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Lil Wayne
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Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne in 2006
Background information
Birth name Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Born September 27, 1982 (1982-09-27) (age 28)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres Hip hop
Occupations Rapper, CEOInstruments Vocals, Guitars[1]
Years active 1992present
Labels Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Associated acts Big Tymers, Birdman, Drake, Cash Money
Millionaires, Hot Boys, Juelz Santana, Kevin Rudolf, T-Pain, Young
MoneyWebsite lilwayne-online.com
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better
known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the
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age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the
youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z,
with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which
also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. Hot Boys debuted
with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of hissuccess with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare,
released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum
debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in
the U.S.
Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez
(2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), LilWayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which
included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the
Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the
sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and
2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on
several popular rap and R&B singles. His most successful album,
Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 which went on to sell over 1
million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included thenumber-one single "Lollipop" and won the Grammy Award for
Best Rap Album. Lil Wayne released his debut rock album,
Rebirth, in 2010 to primarily negative reception from critics. The
album eventually went gold. In March 2010, Lil Wayne began
serving an 8 month prison sentence in New York after being
convicted of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an
incident in July 2007. While in jail he released another album
entitled I Am Not a Human Being in September 2010, featuringYoung Money artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Twist.
Contents
[hide]
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* 1 Early life
* 2 Music career
o 2.1 199799: The Hot Boys
o 2.2 200002: Lights Out and 500 Degreez
o 2.3 200407: Tha Carter, Tha Carter II and collaborations
o 2.4 200809: Tha Carter III and We Are Young Money
o 2.5 2010present: Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being
o 2.6 2010-present: Tha Carter IV
o 2.7 2006-present: Future projects
* 3 Television and film career
* 4 Personal life
o 4.1 Family
o 4.2 Higher education
o 4.3 Sports and musical interestso 4.4 Philanthropy
o 4.5 Drug use and arrests
o 4.6 New York weapon case
o 4.7 Lawsuits
o 4.8 Public references by Barack Obama
* 5 Discography
* 6 Filmography
* 7 Awards
* 8 References
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* 9 External links
Early life
Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the
Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] Carter
was born when his mother, a chef, was 19 years old. His parents
were divorced when he was 2, and his father permanently
abandoned the family. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of
Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor
McMain Secondary School.[2][3] He wrote his first rap song at ageeight.[4] In the summer of 1991, he met Bryan Williams, rapper
and owner of Cash Money Records. Carter recorded freestyle raps
on Williams's answering machine leading him to mentor the
young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs.
He also recorded his first ever collaboration album True Story with
rapper B.G.. At the time, Carter was 11, and B.G. was 14, and was
billed as "The B.G.'z".[5] When he was 12, he played the part of
the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of TheWiz.[6] He also accidentally shot himself with a .44 caliber gun at
the age of 13, with the bullet missing his heart by two inches.[2]
At McMain Magnet School, Carter was an honor student, but he
dropped out at the age of 14 to focus on a musical career.[7]
Music career
199799: The Hot Boys
Main article: Hot Boys
In 1997, Carter joined the Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile,
B.G., and Turk. At age 15, Carter was the youngest member at
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that time. Hot Boys' debut album Get It How U Live! was released
the same year, followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut
Guerrilla Warfare,[1] which reached No. 1 on the Billboard
magazine Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the
Billboard 200.[8] During their career, the Hot Boys had twocharting singles, "We on Fire" from Get It How U Live! and "I Need
a Hot Girl" from Guerrilla Warfare.[9] Carter was also featured on
Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which reached No. 18 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles &
Tracks.[10] Let 'Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased
tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several
years after the group disbanded.[11] It reached No. 3 on the Top
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 14 on the Billboard 200.[8]
Carter's debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot at age 17 featured
significant contributions from the Hot Boys and was certified 2x
platinum, climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard album charts.[1] The
album earned him a 1999 Source magazine award nomination for
"Best New Artist",[12] and also became a Top Ten hit.[1] The lead
single was "Tha Block Is Hot". After the release of Tha Block isHot, Carter was featured on the single, "Bling Bling", with B.G.,
Juvenile, and Big Tymers. His verse was featured on the radio
edition, and on the album version, only his hook was featured on
the single.
