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Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne

Overview
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American Grammy Award
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...

-winning rapper
Rapping
Rapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment...

. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys
Hot Boys
The Hot Boys is an amercan getto rap groupgroup active from 1997 to 2001 later reunited in 2007. The group is consisted of the most popular rappers in the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records: Juvenile, Lil Wayne, B.G. and Turk.From 1997 to 2001, the Hot Boys made up the majority of...

, he joined the Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is an American hip hop record label founded in 1989 by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams in New Orleans, Louisiana.- History :...

 collective as a teenager. Get It How U Live!
Get It How U Live!
Get It How U Live! is the debut album by the New Orleans rap group Hot Boys. All the tracks are produced by Mannie Fresh.-Track listing:# Intro - Big Tymers # We On Fire# 50 Shots Set's It Off...

, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne's first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot is the debut album released on Cash Money Records by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, only 17 years old at the time.His lead single "Tha Block Is Hot" was given the 50th spot on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time....

, his solo debut, came out in 1999.

After gaining fame with two other albums in the early 2000s, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004's Tha Carter
Tha Carter
Tha Carter is a 2004 rap album by American rapper Lil Wayne. The album was produced by Cash Money Records's former in-house producer, Mannie Fresh....

and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II is the fifth album by rap artist Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005.-Background:Artists making guest appearances on the album include veteran rappers Birdman and Kurupt, as well as Young Money members Curren$y and Nikki Kynard...

(2005) and Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. The first three singles released from the album, , have all achieved top ten success on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, "Mrs...

(2008).
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Encyclopedia
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American Grammy Award
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...

-winning rapper
Rapping
Rapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment...

. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys
Hot Boys
The Hot Boys is an amercan getto rap groupgroup active from 1997 to 2001 later reunited in 2007. The group is consisted of the most popular rappers in the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records: Juvenile, Lil Wayne, B.G. and Turk.From 1997 to 2001, the Hot Boys made up the majority of...

, he joined the Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is an American hip hop record label founded in 1989 by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams in New Orleans, Louisiana.- History :...

 collective as a teenager. Get It How U Live!
Get It How U Live!
Get It How U Live! is the debut album by the New Orleans rap group Hot Boys. All the tracks are produced by Mannie Fresh.-Track listing:# Intro - Big Tymers # We On Fire# 50 Shots Set's It Off...

, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne's first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot is the debut album released on Cash Money Records by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, only 17 years old at the time.His lead single "Tha Block Is Hot" was given the 50th spot on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time....

, his solo debut, came out in 1999.

After gaining fame with two other albums in the early 2000s, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004's Tha Carter
Tha Carter
Tha Carter is a 2004 rap album by American rapper Lil Wayne. The album was produced by Cash Money Records's former in-house producer, Mannie Fresh....

and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II is the fifth album by rap artist Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005.-Background:Artists making guest appearances on the album include veteran rappers Birdman and Kurupt, as well as Young Money members Curren$y and Nikki Kynard...

(2005) and Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. The first three singles released from the album, , have all achieved top ten success on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, "Mrs...

(2008). He earned various accolades following Tha Carter III, including eight Grammy Awards nominations. He has had two number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 ("Lollipop
Lollipop (Lil Wayne song)
"Lollipop" is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B artist Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008. The song features Auto-Tune vocals...

" with Static Major
Static Major
Stephen Ellis Garrett , better known as his stage name Static Major, was a Grammy Award winning, American singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static Major gained posthumous fame for appearing in Lil Wayne's 2008 hit...

 and being featured on "Down
Down (Jay Sean song)
"Down" is a song by British R&B artist Jay Sean. In North America the song was released as his debut-single from his debut-album All or Nothing. In other markets, including his native UK, the song will serve as Jay Sean's lead single from what will be his third studio album there...

" by Jay Sean
Jay Sean
Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, better known by his stage name Jay Sean, is a British recording artist and producer. Born in West London, England, he is best known for his hits "Stolen", "Eyes On You", "Ride It" and "Tonight" in UK. He has released two albums, Me Against Myself and My Own Way...

). He will release a rock album titled Rebirth
Rebirth (Lil Wayne album)
Rebirth is the upcoming seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. This album will be his rock debut, though it will include rap songs. The album was originally set to be released on April 7, 2009 but now it is set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Background:The album was originally...

in 2009.

Early life


Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the Hollygrove
Hollygrove, New Orleans
Hollygrove is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, located in the city's 17th Ward. A subdistrict of the Uptown/Carrollton Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Palmetto Street to the north, Cambronne, Edinburgh, Forshey, Fig and Leonidas Streets to...

 neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. At age eleven, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is an American hip hop record label founded in 1989 by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams in New Orleans, Louisiana.- History :...

. Lil Wayne recorded freestyle raps on Williams' answering machine; Williams would eventually mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man
Tin Man
Tin Man may refer to:* Tin Woodman, a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum* Ted McMinn, a footballer nicknamed The Tin Man* Tinman, a British electronic musician-Film and television:...

 in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz is a musical by Charlie Smalls, later adapted by William F. Brown as a book. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture....

. He claims that he accidentally shot himself with a .44 caliber gun at that age. He dropped out of school at age 14.

Hot Boys



In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys
Hot Boys
The Hot Boys is an amercan getto rap groupgroup active from 1997 to 2001 later reunited in 2007. The group is consisted of the most popular rappers in the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records: Juvenile, Lil Wayne, B.G. and Turk.From 1997 to 2001, the Hot Boys made up the majority of...

 along with rappers Juvenile
Juvenile (rapper)
Terius Gray, better known by his stage name Juvenile, is an American rapper. At the age of 19, he began recording raps, releasing his debut album Being Myself in 1994. The album gave name to the southern rap style known as "bounce". The album was followed by Solja Rags in 1997; its underground...

, Turk
Turk (rapper)
Tab Virgil, Jr., better known by his stage name Turk, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana.. He is best known as 1/4 of the New Orleans hip hop group Hot Boys...

, and B.G.
B.G. (rapper)
Christopher Dorsey, better known by his stage name B.G., is an American rapper in the group Hot Boys and founder of record label Chopper City Records. He began his solo career with Cash Money in 1993 with Lil' Wayne as 1/2 of the duo "The BG'z", and joined the Hot Boys in 1997.-Biography:Dorsey's...

; at age 15, Wayne was the youngest member at that time. Hot Boys' debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare
Guerrilla Warfare (album)
Guerrilla Warfare is the second and most successful album by the New Orleans rap group Hot Boys.-Track listing:#Intro #We On Fire#Respect My Mind#Help Guerrilla Warfare is the second and most successful album by the New Orleans rap group Hot Boys.-Track listing:#Intro (Hot &...

