Synopsis

Born on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Lil Wayne worked with hip-hop group the Hot Boys before forging a solo career with albums Tha Carter and its hit follow ups II, III and IV. He won four Grammy Awards in 2009 for singles like "A Milli" and "Lollipop," and has worked with artists ranging from Robin Thicke to Nicki Minaj. He was jailed in 2010 for weapon's possession.

Early Life

Rapper Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lil Wayne has been creating music since he was a child, and is considered among today's most talented rappers. He grew up in Hollygrove, one of New Orleans' poorest neighborhoods.

Lil Wayne started rapping at the age of 8. He later met brothers Bryan and Slim Williams, the founders of Cash Money Records, who were impressed enough with his skills to give him one of their business cards. Ambitious, Wayne continued to call them until they took him under their wing and let him hang around the label's offices.

Lil Wayne's first recording for Cash Money Records was True Stories (1993), performing with another skilled rapper, B.G., under the name the BGs. Away from the studios, he was living dangerously. He sold crack for a time, and accidentally shot himself in the chest, according to an article in Rolling Stone. "It was my mom's gun," Wayne told the magazine in 2008. "It was like a chopper hit me. But the bullet went straight through, and I bounced back in two weeks."

Aspiring Rapper

As part of the Hot Boys, Lil Wayne got his first taste of success. The group was made up of several of Cash Money's rising stars—B.G., Juvenile, Turk and Wayne. Their debut album, Get It How U Live (1997), sold more than 400,000 copies. Their next effort, Guerilla Warfare (1999), did even better, eventually selling more than 1 million copies. At the age of 16, Lil Wayne was on his way to music stardom.

That same year, Lil Wayne launched his solo career with Tha Block Is Hot (1999).