LilWayne

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. was born on September 27, 1982, in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans. He was signed to Cash Money Records at age nine by Birdman, who recognized his precocious talent, and began releasing music as a teenager as part of the Hot Boys collective alongside Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. His debut solo album, Tha Block Is Hot (1999), was certified platinum and established him as a star in the making.

The early 2000s saw Wayne sharpen his craft relentlessly, releasing a string of increasingly accomplished albums and an extraordinary run of guest verses that made him the most ubiquitous rapper in hip-hop. By the time Tha Carter II arrived in 2005, critics and peers were beginning to call him the best rapper alive. He spent the next several years barnstorming through mixtapes — particularly Da Drought 3 (2007) — that demonstrated a lyrical creativity and improvisational abandon that set new standards for the form.

Tha Carter III (2008) sold over one million copies in its first week, produced the number-one single “Lollipop,” and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. Through Young Money Entertainment, he signed and developed Drake and Nicki Minaj. Wayne’s connection to New Orleans runs as a consistent thread through his work, most explicitly on “Tie My Hands,” a meditation on Katrina’s devastation and his city’s resilience.