, which reached #1 on the Billboard magazine 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
We on Fire
"We on Fire" is a single from Hot Boys' album Get It How U Live!, and Guerrilla Warfare. The song was produced by Mannie Fresh, and the song was written by Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., and Turk, the 4 members of the group. B.G...

" from Get It How U Live! and "I Need a Hot Girl" from Guerrilla Warfare. Lil Wayne was also featured on Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up
Back That Azz Up
"Back That Thang Up" is a 1999 hit single by Juvenile for Cash Money Records, the second single from his 1998 album 400 Degreez. The song was written while Johnny Kenaya was in studio. He gave Juvenile the idea to sing the hook the way he did. Johnny Kenaya was there after they recorded the song...

", 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.

Early solo career (1999–2003)


Lil Wayne's debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot is the debut album released on Cash Money Records by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, only 17 years old at the time.His lead single "Tha Block Is Hot" was given the 50th spot on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time....

at age 17 featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys
Hot Boys
The Hot Boys is an amercan getto rap groupgroup active from 1997 to 2001 later reunited in 2007. The group is consisted of the most popular rappers in the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records: Juvenile, Lil Wayne, B.G. and Turk.From 1997 to 2001, the Hot Boys made up the majority of...

 and went double platinum, climbing to #3 on the Billboard album charts. The album earned him a 1999 Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988. The...

magazine award nomination for "Best New Artist", and also became a Top Ten hit. The lead single was "Tha Block Is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot
Tha Block Is Hot is the debut album released on Cash Money Records by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, only 17 years old at the time.His lead single "Tha Block Is Hot" was given the 50th spot on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time....

". After the release of Tha Block is Hot, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, "Bling Bling", with B.G.
B.G. (rapper)
Christopher Dorsey, better known by his stage name B.G., is an American rapper in the group Hot Boys and founder of record label Chopper City Records. He began his solo career with Cash Money in 1993 with Lil' Wayne as 1/2 of the duo "The BG'z", and joined the Hot Boys in 1997.-Biography:Dorsey's...

, Juvenile, Turk, and Big Tymers.

His 2000 follow-up album Lights Out
Lights Out (Lil Wayne album)
Lights Out is a 2000 album released on Cash Money Records by New Orleans rapper Lil' Wayne. On the track "Everything", he dedicates the song to his late stepfather Reginald "Rabbit" McDonald....

failed to attain the level of success achieved by his debut 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, it also received a music video. The second single which received less attention was "Shine" featuring The Hot Boys
Hot Boys
The Hot Boys is an amercan getto rap groupgroup active from 1997 to 2001 later reunited in 2007. The group is consisted of the most popular rappers in the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records: Juvenile, Lil Wayne, B.G. and Turk.From 1997 to 2001, the Hot Boys made up the majority of...

. Near the release of Lights Out, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, "1# Stunna" with Big Tymers
Big Tymers
Big Tymers was a hip hop duo from New Orleans, Louisiana, consisting of Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman and former Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh. Their album Hood Rich topped the Billboard 200 in 2002.-History:...

 and Juvenile
Juvenile
Juvenile or The Juvenile may refer to:*Juvenile or minor*Juvenile , American musician*Juvenile *Juvenile , a Japanese movie*"The Juvenile", a song by Jonas Berggren...

, which rose to 24th place on the Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs, formerly Hot Rap Tracks, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was...

 charts.

In 2001, Lil Wayne was shot in the chest in Florida after "some groupies" fired two shots through his tour bus window. He recalled the incident in 2008 interview: 'It [the bullet] 'didn’t go all the way in, ’cause the window slowed it down.'

Lil Wayne's third album 500 Degreez
500 Degreez
500 Degreez is the third album by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne released in 2002. The album is actually referred as a diss to Juvenile after he left Cash Money earlier in the year. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and sold 500,000 copies in the U.S...

, released in 2002, followed the format of his previous two, with significant contributions from the Hot Boys
Hot Boys
The Hot Boys is an amercan getto rap groupgroup active from 1997 to 2001 later reunited in 2007. The group is consisted of the most popular rappers in the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records: Juvenile, Lil Wayne, B.G. and Turk.From 1997 to 2001, the Hot Boys made up the majority of...

 and Mannie Fresh
Mannie Fresh
Byron O. Thomas, better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is currently an artist and hip-hop producer who records for Def Jam South. From 1993-2005 he was the in-house producer for Cash Money Records.-Biography:...

. While certified Gold like its predecessor, it too failed to match the success of his debut. The title was a reference to the recently estranged Hot Boys member Juvenile's recording, 400 Degreez
400 Degreez
400 Degreez is the third hip hop album by New Orleans-based rapper Juvenile, released on June 9, 1998 . This is his second album released by Cash Money Records...

. 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, he was featured in the single "Neva Get Enuf" by 3LW
3LW
3LW was an American hip hop, pop and R&B girl group that enjoyed a number of modest hits during the early 2000s. Its founding members were Naturi Naughton, Adrienne Bailon, and Kiely Williams, with Jessica Benson, who replaced Naturi after she left the group in 2002...

.

Tha Carter and Tha Carter II (2004–05)


In the summer of 2004, Wayne's album Tha Carter
Tha Carter
Tha Carter is a 2004 rap album by American rapper Lil Wayne. The album was produced by Cash Money Records's former in-house producer, Mannie Fresh....

came out, marking what critics considered advancement in his rapping style and lyrical themes. In addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Wayne's now-signature dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks or dreads, are heavy matted coils of hair which form by themselves eventually fusing together to form a single dread. This is possible in all hair types if the hair is allowed to grow naturally without grooming or conditioning for a long period of time...

. Tha Carter
Tha Carter
Tha Carter is a 2004 rap album by American rapper Lil Wayne. The album was produced by Cash Money Records's former in-house producer, Mannie Fresh....

gained Wayne significant recognition, selling over 1 million copies in the United States, while the single "Go DJ" became a Top 5 Hit. After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in Destiny's Child's
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was a Grammy-Award winning American R&B girl group comprising lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The group achieved four major studio albums and four US number-one singles, and sold over 50 million records worldwide becoming one of the...

 single "Soldier" with T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I. or T.I.P., is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer, actor, songwriter, and co-CEO/founder of Grand Hustle Records....

, which peaked at #3 on the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B Charts. The song Get Something (featuring Mannie Fresh
Mannie Fresh
Byron O. Thomas, better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is currently an artist and hip-hop producer who records for Def Jam South. From 1993-2005 he was the in-house producer for Cash Money Records.-Biography:...

) was supposed to appear on the album but failed to make the cut, however the music video was released.

Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II
Tha Carter II is the fifth album by rap artist Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005.-Background:Artists making guest appearances on the album include veteran rappers Birdman and Kurupt, as well as Young Money members Curren$y and Nikki Kynard...

, the follow-up to the original Tha Carter album, was released in December 2005, this time without production by longtime Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is an American hip hop record label founded in 1989 by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams in New Orleans, Louisiana.- History :...

 producer Mannie Fresh
Mannie Fresh
Byron O. Thomas, better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is currently an artist and hip-hop producer who records for Def Jam South. From 1993-2005 he was the in-house producer for Cash Money Records.-Biography:...

, 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
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart. Other singles included "Grown Man", "Hustler Muzik", and "Shooter" (featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an American Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and occasional actor. Thicke's albums, which feature a predominately R&B sound, have sold two million copies in the United States alone....

). Lil Wayne also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me
Tell Me (Bobby Valentino song)
"Tell Me" is the second single from Bobby Valentino's debut album Bobby Valentino. The video featured a remixed version with rapper Lil Wayne, however, this version was not featured on the album....

", which rose to #13 on the U.S. R&B Charts.

In 2005, Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Records....

 as an imprint of Cash Money. However, as of late 2007, Lil Wayne reported that he has stepped down from the management of both labels and has handed management of Young Money over to Cortez Bryant.

Collaborations and mixtapes (2006–07)


In 2006, Lil Wayne collaborated with rapper Birdman for the album Like Father, Like Son
Like Father, Like Son
Like Father, Like Son is a rap album released on October 31, 2006 by Birdman and Lil Wayne. Guest appearances include Fat Joe, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Tha Dogg Pound, and All Star Cashville Prince. Producers included Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch, and more. The album's first single is "Stuntin' Like My...

, whose first single "Stuntin' Like My Daddy
Stuntin' Like My Daddy
"Stuntin' Like My Daddy" is the first single off Birdman and Lil Wayne's album, Like Father, Like Son. It reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. The music video has cameos from Yo Gotti and All Star Cashville Prince. Freestyles by Lil Flip, Young Jeezy, and Plies have been made. It has...

", reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. Instead of a follow-up solo album, Lil Wayne reached his audience through a plethora of mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop and hip-hop singles. Of his many mixtapes, Dedication 2
Dedication 2
Dedication 2 is a 2006 mixtape by DJ Drama and Lil Wayne. It is a sequel to Lil Wayne's previous mixtape, Dedication, and is second in DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz series with Lil Wayne. It is one of the few mixtapes in the hip hop genre to be both financially successful and critically acclaimed...

and Da Drought 3
Da Drought 3
Da Drought 3 is a two-disc mixtape by Lil Wayne.-Background:This is the third in the trilogy of mixtapes in Da Drought series. The mixtape was delayed slightly as a result of Wayne's last-minute decision to add songs to the album's second disc. The album is available as a free legal download. It...

received the most media exposure and critical review. Dedication 2, released in 2006, paired Lil Wayne with DJ Drama
DJ Drama
Tyree Cinque Simmons is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I....

 and contained the acclaimed socially conscious track "Georgia Bush," in which Lil Wayne critiqued former US president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....

's response to the effects of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...

 on the city of New Orleans. Da Drought 3 was released the following year and was available for free legal download. It contained Lil Wayne rapping over a variety of beats from recent hits by other musicians. Numerous of features in prominent hip-hop magazines such as XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.Since 1997, XXL has competed with Hip-Hop powerhouse magazines such as The Source Magazine, and Vibe Magazine. It was founded by former Source staffer, Jules Winnfield, as well as others who wanted to create a more critically sound...

and Vibe covered the mixtape. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...

magazine considered the mixtapes Da Drought 3 and The Drought Is Over 2 "among the best albums of 2007."

Despite no album release for two years, Lil Wayne appeared in numerous singles as a featured performer, including "Gimme That
Gimme That
"Gimme That Remix " is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. The song, co-written by Wayne, Scott Storch and Sean Garrett, is the official remix to the original "Gimme That" from his eponymous album, although the remix doesn't appear on the standard...

" by Chris Brown, "Make It Rain
Make It Rain
"Make It Rain" is the first single released from Fat Joe's album Me, Myself & I. It features Lil Wayne, who only sings the chorus , and was produced by Scott Storch. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for a Grammy at the 2008 Grammy Awards...

" by Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper signed to Imperial Records, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

, "You
You (Lloyd song)
"You" is a song by R&B artist Lloyd featuring rapper Lil Wayne, and was produced by Big Reese for Lloyd's second studio album, Street Love. It was recorded in the producer's basement. It is the first official single off the album. Lloyd himself has reported that he leaked the song to an Atlanta...

" by Lloyd
Lloyd (singer)
Lloyd Polite Jr. , who performs under mononym Lloyd, is an American recording artist from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Early life:...

, and "We Takin Over" by DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
Khaled Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is a Palestinian American hip hop musician and radio personality. He is the DJ for the group Terror Squad and a record producer. Khaled also is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR...

 (also featuring Akon
Akon
Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, better known by his middle and stage name Akon , is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up”, the first single from his debut album Trouble...

, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I. or T.I.P., is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer, actor, songwriter, and co-CEO/founder of Grand Hustle Records....

, Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, sometimes written as Rick Ro$$ is an American rapper. He took his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

, Fat Joe, and Birdman), "Duffle Bag Boy
Duffle Bag Boy
"Duffle Bag Boy" is the first single by Playaz Circle from their debut album Supply & Demand. The song features Lil Wayne and was produced by M16 and co-produced by Jay-R. The song peaked at the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching #15....

" by Playaz Circle
Playaz Circle
Playaz Circle is a rap duo in the Disturbing tha Peace family.The duo was formed in 1997 by two childhood friends Tity Boi and Dolla Boy in College Park, GA. They created the acronym Playaz which stands for Preparing Legal Assets for Years from A-Z. The duo put all their money together to release...

, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
"Sweetest Girl " is the lead single off Wyclef Jean's sixth solo album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. It features Wyclef using the Auto-Tune effect, as well as featuring singers Niia and Akon, as well as multiple Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne...

" by Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Neluset Jean is a multiplatinum Haitian-American musician, actor, producer and former-member of the hip hop trio The Fugees...

 (also featuring Akon
Akon
Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, better known by his middle and stage name Akon , is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up”, the first single from his debut album Trouble...

), and the remix to "I'm So Hood
I'm So Hood
"I'm So Hood" is the second single off DJ Khaled's album We the Best. The song features T-Pain, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, and Plies.-Video:The video was shot in Miami, Florida...

" by DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled
Khaled Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is a Palestinian American hip hop musician and radio personality. He is the DJ for the group Terror Squad and a record producer. Khaled also is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR...