200002: Lights Out and 500 Degreez
His 2000 follow-up album Lights Out failed to attain the level ofsuccess achieved by his debut[1] but was certified gold by RIAA.
[13] Critics pointed to the lack of coherent narratives in his verses
as evidence that he had yet to mature to the level of his fellow
Hot Boys.[14] The lead single was "Get Off The Corner" which was
noticed for an improvement in lyrical content and style, it also
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received a music video. The second single which received less
attention was "Shine" featuring The Hot Boys. Near the release of
Lights Out, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, "1# Stunna"
with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which rose to 24th place on the Hot
Rap Tracks charts.
In 2001, Lil Wayne was shot in the chest in Florida after "some
groupies" fired two shots through his tour bus window. He
recalled the incident in 2008 interview: 'It [the bullet] 'didnt go all
the way in, cause the window slowed it down.'[2]
Lil Wayne's third album 500 Degreez, released in 2002, followed
the format of his previous two, with significant contributions from
the Hot Boys and Mannie Fresh. While certified Gold like its
predecessor,[13] it too failed to match the success of his debut.
[1] The title was a reference to the recently estranged Hot Boys
member Juvenile's recording, 400 Degreez.[15] The lead single
was "Way Of Life" which like the album failed to match the
success of his previous singles. After the release of 500 Degreez,he was featured in the single "Neva Get Enuf" by 3LW.[16]
200407: Tha Carter, Tha Carter II and collaborations
In the summer of 2004, Wayne's album Tha Carter was released,
marking what critics considered advancement in his rapping style
and lyrical themes.[17] In addition, the album's cover art featured
the debut of Wayne's now-signature dreadlocks.[1] Tha Carter
gained Wayne significant recognition, selling over 1 million copies
in the United States, while the single "Go DJ" became a Top 5 Hit.
[18] After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in
Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" with T.I., which peaked at No. 3
on the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B Charts.[19] The song Get
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Something (featuring Mannie Fresh) was supposed to appear on
the album but failed to make the cut, however the music video
was released.[20]
Tha Carter II, the follow-up to the original Tha Carter album, was
released in December 2005, this time without production by
longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had
since left the label. Tha Carter II sold more than 238,000 copies in
its first week of release, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200
albums chart, and went on to sell 2,000,000 copies world wide.
The lead single, "Fireman," became a hit in the US, peaking at 32
on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles included "GrownMan", "Hustler Muzik", and "Shooter" (featuring R&B singer Robin
Thicke). Lil Wayne also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's
"Tell Me", which rose to No. 13 on the U.S. R&B Charts.
In 2005, Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in
the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an
imprint of Cash Money.[21] However, as of late 2007, Lil Waynereported that he has stepped down from the management of both
labels and has handed management of Young Money over to
Cortez Bryant.[22]
Lil Wayne performing at the Beacon Theatre on July 23, 2007
In 2006, Lil Wayne collaborated with rapper Birdman for the
album Like Father, Like Son, whose first single "Stuntin' Like My
Daddy", reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of a
follow-up solo album, Lil Wayne reached his audience through a
plethora of mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop
and hip-hop singles.[1] Of his many mixtapes, Dedication 2 and
Da Drought 3 received the most media exposure and critical
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review. Dedication 2, released in 2006, paired Lil Wayne with DJ
Drama and contained the acclaimed socially conscious track
"Georgia Bush," in which Lil Wayne critiqued former US president
George W. Bush's response to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on
the city of New Orleans. Da Drought 3 was released the followingyear and was available for free legal download. It contained Lil
Wayne rapping over a variety of beats from recent hits by other
musicians. Numerous of features in prominent hip-hop magazines
such as XXL[23] and Vibe[7] covered the mixtape. Christian Hoard
of Rolling Stone magazine considered the mixtapes Da Drought 3
and The Drought Is Over 2 "among the best albums of 2007."[3]
Despite no album release for two years, Lil Wayne appeared in
numerous singles as a featured performer, including "Gimme
That" by Chris Brown, "Make It Rain" by Fat Joe, "You" by Lloyd,
and "We Takin' Over" by DJ Khaled (also featuring Akon, T.I., Rick
Ross, Fat Joe, and Birdman), "Duffle Bag Boy" by Playaz Circle,
"Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean (also featuring Akon),
and the remix to "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled (also featuring T-
Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Fat Joe,Birdman, and Rick Ross). All these singles charted within the top
20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Tracks, and Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. On Birdman's 2007 album 5 * Stunna,
Lil Wayne appeared on the singles "100 Million" and "I Run This"
among several other tracks. Wayne also appeared on tracks from
albums Getback by Little Brother, American Gangster by Jay-Z,
and Graduation by Kanye West and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias.
