Early Life
Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in 1982, Lil Wayne grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in New Orleans. It didn’t take him long to start rapping about his troubled youth, which eventually led him to the founders of label Cash Money Records.
According to brothers Bryan and Slim Williams, who took Lil Wayne under their wing, the talented rapper showcased not only impressive rapping skills but also a very strong desire for both personal and musical advancement.
Career
Lil Wayne joined Cash Money’s supergroup made of the rising stars like B.G. and Juvenile. The group, Hot Boys, was a huge success during the late 90s thanks to their debut album Get It How U Live and sophomore album Guerilla Warfare.
By the time Lil Wayne was 16 years old, he was already a platinum-selling artist with two critically acclaimed records. He went on to release his first solo album The Block Is Hot in 1999, ultimately changing rap music forever.
After the sales on his two new albums dropped, Lil Wayne made a switch from traditional albums to mixtapes and from his hardcore Southern hip-hop sound to free-flowing rhymes like the Grammy Award-winning song Lollipop.
In the News
Like many of his fellow rappers, Lil Wayne has earned the reputation of a bad boy. He sold crack as a teenager and once accidentally shot himself in the chest with his mother’s gun.
He is also an avid enjoyer of marijuana and a spokesman for the cannabis community. During the 2000s, he was arrested for possession more than a few times. Back then, Wayne was married to his high school sweetheart, with whom he has a daughter.
For more hot gossip on Lil Wayne, stay around The Shade Room!