 (also featuring T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American hip hop and R&B singer-songwriter, and producer. He began his career as a rapper in the group Nappy Headz. In 2005, he became a singer and released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga with the hits "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv "...

, Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Jenkins better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper and member of the Hip-Hop group USDA and a former member of Boyz N Da Hood. He began his career in 2001 under an independent label and joined Boyz N Da Hood in 2005, the same year his solo major label debut Let's Get It:...

, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...

, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known as Busta Rhymes , is a Grammy-nominated Jamaican-American rapper, songwriter, and actor...

, Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer, actor, and one half of the alternative hip hop duo Outkast.-Outkast:...

, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Rick Ross). All these singles charted within the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs, formerly Hot Rap Tracks, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was...

, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...

 charts. On Birdman's 2007 album 5 * Stunna, Lil Wayne appeared on the singles "100 Million
100 Million
"100 Million" is the second single from Birdman's third studio album, 5 * Stunna. The track features DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Dre, Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne and was produced by Cool & Dre. The song discusses what Birdman believes is a major accomplishment: spending 100 million dollars...

" and "I Run This
I Run This
"I Run This" is the third single from Birdman's third studio album 5 * Stunna. It features Lil Wayne. It is produced by TMIX. Lil Jon, DJ Drama and Glasses Malone make cameo appearances in the video. BET's 106 & Park premiered it all day on May 14, 2008.-Remix:A remix has surfaced on the web,...

" among several other tracks. Wayne also appeared on tracks from albums Getback
Getback
Getback is the third studio album from Little Brother, released on October 23, 2007. On October 12, Phonte leaked the album himself to Okayplayer.com-Details:The group has confirmed the involvement of several outside producers, in addition to 9th Wonder...

by Little Brother
Little Brother
Little Brother is an American hip hop group from Durham, North Carolina that consists of Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh. Producer 9th Wonder was a part of the group since its inception, but left before recording the album Getback...

, American Gangster
American Gangster (album)
American Gangster is the tenth studio album by American hip hop rapper Jay-Z, released November 6, 2007 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. American Gangster is Jay-Z's first concept album, which was inspired by the film of the same name. The album features production from Diddy & The...

by Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United...

, and Graduation
Graduation (album)
Graduation is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on September 11, 2007. The title of the album concludes the college theme of Kanye West's previous two studio albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration. The album artwork was designed by Takashi Murakami...

by Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...

 and Insomniac
Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album)
Insomniac is the eighth studio album from singer Enrique Iglesias' . The album is produced by John Shanks, Kristian Lundin, Sean Garrett, Anders Bagge, Mark Taylor, Stargate, and Maratone...

by Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler , better known as Enrique Iglesias, is a Spanish singer, songwriter and actor....

. "Make it Rain", a Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is a Canadian record producer. He has found success in many genres of music, particularly hip hop, pop, and R&B. He has his own record label, Storch Music Company and his own music production company called Tuff Jew Productions LLC.Storch has produced for a variety of artists...

 production that peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group has been awarded since 1991, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance...

 for 2008.

Vibe magazine ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007 and ranked his verse in DJ Khaled's "We Takin Over" as his best of 2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over the beat of Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got
Show Me What You Got
"Show Me What You Got" is a single by rap artist Jay-Z from his album Kingdom Come.-Song information:It is the first single from his "comeback" album Kingdom Come. It was produced by Just Blaze....

") from Da Drought 3 the second song. At the end of 2007, an MTV
MTV
MTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...

 poll selected Lil Wayne as "Hottest MC in the Game", The New Yorker magazine ranked him "Rapper of the Year", and GQ magazine named him "Workaholic of the Year". In 2008 he was named "Best Rock Star Alive" by Blender magazine and "Best MC" by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...

.

Tha Carter III (2008)



Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. The first three singles released from the album, , have all achieved top ten success on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, "Mrs...

s largest delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and "The Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Lil Wayne initially decided to use the leaked tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album, titled
The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008, The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but an official EP
Extended play
An extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...

 titled
The Leak and containing five tracks was released digitally on December 25, 2007.

Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. The first three singles released from the album, , have all achieved top ten success on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, "Mrs...

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
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre...

's
The Massacre
The Massacre
The Massacre is the second studio album by rapper 50 Cent, released on March 3 2005 — five days ahead of the original release date due to Internet leakage.The album reached number one on the U.S...

in 2005. The first single "Lollipop
Lollipop (Lil Wayne song)
"Lollipop" is the first single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track features the late R&B artist Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008. The song features Auto-Tune vocals...

", featuring Static became the rapper's most commercially successful song at that point, topping the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, making it the first Top 10 single for Lil Wayne as a solo artist, as well as his first #1 on the chart. His third single from
Carter III, "Got Money
Got Money
"Got Money" is the award-winning third official single from southern hip-hop artist Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The single features singer-songwriter T-Pain. Both T-Pain and Lil Wayne use the auto-tune effect in the song...

" featuring T-Pain, peaked at #13 on the Billboard 100. Along with his album singles, Lil Wayne appeared on R&B singles "Girls Around the World
Girls Around the World
"Girls Around the World" is the second single from R&B singer Lloyd's third studio album Lessons in Love, and features rapper Lil Wayne. The producers of this song were Big Reese and Jasper Cameron. It was sent to U.S. radio stations on May 12, 2008....

" by Lloyd, "Love In This Club, Part II
Love in This Club
"Love in This Club" is a song by American R&B singer Usher nominated for 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. The song was released as the first single from his 2008 album, Here I Stand. It features rapper Young Jeezy, and was produced by Atlanta-based producer Polow da Don. This was also the opening...

" by Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American recording artist and actor. He rose to fame in the 1990s, releasing the multi-platinum album My Way and 8701...

, "Official Girl" by Cassie, "I'm So Paid" by Akon
Akon
Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, better known by his middle and stage name Akon , is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up”, the first single from his debut album Trouble...

, "Turnin' Me On
Turnin' Me On
"Turnin Me On" is a song by American singer and songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her debut album, In a Perfect World... . It was produced by Polow da Don and was released as the album's official third single on December 9, 2008 in the United States as a follow up to the lackluster performance of...

" by Keri Hilson
Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American recording artist signed to Zone 4, Mosley Music Group and Interscope Records. She is part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch. Through the early and late 2000s, Hilson wrote songs for multiple rappers and singers, including Britney Spears...

, and "Can't Believe It
Can't Believe It
"Can't Believe It" is a song by American producer/singer-songwriter T-Pain. It was released on July 29, 2008. The song is the first official single from T-Pain's album Thr33 Ringz. The song also features rapper Lil Wayne...