"Make it Rain", a Scott Storch production that peaked at number13 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Rap Tracks chart,
[24] was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap
Performance by a Duo or Group for 2008.[25]
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Vibe magazine ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007
and ranked his verse in DJ Khaled's "We Takin Over" as his best of
2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over the beat of Jay-
Z's "Show Me What You Got") from Da Drought 3 the second
song.[7] At the end of 2007, an MTV poll selected Lil Wayne as"Hottest MC in the Game",[26] The New Yorker magazine ranked
him "Rapper of the Year",[5] and GQ magazine named him
"Workaholic of the Year".[27] In 2008 he was named "Best Rock
Star Alive" by Blender magazine[2] and "Best MC" by Rolling
Stone.[3] Another article, built around Lil Wayne's 2007 mixtape
work, cites his creative practice as an example of
postperformance creative practice.[28]
200809: Tha Carter III and We Are Young Money
Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III's largest
delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and
distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and
"The Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Lil Wayne initially decided to use the
leaked tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album,
titled The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007,
with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008,[29]
The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but
an official EP titled The Leak and containing five tracks was
released digitally on December 25, 2007.[citation needed]
Tha Carter III was released on June 10, 2008, selling more than a
million copies in its first week of release, the first to do so since50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005.[30] The first single "Lollipop",
featuring Static became the rapper's most commercially
successful song at that point, topping the Billboard Hot 100,
making it the first Top 10 single for Lil Wayne as a solo artist, as
well as his first No. 1 on the chart. His third single from Carter III',
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"Got Money" featuring T-Pain, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard
100. Along with his album singles, Lil Wayne appeared on R&B
singles "Girls Around the World" by Lloyd, "Love In This Club, Part
II" by Usher, "Official Girl" by Cassie, "I'm So Paid" by Akon,
"Turnin' Me On" by Keri Hilson, and "Can't Believe It" by T-Pain;rap singles "My Life" by The Game, "Shawty Say" by David
Banner, "Swagga Like Us" by T.I., "Cutty Buddy" by Mike Jones, All
My Life (In the Ghetto) by Jay Rock and the remix to "Certified" by
Glasses Malone; and pop single "Let It Rock" by new Cash Money
artist Kevin Rudolf. On July 14, 2008, the Recording Industry
Association of America certified Tha Carter III two times platinum.
[31] In an October 2008 interview with MTV News, Lil Wayne
announced plans to re-release this album with all new tracks,including a duet with Ludacris and remixes of "A Milli".[32]
Lil Wayne performing at General Motors Place concert in
Vancouver in January 2009.
The lineup for New Orleans' 2008 Voodoo Experience concert,
held in October, featured Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard
magazine reported that the event would mark his biggest
hometown headlining set of his career.[33] Lil Wayne stated that
he would reunite with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G.
