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Lil Wayne: MC of the Year
Lil' Wayne got his start with Cash Money Records back in 1997. Then, he was a member of the group Hot Boys, which featured him alongside BG, Turk, and Juvenile. Lil' Wayne is the youngest person in the group. The group as a whole got signed by the label, and then that year they all released their first album, called "Get It How U Live." That was followed a couple years later by their first major record, "Guerrilla Warfare."
In between the first Hot Boys record and the second, you could have heard the hottest Lil' Wayne lyrics to date if you listened to "Back That Azz Up" by Juvenile. And who hadn't heard that smash single? The group, along with Big Tymers, came out with the single "Bling Bling." Word has it that this song is where the whole use of the term "bling bling" even came from.
Lil on His Own
Around this same period, with group member Juvenile trying his hand at a solo career, Lil' Wayne followed suit. In 1999, he released the first Lil Wayne solo record called "Tha Block Is Hot." He wasn't messing around. It went top ten and sold double platinum, and had Lil' Wayne getting nominations as top new rapper. As with other Hot Boys solo work, all of the group members helped out with the Lil' Wayne album.
But Lil' Wayne found the rap game not all peaches and cream. The next two Lil' Wayne albums, the "Lights Out" record from 2000 and "500 Degreez" in 2002, didn't quite bring in the listeners as his first record did. If you listen to Lil Wayne at this point, you might even say that he was taking the fame he got with the Hot Boys for granted and expected success to come easy.
Yet Lil Wayne must have been a quick learner, because in 2004, he put out the fourth Lil Wayne record, called "Tha Carter." It sold more than 1 million copies around the United States. Now fully dreaded out, Lil Wayne rocked on such singles as "Go DJ," which earned a top five spot on the charts. If you listen to Lil Wayne in this album, you could say that his rapping grew up. What did he rap about now? Tha Carter is his nickname for his mansion, so he raps about what was going on in the many rooms of his home. Home, as well, is symbolic for the mind, so Lil Wayne is letting us into his thoughts as well.Not Done Yet
Lil Wayne followed up the smash success of "Tha Carter" with the even bigger single with Destiny's Child's "Soldier." That song went as high up as number three on the Billboard charts. He followed that up with his next Lil Wayne album, "Tha Carter II," which got to number two in the charts.
Success came to Lil Wayne in the business side of things too. He came president of the company that originally signed him, Cash Money, as well as his own company Young Money Entertainment, in 2005, positions he has since stepped down from. Success also came from critics, as he got acclaim as the hottest MC, man of the year, and even best rock star alive.
The next Lil Wayne record, "Tha Carter III," is due out this year. The first song from it, "Lollipop," has already gone number one!