" by T-Pain; rap singles "My Life
My Life (The Game song)
"My Life" is the third single from The Game's third studio album, LAX which was released on August 22, 2008. The song, produced by Cool & Dre, features Lil Wayne, and like many recent Lil Wayne songs, he uses the Auto-Tune effect for the hook.-Recording:...

" by The Game
The Game (rapper)
Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name The Game, is an American rapper. He rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, and his two Grammy nominations...

, "Shawty Say" by David Banner
David Banner
Lavell Crump, better known by the stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, occasional actor, record producer, record label executive, and philanthropist. His stage name is taken from the lead character of the 1970s and 1980s CBS television series The Incredible Hulk.-Early life:Banner was...

, "Swagga Like Us
Swagga Like Us
"Swagga Like Us" is a song by rappers T.I. and Jay-Z, released as the second single from T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail. It was slated to appear on Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, however he later confirmed all songs with Auto-Tune are being called off the album. It was released on September 6,...

" by T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I. or T.I.P., is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer, actor, songwriter, and co-CEO/founder of Grand Hustle Records....

, "Cutty Buddy" by Mike Jones
Mike Jones (rapper)
Michael Ansara "Mike" Jones is an American southern rap artist, who initially was affiliated with the record label Swishahouse, then left to be the owner of Ice Age Entertainment....

, and "Haterz" and the remix to "Certified" by Glasses Malone
Glasses Malone
Charles Penniman, better known by his stage name Glasses Malone, is a West Coast rapper from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Glasses Malone grew up in the Watts and Compton neighborhoods of Los Angeles...

; and pop single "Let It Rock
Let It Rock (Kevin Rudolf song)
"Let It Rock" is the debut single of Kevin Rudolf from his debut album In the City. It features rapper Lil Wayne. The track was produced and written by Rudolf....

" by new Cash Money
Cash money
Cash money could refer to one of the following:* DJ Cash Money, a Philadelphia-based hip hop DJ.* Money, the financial currency. The usage "cash money" sometimes disambiguates printed currency from other non-physical financial instruments....

 artist Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Rudolf is signed to Cash Money Records/Universal Republic. Born and raised in New York, he is based out of Miami, Florida. Rudolf's debut single, "Let It Rock" featuring Lil Wayne, was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on May...

. On July 14, 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a group which represents the recording industry distributors in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA say "create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate sound recordings...

 certified Tha Carter III two times platinum. In an October 2008 interview with MTV News, Lil Wayne announced plans to re-release this album with all new tracks, including a duet with Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...

 and remixes of "A Milli".
The lineup for New Orleans' 2008 Voodoo Experience
Voodoo Experience
Voodoo Experience or Voodoo Music Experience is a multi-day music festival in New Orleans, Louisiana that was originally held on Halloween weekend in 1999, it has since moved between the weekend before Halloween and Halloween weekend throughout the years. The festival will be returning to...

 concert, held in October, featured Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine reported that the event would mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career. Lil Wayne will be reuniting with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. They plan to release an album after B.G.'s solo album Too Hood to Be Hollywood is completed. Wayne also performed as the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers based in the United Kingdom and operating in India, Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United States and France; the brand survived only briefly in Singapore...

 with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...

, performing the remix of "Lollipop" with West and also lip-syncing to Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American recording artist, actress, and former fashion model. A relative to several prominent soul singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick, and godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a...

's "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974. American singer Whitney Houston's version of the song became one of the best-selling singles of all time....

". Lil Wayne also performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at MTV.com. The remaining, professional categories were chosen...

 with Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter with five Grammy Award nominations...

 ("All Summer Long
All Summer Long (Kid Rock song)
"All Summer Long" is the title of a song recorded by Kid Rock. It was released in 2008 as the third single from his ninth studio album Rock N Roll Jesus. The song is based on Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". The idea for the mashup was suggested by...

"), Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is an English pop/R&B singer and songwriter. Lewis rose to fame in 2006 as the winner of the third series of the British television series The X Factor....

 ("DontGetIt (Misunderstood)") and T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American hip hop and R&B singer-songwriter, and producer. He began his career as a rapper in the group Nappy Headz. In 2005, he became a singer and released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga with the hits "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv "...

 ("Got Money
Got Money
"Got Money" is the award-winning third official single from southern hip-hop artist Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The single features singer-songwriter T-Pain. Both T-Pain and Lil Wayne use the auto-tune effect in the song...

"). On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...

, he performed "Lollipop" and "Got Money". He later performed at the homecoming
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back of former residents and alumni of an institution. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America. It usually includes activities for students and alumni, such as sports and culture events and a...

 rally at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the South...

 and the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards
BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, hosted by BET, for hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006. The first ceremony was held on November 12, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Fox Theatre and was first aired November 15 on BET...

 with 12 nominations. He won the "MVP" title at the BET Hip Hop Awards and seven others. It was revealed that M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A., is an English songwriter, record producer, singer, fashion designer, and artist of Sri Lankan Tamil origin....

 dropped out of performing on the tour due to her pregnancy, however Jay Z is expected to perform with Wayne on the song "Mr. Carter" at select shows.

On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the CMA
CMA
- Math, science, and technology :* Calcium magnesium acetate, an inorganic compound* Calculated Match Average, a figure derived for every rider in the sport of motorcycle speedway* California Maritime Academy, a maritime college in Vallejo, California, USA...

 awards. He played alongside Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter with five Grammy Award nominations...

 for the song, "All Summer Long
All Summer Long (Kid Rock song)
"All Summer Long" is the title of a song recorded by Kid Rock. It was released in 2008 as the third single from his ninth studio album Rock N Roll Jesus. The song is based on Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". The idea for the mashup was suggested by...

", in which Wayne did not rap but instead inaudibly strummed guitar strings alongside the guitarist in Kid Rock's band. Shortly after, Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...

 - the most for any artist nominated that year. Wayne was then named the first ever MTV Man of the Year
MTV
MTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...

 at the end of 2008. He won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2002, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. In 2003 this award was split into separate awards for Best Female Rap Solo Performance and Best...

 for "A Milli
A Milli
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is a Grammy Award-winning second official single, and official street single from Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III.-Background:...

", Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group has been awarded since 1991, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance...

 for his appearance in T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I. or T.I.P., is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer, actor, songwriter, and co-CEO/founder of Grand Hustle Records....

's single "Swagga Like Us
Swagga Like Us
"Swagga Like Us" is a song by rappers T.I. and Jay-Z, released as the second single from T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail. It was slated to appear on Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, however he later confirmed all songs with Auto-Tune are being called off the album. It was released on September 6,...

", and Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...

 for "Lollipop". Tha Carter III won the award for Best Rap Album.