They plan to release an album after B.G.'s solo album Too Hood to
Be Hollywood was completed.[34] Wayne also performed as the
2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest with Kanye West, performing the
remix of "Lollipop" with West and also lip-syncing to Whitney
Houston's "I Will Always Love You".[35] Lil Wayne also performed
at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Kid Rock ("All SummerLong"), Leona Lewis ("DontGetIt (Misunderstood)") and T-Pain
("Got Money"). On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, he
performed "Lollipop" and "Got Money".[36] He later performed at
the homecoming rally at Vanderbilt University[37] and the 2008
BET Hip Hop Awards with 12 nominations.[38] He won the "MVP"
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title at the BET Hip Hop Awards and seven others.[39] It was
revealed that M.I.A. dropped out of performing on the tour due to
her pregnancy, however Jay-Z is expected to perform with Wayne
on the song "Mr. Carter" at select shows.[40]
On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to
ever perform at the Country Music Association Awards. He played
alongside Kid Rock for the song, "All Summer Long", in which
Wayne did not rap but instead inaudibly strummed guitar strings
alongside the guitarist in Kid Rock's band.[41] Shortly after,
Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys the most for any
artist nominated that year.[42] Wayne was then named the firstever MTV Man of the Year at the end of 2008.[43] He won the
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for "A Milli", Best
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his appearance in T.I.'s
single "Swagga Like Us", and Best Rap Song for "Lollipop". Tha
Carter III won the award for Best Rap Album.[44]
DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of theDedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne,[45] who insisted that it
will would be a full album under the title.[46] However despite the
fact Wayne wanted to release Dedication 3 as an album, it was
released as a mixtape on November 14, 2008.[citation needed]
MTV listed Lil Wayne number two on their 2009 list of the Hottest
MCs In The Game.[47]
On December 23, 2009, Wayne released a collaboration album
with Young Money, with the first single confirmed as "Every Girl".
[48] The second single is "BedRock", featuring Lloyd. The third
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single is "Roger That". On May 24, 2010, the album was certified
gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold.[49]
Wayne is featured on the song, "Revolver", with Madonna for her2009 greatest hits album, Celebration. He was also featured on a
Weezer song, "Can't Stop Partying", on their 2009 album,
Raditude.[50]
2010present: Rebirth and I Am Not a Human Being
In late 2008, Wayne stated that he would re-release The Carter IIIwith leftover tracks and call it Rebirth, several months later,
however, he announced Rebirth would instead release as his
debut rock album, maintaining its title as Rebirth.[51] To support
the release of Rebirth and a collaboration album with Young
Money Entertainment, Wayne headlined the 'Young Money
Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival'... a United States
and Canadaonly concert tour which started on July 29, 2009. The
Rebirth album was originally scheduled for a April 7, 2009 release,
however after numerous delays, the album was released on
February 2, 2010. For the anticipation of Rebirth, Wayne was
featured on the cover of Rolling Stone.[52]
"Prom Queen", the first official single, debuted on January 27,
2009 immediately after a live Internet broadcast on Ustream[53]
of his concert in San Diego.[54] "Prom Queen" peaked at number
15 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.[55] On December 3, 2009, Lil
Wayne's second single from the album, "On Fire", was released on
iTunes. "On Fire" was produced by Cool & Dre with Lil Wayne
playing the guitar with the aid of Pro Tools.[56] "On Fire" peaked
at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Drop the World",
which features Eminem, is the third single from the album.[56]
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Lil Wayne was thought to be releasing an EP entitled I Am Not a
Human Being, but it was confirmed that would be a full lenghth
LP. The album was released on September 27, 2010 which washis birthday. The album has sold over 250,000 copies in the U.S.
and has spawned a successful single in "Right Above It".
