Lil Wayne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lil Wayne
Born	Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (1982-09-27) September 27, 1982 (age 42) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Other names	Weezy Weezy F. Baby Tunechi President Carter Birdman Jr. Baby D
Education	University of Phoenix
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter record executive entrepreneur
Years active	1991–present
Works	Albums singles videography
Title	Founder of Young Money Entertainment Co-founder of Trukfit Clothing
Spouse(s)	Toya Johnson ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2006)​
Partner(s)	Nivea (2002–2003, 2009–2010; ex-fiancée) La'Tecia Thomas (2019–2020; ex-fiancée) Denise Bidot (2020–2022)
Children	4
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Southern hip hop pop rap
Labels	Universal Young Money Republic Cash Money
Signature

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is considered one of the most important hip hop artists of his time. Many also see him as one of the greatest rappers ever. He was born and grew up in New Orleans. Rapper Birdman discovered him in 1993. Lil Wayne signed with Birdman's record label, Cash Money Records, when he was eleven. He became the main artist for the label until he left in 2018.

He first joined a duo called the B.G.'z in 1994. They released an album called True Story. Later, in 1997, he helped form the hip-hop group Hot Boys. Their first album was Get It How U Live!. The Hot Boys became very popular with their second album, Guerrilla Warfare (1999). They also had a hit song called "Bling Bling".

Lil Wayne's first solo album, Tha Block Is Hot (1999), was a big success. He then released Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2003). He became even more famous with his albums Tha Carter (2004) and Tha Carter II (2005). His sixth album, Tha Carter III (2008), sold over one million copies in its first week. It won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. This album included his first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100, "Lollipop".

His album Rebirth (2010) tried a different style, mixing rap and rock. His album I Am Not a Human Being (2010) came out while he was in jail. After he was released, he put out Tha Carter IV (2011). His album Tha Carter V (2018) was released after many delays. His most recent album, Funeral (2020), became his fifth album to reach number one.

Lil Wayne has sold over 120 million records worldwide. This makes him one of the world's top-selling music artists. He has won many awards, including five Grammy Awards. In 2012, he became the first male artist to have more songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart than Elvis Presley. Lil Wayne also started his own record label, Young Money Entertainment, in 2005. This label has signed famous artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. was born on September 27, 1982. He grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans. His parents divorced when he was two years old. He decided to use "Wayne" instead of "Dwayne" because his father was not part of his life. Lil Wayne considers his stepfather, Reginald "Rabbit" McDonald, to be his true father. He even has a tattoo for him.

He was a smart student and part of the drama club in elementary and middle school. He played the Tin Man in a school play. However, he left high school at age 14 to focus on his music career.

Lil Wayne wrote his first rap song when he was eight. In 1991, he met rapper Bryan "Baby" Williams, who became his mentor. Birdman helped him with his love for hip-hop. Lil Wayne would often record freestyle raps on Birdman's answering machine.

Music Career Highlights

Starting with Hot Boys

Lil Wayne teamed up with Christopher Dorsey, known as B.G.. They formed a duo called the B.G.'z and released one album. In 1997, Lil Wayne and B.G. joined the group Hot Boys. Other members were Juvenile and Turk. Lil Wayne was the youngest member at 14.

The Hot Boys released their first album, Get It How U Live!, in 1997. Their album Guerrilla Warfare (1999) became very popular. They had hit songs like "Bling Bling". The group later stopped making music together, but a compilation album of old songs was released in 2003.

Solo Success and Tha Carter Series

Lil Wayne's first solo album, Tha Block Is Hot, came out when he was 17. It was a big hit and helped him become a solo star. His next albums, Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002), also did well.

In 2004, he released Tha Carter. This album showed a new, more mature rapping style. It also featured his famous dreadlocks on the cover. The song "Go DJ" from this album was a Top 5 hit. In 2005, he released Tha Carter II, which sold many copies. He also worked with Birdman on the album Like Father, Like Son in 2006.

Mixtapes and Collaborations

Instead of releasing another solo album right away, Lil Wayne put out many mixtapes and appeared on other artists' songs. His mixtapes like Dedication 2 (2006) and Da Drought 3 (2007) were very popular. Critics praised his song "Georgia Bush," which talked about Hurricane Katrina.

He was featured on many hit singles, including songs by Chris Brown, Fat Joe, and DJ Khaled. These songs helped him stay in the spotlight and showed his versatility.

Tha Carter III and Global Fame

Lil Wayne performing at Voodoo Music Experience in 2008

Tha Carter III was released in 2008. It sold over 1 million copies in its first week, which was a huge achievement. The album's first single, "Lollipop", became his first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won four Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album.

Lil Wayne continued to appear on many other artists' songs. He performed at major music festivals and awards shows. In 2008, he was named "MTV Man of the Year." He won several Grammy Awards in 2009 for his work.