DJ Drama
DJ Drama
Tyree Cinque Simmons is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I....

 stated that there would be a third installation
Dedication 3
Dedication 3 is a mixtape by DJ Drama and Lil Wayne. It is the sequel to its predecessors, Dedication and the highly successful Dedication 2, becoming the third in Lil Wayne's "Gangsta Grillz" trilogy. Lil Wayne also told MTV, "Tha Carter IV is nice but you need to be looking for Dedication 3"...

 of the Dedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne, who insisted that it will would be a full album under the title. However despite the fact Wayne wanted to release Dedication 3 as an album, it was released as a mixtape on November 14, 2008.

Rebirth (2009)


Wayne stated that he would release a debut rock album titled Rebirth
Rebirth (Lil Wayne album)
Rebirth is the upcoming seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. This album will be his rock debut, though it will include rap songs. The album was originally set to be released on April 7, 2009 but now it is set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Background:The album was originally...

. The album was originally scheduled for a April 7, 2009 release, however after numerous delays, the album is now to be released on December 15, 2009. "Prom Queen
Prom Queen (song)
"Prom Queen" is the first official single off of Lil Wayne's upcoming rock album, Rebirth. The track is produced by Infamous and Andrew "Drew" Correa. The song made its official debut on January 27, appearing on Lil Wayne's MySpace page...

", the first buzz single, debuted on January 27 immediately after a live Internet broadcast on Ustream
Ustream
Ustream, established March 2007, is a website which consists of network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. The website has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...

 of his concert in San Diego. "Prom Queen" peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 charts. "Hot Revolver
Hot Revolver
"Hot Revolver" is the second single of Lil Wayne's seventh album Rebirth. Despite the rumors of Rebirth being shelved, the single debuted on iTunes March 17, 2009, while it peaked at #7 on the iTunes Top 10. It debuted at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100...

", the second buzz single, debuted on iTunes on March 17 and peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 charts. For the anticipation of Rebirth, Wayne was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone.

MTV
MTV
MTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...

 listed Lil Wayne number two on their 2009 list of the Hottest MCs In The Game.

Future work


He has announced several possible upcoming projects, including a collaboration album I Can't Feel My Face
I Can't Feel My Face
I Can't Feel My Face is the upcoming collaboration studio album by Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana. Recording started in 2006 and ended in 2008. There has been one official mixtape, Blow .-History:...

with rapper Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
Laron Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer and actor. He came to fame following his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...

 that has been in production for several years. On the website HipHopDX.com, he has discussed a possible R&B album titled Luv Sawngz, for which he will heavily rely on a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis / synthesis system, mostly used for speech in which the input is passed through a multiband filter, each filter is passed through an envelope follower, the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated, and the decoder applies these control signals to...

. He has also talked with singer Lloyd
Lloyd (singer)
Lloyd Polite Jr. , who performs under mononym Lloyd, is an American recording artist from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Early life:...

 about doing a collaboration album in the future. On June 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American hip hop and R&B singer-songwriter, and producer. He began his career as a rapper in the group Nappy Headz. In 2005, he became a singer and released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga with the hits "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv "...

 formed a duo called T-Wayne and planned to release an album.

In an interview on MTV's Mixtape Monday, Wayne asserted the possibility of an album titled Tha Carter IV. Following Tha Carter III's achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming 2008's best record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is an American hip hop record label founded in 1989 by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams in New Orleans, Louisiana.- History :...

 for a multi-album deal. Wayne said Tha Carter IV will be released in 2009 just before the holidays. Birdman had confirmed that Tha Carter IV
Tha Carter IV
Tha Carter IV is the upcoming eighth studio album by rapper Lil Wayne.It is set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Background:Wayne mentioned the possibility of this album as early as September 2008. He began recording this album in early October 2008, but later that month he claimed that he did...

will be packaged with Rebirth
Rebirth (Lil Wayne album)
Rebirth is the upcoming seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. This album will be his rock debut, though it will include rap songs. The album was originally set to be released on April 7, 2009 but now it is set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Background:The album was originally...

as a double disc album. However, Wayne denied this idea saying that "Tha Carter IV deserves Tha Carter IV". He went on to say that Young Money Fam
Young Money Fam
Young Money Fam is the upcoming debut album by the Young Money Entertainment. Young Money CEO Lil Wayne, stated the album may possibly be released as a double with his rock album Rebirth, all set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Possible Track List:...

may be packaged with Rebirth.He will be releasing a new mixtape titled No Ceilings.

It has also been confirmed that Wayne will be releasing a collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in an intersection of common goals — for example, an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Most collaboration requires leadership, although...

 album with Young Money, with the first single confirmed as "Every Girl".

Wayne is featured on the song, "Revolver", with Madonna
Madonna
-Entertainer:* Madonna , American singer and actress** Madonna , the entertainer's first self-titled album** Madonna , a music video collection-Christianity:...

 for her 2009 greatest hits album, Celebration
Celebration (Madonna album)
Celebration is the third greatest hits album from American singer Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...

. He will also feature on a Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1992. Initially, the band consisted of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Matt Sharp , and Jason Cropper . Cropper was later replaced by Brian Bell...

 song, "Can't Stop Partying", on their forthcoming album, Raditude
Raditude
Raditude is the forthcoming seventh studio album by American alternative rock band Weezer, due for release on November 3, 2009, although the original release date was October 27, 2009...

.

Television and film career


Lil Wayne was a guest debater going up against Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless
Skip Bayless is an American journalist on ESPN2's ESPN First Take and its afternoon show 1st and 10. Bayless previously wrote regular columns for ESPN.com and its "Page 2" section.-Schooling and family:Bayless was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...

 on the "1st & 10" segment on the January 6, 2009 edition of ESPN First Take
ESPN First Take
ESPN First Take is a morning sports talk program on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. The show was formerly known as Cold Pizza. The official switch was made on May 7, 2007. Two back-to-back two-hour episodes air each weekday from Monday through Friday, with the live episode airing from 10 a.m...

. On February 10, 2009 he also appeared on ESPN's Around The Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports talk program on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption...

 and beat out veterans Woody Paige
Woody Paige
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Paige, Jr. is a sports columnist for The Denver Post, author, and a regular panelist on the ESPN sports-talk program Around the Horn. He was also a co-host of Cold Pizza and its spin-off show 1st and 10 until Nov. 4, 2006, when it was announced that Paige would return to the...

, Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti
Jay Mariotti is a national columnist for Fanhouse.com and a regular panelist on the ESPN talk show Around the Horn. He attended Ohio University.-Radio and television career:...

 and fellow New Orleanian Michael Smith
Michael Smith (sports reporter)
Michael Smith is an NFL reporter for ESPN and a senior writer for ESPN.com . He is a guest on the channel's Around the Horn and has won 85 times as of August 2008. He has also written for the Boston Globe....

 to win that show's episode. Wayne is set to produce and compose music for the film Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season (film)
Hurricane Season is an upcoming sports drama directed by Tim Story, and starring Forest Whitaker, Eric Hill, Taraji P. Henson, Lil Wayne, Bow Wow and Joshua "Beezy" Byers. The screenplay was written by Robert Eisele and the film was produced by Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold...