2010-present: Tha Carter IV
In an interview on MTV's Mixtape Monday, Wayne asserted the
possibility of an album titled Tha Carter IV.[57] Following Tha
Carter III's achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming2008's best-selling record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money
Records for a multi-album deal.[58] Wayne said Tha Carter IV will
be released in 2009 just before the holidays.[59] Birdman had
previously stated that Tha Carter IV would be packaged with
Rebirth as a double disc album.[60] However, Wayne denied this
idea saying that "Tha Carter IV deserves Tha Carter IV". He went
on to say that We Are Young Money may be packaged with
Rebirth.[61][62] However, it was later confirmed that Rebirth andWe Are Young Money will be released separately and that Tha
Carter IV will be released during 2011. He started from scratch on
Tha Carter IV since getting released from jail.[63] He recorded his
first track since being released from jail and it was described as
being "a 2010 version of A Milli on streroids." The album is set to
feature multiple guests, including Tech N9ne. [64] The album will
be released during Q1 of 2011.[65]
2006-present: Future projects
He has announced several possible upcoming projects, including
a collaboration album I Can't Feel My Face with rapper Juelz
Santana that has been in production for several years.[66][67] He
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born when he was 15,[4] to his high school sweetheart Antonia
"Toya" Carter (ne Johnson). Wayne and Johnson married on
Valentine's Day of 2004 and divorced in 2006.[85] Internet
rumours started circulating in August 2008 that Wayne's daughter
had died in a car crash, which however he quickly cleared up asfalse saying "Please allow me to dispel any rumors or speculations
and report that my daughter is alive, healthy and surrounded by
family who care and love her dearly. The rumors are completely
false and unfounded; neither Reginae nor any other member of
my family has been involved in any car accident."[86] His second
child, Dwayne III, was then born on October 22, 2008 at Christ
Hospital in Cincinnati.[87] His third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, was
born to actress Lauren London on September 9, 2009.[88] He hadhis fourth child, Neal, on November 30, 2009 with singer Nivea.
[89]
In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, Wayne described why he
goes by the name of "Wayne" instead of his given name, Dwayne.
Carter explained, "I dropped the D because I'm a junior and my
father is living and he's not in my life and he's never been in mylife. So I don't want to be Dwayne, I'd rather be Wayne". Couric
asked Wayne if his father knew of this and Wayne replied with a
smile, "He knows now".[80]
Higher education
After earning his GED, Wayne enrolled at the University of
Houston in January 2005. He dropped out in the same year.[90]He also revealed on The View that he switched to the University
of Phoenix and majored in psychology taking online courses.[91]
An article in Urb magazine in March 2007 asserted that Wayne
had been earning high grades at Houston.[92]
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Sports and musical interests
In an interview with Blender magazine, Lil Wayne revealed one of
his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana, andcites them as a major influence in his music.[93]
On September 24, 2008, Lil Wayne published his first blog for
ESPN in their issue, ESPN The Magazine. Wayne revealed he was
a fan of tennis, the Green Bay Packers, the Boston Bruins, the Los
Angeles Lakers and the Boston Red Sox.[94] Wayne has
continued writing for ESPN, notably reporting at the ESPN SuperBowl party.[95]
Lil Wayne made his debut on ESPN's daily sports round table show
Around The Horn on February 10, 2009.[96]
Along with Mack Maine, Wayne was in attendance of Game 3 ofthe opening round NBA playoff series between the Denver
Nuggets and the home team New Orleans Hornets on April 25,
2009.
Philanthropy
On February 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and Cortez Bryant revisited their
alma mater McMain Secondary School to get students to design
an invitation to the gala introducing Lil Wayne's nonprofit One
Family Foundation.[97] The website Change.org states: "The
mission of One Family Foundation, Inc. is to empower urban youth
by engaging them in opportunities to cultivate their talents and
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skills, educating them to become productive and economically
self-sufficient, and motivating them to dream beyond their
circumstances."[98]
Drug use and arrests
Wayne told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric on her All
Access Grammy Special in 2009 that he enjoys smoking
marijuana recreationally. He also stated that he is "not addicted"
to drinking purple drank (codeine cough syrup) any longer, like
some claimed he was.[80] He has been arrested for use or
possession of marijuana and other drugs.
