Lil Wayne

In New Orleans, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. began writing rhymes before most children have finished learning who they are. Born on September 27, 1982, he spent his early years in Hollygrove, an impoverished neighborhood in Uptown New Orleans. His mother, a cook, had him at 19, and his parents divorced when he was two. His father left the family, a fact Carter later tied to his decision to drop the “D” from Dwayne and become Wayne. He has said he regarded his stepfather, Reginald “Rabbit” McDonald, as his real father.

Music arrived early and stayed close. Carter wrote his first rap song at eight, met Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Baby” Williams, later known as Birdman, in the summer of 1991, and was discovered by him in 1993. Birdman mentored him, put him on Cash Money tracks, and Carter returned the energy by recording freestyle raps on Williams’ answering machine. By age eleven, he had signed with Cash Money Records. As Baby D, he first appeared alongside B.G. in the duo the B.G.’z, then became the youngest member of the Hot Boys with B.G., Juvenile, and Turk. Their albums Get It How U Live! and Guerrilla Warfare helped bring the group mainstream success.

Carter’s solo career took off with Tha Block Is Hot in 1999, followed by Lights Out and 500 Degreez. In the 2000s, he became known not only for albums but for changing the mixtape scene with an innovative approach that kept his voice everywhere. Tha Carter and Tha Carter II both debuted within the top five of the Billboard 200 and drew critical acclaim. Then came Tha Carter III in 2008, the high point of his career, selling more than one million units in its first week in the United States and winning Best Rap Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. Its singles included “Lollipop,” “A Milli,” and “Got Money.”

The life behind the music was never simple. Carter had been an honor student, enrolled in a gifted program, acted in a school production of The Wiz, and later left high school during tenth grade to pursue a GED after his mother worried about his safety. At 12, he suffered a near-fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, which he later described as a suicide attempt after being told he would have to end his rap-related associations. He credited off-duty police officer Robert Hoobler, whom he called “Uncle Bob,” with saving his life. Years later, he served an eight-month jail sentence for criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a 2007 incident, and released I Am Not a Human Being during his incarceration.

Wayne’s career kept expanding through mixed reviews, delays, disputes, and reinvention. Tha Carter IV sold 964,000 units in its first week in the United States, Tha Carter V arrived in 2018 after long delays and label disputes, and Funeral became his fifth non-consecutive number one album. In June 2025, he released Tha Carter VI. He has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, won five Grammy Awards, and founded Young Money Entertainment, which signed artists including Drake, Tyga, and Nicki Minaj. The force of his words comes from that mix of confidence, pain, speed, and survival. When he says, “Never back down from a real challenge. They give the best lessons in life,” it sounds less like advice from a distance than a line earned in real time.