. A documentary titled Tha Carter is also in production and was released at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the U.S. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as the Sundance Resort, the festival is the premier...

. Prior to the 2009 Grammy Awards, Wayne was featured in an interview with Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist who became well-known as co-host of NBC's Today. In 2006, she made a highly publicized move from NBC to CBS, and on September 5, 2006 she became the first solo female anchor of the weekday evening news on one of the three traditional U.S....

. On February 7, 2009, he presented the Top Ten List on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and bandleader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra,...

. He then appeared on an April 24 episode of The View
The View
The View is an American talk show broadcast on American Broadcasting Company as part of ABC Daytime. Created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie, who both also serve as the show's executive producers, the program features a panel of women as co-hosts...

 - talking about his GED and addictions. In September 2009, Wayne appeared in an episode of VH1
VH1
VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...

's Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and continued to air new episodes sporadically. The show has recently been resurrected and will begin airing episodes in the summer and into the fall, starting with profiles on Lil Wayne and...

. and was a presenter of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards
2009 MTV Movie Awards
The 2009 MTV Movie Awards were presented on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Andy Samberg served as host for the 18th annual ceremony...

.

Family


Lil Wayne has three children. His first, daughter Reginae, was born when he was 15, to his high school sweetheart Antonia "Toya" Carter (née Johnson). Wayne and Johnson married on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering...

 of 2004 and divorced in 2006. His second child, Dwayne III, was born on October 22, 2008 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. His third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, was born to actress Lauren London
Lauren London
Lauren Nicole London is an American film and television actress, model, and occasional music video actress. Beginning her career in music videos and later transistioning into film and television, London earned recognition for her performances in the film ATL as well as the television shows 90210...

 on September 9, 2009. He is expecting a fourth child with singer Nivea
Nivea (singer)
Nivea Hamilton , who performs under the mononym Nivea, is an American recording artist whose recordings reached the Billboard charts during the early 2000s.-Biography:...

.

Education


After earning his GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...

, Wayne enrolled at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a public research university located in Houston and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System...

 in January 2005 with plans to major in political science. To earn his degree, he had been taking online courses. An article in Urb magazine in March 2007 asserted that Wayne had been earning high grades at Houston, and by the end of the year Wayne discontinued his education there.

In a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...

 interview with Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist who became well-known as co-host of NBC's Today. In 2006, she made a highly publicized move from NBC to CBS, and on September 5, 2006 she became the first solo female anchor of the weekday evening news on one of the three traditional U.S....

, Wayne described why he goes by the name of "Wayne" instead of his given name, Dwayne. Carter explained, "I dropped the D because I'm a junior and my father is living and he's not in my life and he's never been in my life. So I don't want to be Dwayne, I'd rather be Wayne." Couric asked Wayne if his father knew of this and Wayne replied with a smile, "He knows now."

Sports and musical interests


In an interview with Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....

magazine, Lil Wayne revealed one of his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

, and cites them as a major influence in his music.

On September 24, 2008, Lil Wayne published his first blog for ESPN
ESPN
ESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....

 in their issue, ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....

. Wayne revealed he was a fan of tennis, the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League and are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL.The Packers are the last vestige of "small town...

, the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, entering the league as the first United States-based expansion franchise...

, the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their fellow NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA...

 and the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. The "Red Sox" name originates from the iconic uniform feature....

. Wayne has continued writing for ESPN, notably reporting at the ESPN Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the premier association of professional American football. In most years, the Super Bowl is the most-watched American television broadcast. Many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event’s pre-game and...

 party.

Lil Wayne made his debut on ESPN's daily sports round table show "Around The Horn" on Feb. 10, 2009.

Along with Mack Maine
Mack Maine
Jermaine Preyan, known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American rapper and singer. Mack Maine is signed to Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Lil Wayne's Universal Records-distributed Cash Money Records, and is currently the president of the label...

, Wayne was in attendance of Game 3 of the opening round NBA playoff series
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...

 between the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

 and the home team New Orleans Hornets on April 25, 2009.

Drug use and arrests


Wayne told CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....

anchor Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist who became well-known as co-host of NBC's Today. In 2006, she made a highly publicized move from NBC to CBS, and on September 5, 2006 she became the first solo female anchor of the weekday evening news on one of the three traditional U.S....

 on her All Access Grammy Special in 2009 that he enjoys smoking marijuana recreationally. He also stated that he is "not addicted" to drinking purple drank
Purple drank
Purple drank is a slang term for a recreational drug popular in the hip-hop community of the southern United States. Its main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine. Cough syrup is typically mixed with ingredients such as Sprite soft drink and pieces of...

, which refers to codeine
Codeine
Codeine or methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties.-History:Codeine is an alkaloid found in opium and other poppy saps like Papaver bracteatum, the Iranian poppy, in concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 3.0 percent...

 cough syrup, any longer. He has been arrested for use or possession of marijuana and other drugs.

In the latter half of 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested twice. On July 22, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in New York City following a performance at the Beacon Theatre; the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...

 discovered Lil Wayne and another man smoking marijuana near a tour bus. After taking Lil Wayne into custody, police discovered a pistol on his person, and he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana. Another arrest was on October 5, 2007, following a performance at Qwest Arena
Qwest Arena
Qwest Arena is multi-purpose arena in Boise, Idaho. It holds 5,300 fans for ice hockey and basketball, 5,732 for end-stage concerts, 6,400 for boxing and up to 6,800 for center-stage concerts. It contains 4,508 permanent seats...

 in Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Idaho. Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho as well as the county seat of Ada County...

, Idaho, on felony fugitive charges after Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...

 authorities accused the rapper of possessing a controlled substance. The incident was later described as a "mix-up" and the fugitive charges were dropped.

On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2006 Census Bureau estimated population of 87,423....

. A K-9 Unit recovered 105 grams of marijuana (3.7 ounces), almost 29 grams of cocaine (1.02 ounces), 41 grams of MDMA (1.4 ounces) and $22,000 in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185 bond he posted. On May 6, 2008, Wayne returned to court in Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges.

In February 2009, production company RMF Productions filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against Wayne, following a $100,000 advance payment for three shows, all of which were cancelled by the artist.

Discography


Studio Albums
  • 1999: Tha Block Is Hot
    Tha Block Is Hot
    Tha Block Is Hot is the debut album released on Cash Money Records by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, only 17 years old at the time.His lead single "Tha Block Is Hot" was given the 50th spot on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time....

