first album cover to feature his now-trademark dreadlocks. The album sold over 1 million copies and the single 'Go DJ' was a top five hot in the US. Destiny's Child featured Lil Wayne and T.I. on their single 'Soldier', which was a number three hit.

The follow up to Tha Carter was entitled Tha Carter II and upon its release in 2005, was a huge success, selling over 238,000 copies in its first week on sale. The lead single, 'Fireman' went into the US singles chart at number 32 and was followed with the release of 'Grown Man', 'Hustler Muzik' and 'Shooter'. That same year, Lil Wayne was made president of the Cash Money enterprise, as well as founding Young Money Entertainment. In 2007, however, Lil Wayne stepped down from these roles.

Lil Wayne has appeared on a number of mixtapes and tracks by other artists, including Birdman, DJ Drama, Chris Brown and DJ Khaled.

The release of Lil Wayne's next album, Tha Carter III was delayed when some of the tracks were leaked. As a response, he released the four leaked tracks as well as a few new tracks, as an interim album named The Leak. Tha Carter III was eventually released in June 2008 and sold over 1 million copies in its first week. The album's lead single, 'Lollipop', featuring Static, became Lil Wayne's most successful single to date.

Lil Wayne: Personal Life

Lil Wayne married Toya Johnson on Valentines Day 2004 but divorced in 2006. The pair have a daughter, Reginae Carter. Lil Wayne also has a son, Dwayne Carter III, though the identity of the mother is not known.

In 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of a weapon (he had a pistol). In 2008, his tour bus was stopped in Arizona and he was again arrested with narcotic and weapon possession.