New Sounds and Later Albums

Lil Wayne released a collaboration album with his Young Money artists called We Are Young Money in 2009. He also released his album Rebirth in 2010, which explored a rock sound.

His album I Am Not a Human Being was released in 2010. The song "Right Above It" was a big hit from this album. Tha Carter IV followed in 2011, selling nearly a million copies in its first week.

Lil Wayne in 2011

He released I Am Not a Human Being II in 2013. He also put out the mixtape Dedication 5.

Tha Carter V and Recent Work

Wayne performing in 2015

Tha Carter V was announced in 2014 but faced many delays due to disagreements with his record label. To make up for the delays, Lil Wayne released mixtapes like Sorry 4 the Wait 2 (2015) and a free album called Free Weezy Album (2015).

Finally, Tha Carter V was released on September 27, 2018. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Every song on the album appeared on the Billboard 100 chart.

In 2020, Lil Wayne released his album Funeral, which also reached number one. He has continued to release new music and collaborate with other artists. In 2023, he released his first greatest hits album, I Am Music. He also released a collaborative album with 2 Chainz called Welcome 2 Collegrove.

Future Music Plans

Lil Wayne at Beacon Theatre in 2007

Lil Wayne has mentioned several possible future projects. These include a collaborative album with rapper Juelz Santana called I Can't Feel My Face. He also once planned an album with T-Pain called He Raps, He Sings. He has also talked about an album of "love songs" he wrote while in prison, called Devol.

Musical Style and Influences

Lil Wayne is known for his creative lyrics. He often uses clever wordplay, punchlines, and homonyms. He has said that rapper Missy Elliott is his biggest musical inspiration. He also looks up to the hip hop group Goodie Mob.

He has mentioned other artists like T-Pain, Prince, and Lauryn Hill as influences. Lil Wayne has said that Jay-Z inspired him to freestyle his rhymes instead of writing them down. He also credits The Notorious B.I.G. as an influence.

Legacy and Impact

Lil Wayne is often called "one of the most influential artists in the 21st century." Many people consider him the greatest rapper of his generation. His unique style and use of autotune have greatly influenced modern hip-hop music, especially trap.

Artists like Nicki Minaj, Young Thug and Lil Skies have often mentioned Lil Wayne as their musical role model and inspiration.

Many new rappers and musicians say Lil Wayne influenced their careers and music. Some of these include Nicki Minaj, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert. He has also collaborated with many of these artists.

Personal Life

Family

Lil Wayne has four children. His first child, a daughter named Reginae, was born in 1998. Her mother is his high school sweetheart and ex-wife, Toya Johnson. They were married from 2004 to 2006. They remain good friends and raise their daughter together.

He has three sons: Dwayne III, born in 2008; Cameron, born in 2009; and Neal, born in 2009. Their mothers are different partners he had relationships with.

Lil Wayne has been engaged a few times. He was engaged to singer Nivea twice. He was also engaged to model La'Tecia Thomas. He has also dated other models and singers.

Interests and Education

Wayne in 2006

Lil Wayne has shared that Nirvana was one of his favorite bands growing up. He also enjoys tennis and is a fan of several sports teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Red Sox.

After getting his GED, Lil Wayne attended the University of Houston for a short time. He later took online courses in psychology at the University of Phoenix.

Health

Lil Wayne has experienced seizures. In 2012 and 2013, he had seizures that required him to go to the hospital. His team clarified that media reports sometimes exaggerated his condition. He takes medication for his seizures. He has had other seizures in later years, sometimes due to not taking his medication.

Other Activities

Young Money Entertainment

Lil Wayne founded Young Money Entertainment in 2005. This record label has become very successful, signing artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Books

Lil Wayne wrote a book about his time in prison called Gone Til' November: A Journal of Rikers Island. It was released in 2016.

Sports Media

Lil Wayne has written blogs for ESPN and appeared on their sports shows. He is a frequent guest on the sports debate show Undisputed on FS1. He even created the theme song for the show. He is also a fan of tennis player Jelena Ostapenko.

Discography

Lil Wayne's general marketing logo, used since 2010

Studio albums

• Tha Block Is Hot (1999)
• Lights Out (2000)
• 500 Degreez (2002)
• Tha Carter (2004)
• Tha Carter II (2005)
• Tha Carter III (2008)
• Rebirth (2010)
• I Am Not a Human Being (2010)
• Tha Carter IV (2011)
• I Am Not a Human Being II (2013)
• Free Weezy Album (2015)
• Tha Carter V (2018)
• Funeral (2020)

Collaborative albums

• Like Father, Like Son (with Birdman) (2006)
• Welcome 2 Collegrove (with 2 Chainz) (2023)

Film and Television Appearances

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lil Wayne para niños

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
• List of best-selling singles in the United States
• List of best-selling singles
• List of best-selling albums by year in the United States
• List of artists who reached number one on the UK singles chart