  • 2000: Lights Out
    Lights Out (Lil Wayne album)
    Lights Out is a 2000 album released on Cash Money Records by New Orleans rapper Lil' Wayne. On the track "Everything", he dedicates the song to his late stepfather Reginald "Rabbit" McDonald....

  • 2002: 500 Degreez
    500 Degreez
    500 Degreez is the third album by the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne released in 2002. The album is actually referred as a diss to Juvenile after he left Cash Money earlier in the year. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 100, #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and sold 500,000 copies in the U.S...

  • 2004: Tha Carter
    Tha Carter
    Tha Carter is a 2004 rap album by American rapper Lil Wayne. The album was produced by Cash Money Records's former in-house producer, Mannie Fresh....

  • 2005: Tha Carter II
    Tha Carter II
    Tha Carter II is the fifth album by rap artist Lil Wayne, released on December 6, 2005.-Background:Artists making guest appearances on the album include veteran rappers Birdman and Kurupt, as well as Young Money members Curren$y and Nikki Kynard...

  • 2008: Tha Carter III
    Tha Carter III
    Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. The first three singles released from the album, , have all achieved top ten success on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, "Mrs...

  • 2009: Rebirth
    Rebirth (Lil Wayne album)
    Rebirth is the upcoming seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. This album will be his rock debut, though it will include rap songs. The album was originally set to be released on April 7, 2009 but now it is set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Background:The album was originally...

  • 2009: Tha Carter IV
    Tha Carter IV
    Tha Carter IV is the upcoming eighth studio album by rapper Lil Wayne.It is set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Background:Wayne mentioned the possibility of this album as early as September 2008. He began recording this album in early October 2008, but later that month he claimed that he did...



Collaboration Albums
  • 2006: Like Father, Like Son
    Like Father, Like Son
    Like Father, Like Son is a rap album released on October 31, 2006 by Birdman and Lil Wayne. Guest appearances include Fat Joe, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Tha Dogg Pound, and All Star Cashville Prince. Producers included Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch, and more. The album's first single is "Stuntin' Like My...

    (with Birdman)
  • 2009: Young Money Fam
    Young Money Fam
    Young Money Fam is the upcoming debut album by the Young Money Entertainment. Young Money CEO Lil Wayne, stated the album may possibly be released as a double with his rock album Rebirth, all set to be released on December 15, 2009.-Possible Track List:...

    (with Young Money Entertainment
    Young Money Entertainment
    Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Records....

    )
  • TBA: I Can't Feel My Face
    I Can't Feel My Face
    I Can't Feel My Face is the upcoming collaboration studio album by Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana. Recording started in 2006 and ended in 2008. There has been one official mixtape, Blow .-History:...

    (with Juelz Santana
    Juelz Santana
    Laron Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer and actor. He came to fame following his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...

    )

Official Mixtapes
  • 2003: SQ1-SQ7 (with Sqad Up)
  • 2003: Da Drought
  • 2004: Da Drought 2
  • 2004: The Prefix
  • 2005: The Suffix
  • 2005: Dedication
    Dedication (Gangsta Grillz)
    Dedication is the first in the Dedication trilogy of Lil Wayne mixtapes by DJ Drama. It is also the first official mixtape in DJ Drama's "Gangsta Grillz" series. Released in late 2005, it is one of the few mixtapes in the rap genre to be both financially successful and critically acclaimed...

    (with DJ Drama
    DJ Drama
    Tyree Cinque Simmons is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I....

    )
  • 2006: Dedication 2
    Dedication 2
    Dedication 2 is a 2006 mixtape by DJ Drama and Lil Wayne. It is a sequel to Lil Wayne's previous mixtape, Dedication, and is second in DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz series with Lil Wayne. It is one of the few mixtapes in the hip hop genre to be both financially successful and critically acclaimed...

    (with DJ Drama)
  • 2007: Da Drought 3
    Da Drought 3
    Da Drought 3 is a two-disc mixtape by Lil Wayne.-Background:This is the third in the trilogy of mixtapes in Da Drought series. The mixtape was delayed slightly as a result of Wayne's last-minute decision to add songs to the album's second disc. The album is available as a free legal download. It...

  • 2008: Dedication 3
    Dedication 3
    Dedication 3 is a mixtape by DJ Drama and Lil Wayne. It is the sequel to its predecessors, Dedication and the highly successful Dedication 2, becoming the third in Lil Wayne's "Gangsta Grillz" trilogy. Lil Wayne also told MTV, "Tha Carter IV is nice but you need to be looking for Dedication 3"...

  • 2009: No Ceilings

Filmography


Film
  • 2000: Baller Blockin
    Baller Blockin
    Baller Blockin' is a 2000 action/comedy film. The movie is set in New Orleans 3rd Ward, specifically in and around the Magnolia Projects and primarily stars musicians who were part of Cash Money Records at that time.-Tanut:...

     as Iceberg Shorty
  • 2007: Who's Your Caddy?
    Who's Your Caddy?
    Who's Your Caddy? is a 2007 comedy film, directed by Don Michael Paul, and starring Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, Lil Wayne, Andy Milonakis, Faizon Love, Terry Crews, Tony Cox, Jeffrey Jones, and Jesper Parnevik. It is the first film produced by Robert L. Johnson's Our Stories Films studio...

     as Himself
  • TBA: Hurricane Season
    Hurricane Season (film)
    Hurricane Season is an upcoming sports drama directed by Tim Story, and starring Forest Whitaker, Eric Hill, Taraji P. Henson, Lil Wayne, Bow Wow and Joshua "Beezy" Byers. The screenplay was written by Robert Eisele and the film was produced by Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold...

     as Lamont


Television
  • 2007: Access Granted
    Access Granted
    Access Granted is an American television series that features an in depth look at the planning and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week, a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video premiering at the end of the episode. The series began airing in 2001...

     as Himself
  • 2007: The Boondocks
    The Boondocks (TV series)
    The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder for the Adult Swim programming block of Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network, based upon McGruder's comic strip of the same name...

  • 2009: 1st and 10
  • 2009: Around the Horn
    Around the Horn
    Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports talk program on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption...



Commercials
  • 2008: Nike
    Nike, Inc.
    Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

     Zoom VI LeBron James
    LeBron James
    LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James," he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar...

     - Chalk Commercial (appearance)
  • 2009: Gatorade
    Gatorade
    Gatorade is a brand of flavored non-carbonated sports drinks manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company, now a division of PepsiCo. Intended for consumption during physically active occasions, Gatorade beverages are formulated to rehydrate and replenish fluid, carbohydrates and...

     commercial (narrator)


External links