Following a performance at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, Lil
Wayne was arrested October 5, 2007 on felony fugitive charges
after Georgia authorities accused the rapper of possessing a
controlled substance.[99] The incident was later described as a
"mix-up" and the fugitive charges were dropped.[100]
On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two
others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near
Yuma, Arizona. A K-9 Unit recovered 105 grams (3.7 oz) of
marijuana, almost 29 grams (1.0 oz) of cocaine, 41 grams (1.4 oz)
of MDMA, and $22,000 in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four
felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of
dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession
of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel
outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185
bond he posted.[101] On May 6, 2008, Wayne returned to court in
Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges.[102] A bench warrant
was issued on March 17, 2010 when Lil Wayne didn't show for a
final trial management conference.[103][104] However, the
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rapper was already in prison, serving a year-long sentence in
Rikers on weapons charges. On June 22, 2010 Wayne plead guilty
to the charges. As part of the plea deal he may serve 36 months
of probation.[105] On June 30, 2010, he was sentenced to 3 years
probation.[106]
On December 18, 2009, Wayne and 11 others were detained at
the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint after an unknown
amount of marijuana was found on two of his tour buses.[107]
New York weapon case
On July 22, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in New York City
following a performance at the Beacon Theatre; the New York City
Police Department discovered Lil Wayne and another man
smoking marijuana near a tour bus. After taking Lil Wayne into
custody, police discovered a .40 caliber pistol on his person. The
gun, which was registered to his manager, was in a bag located
near the rapper.[108] He was charged with criminal possession of
a weapon and marijuana.[109][110]
On October 22, 2009, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted
criminal possession of a weapon. He was due for sentencing in
February 2010 and was expected to receive a one-year jail
sentence,[111] but on February 9, 2010, Lil Wayne's attorney
announced that the sentencing was delayed until March 2 due to
dental surgery,[112] which was performed on February 16. The
surgery included eight root canals, the replacement of several
tooth implants, as well as the addition of a few new implants and
work on his remaining original teeth.[113]
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On March 2, 2010, sentencing was postponed again when the
courthouse reported a fire in the basement.[114]
On March 8, 2010, Lil Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison,which he served in Rikers Island. His lawyer said the rapper
expected to be held in protective custody, separated from other
prisoners.[115] He was released on good behavior.[115][116]
However, in May 2010 Wayne was found by Rikers Island
correctional staff to be in possession of contraband (an MP3
player, charger, and headphones).[117] However at that time, it
was reported by MTV and HipHopDX that Lil Wayne will be
released in November which is four months early, which was true.[118]
In April 2010, Lil Wayne's friends created a website called Weezy
Thanx You, which publishes letters written by Wayne in prison.
[119][120] In the first letter, titled "Gone 'til November", the
rapper described his daily routine, saying he works out a lot, and
reads the Bible every day.[119]
Wayne was released from Rikers Island prison facility on
November 4, 2010 after serving eight months of his year-long
sentence.[121]
Lawsuits
In February 2009, production company RMF Productions filed a
$1.3 million lawsuit against Wayne, following a $100,000 advance
payment for three shows, all of which were cancelled by the
artist.[122]
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On October 2009, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Cash Money Records and
various music distribution outlets were sued for copyright
infringement by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims his voice wasused without permission. The rappers asked him to record some
"Italian-styled spoken word recordings" in 2006. The lyrics were
allegedly used on "Respect" and other tracks from the rappers'
collaboration album Like Father, Like Son and Birdman's 5 *
Stunna.[123]
Public references by Barack Obama
Lil Wayne has been referenced in public speeches by President
Barack Obama on at least two occasions, in mixed contexts.
Speaking to a largely African-American audience during a general
election campaign town hall speech in Georgia, then-U.S. Senator
Obama exhorted children to stay in school and achieve their
dreams through education and perseverance instead of hoping for
shortcuts to fame and riches, stating: "You are probably not that
good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil Wayne, but probablynot, in which case you need to stay in school."[124]
After assuming the Presidency, Obama later echoed this theme of
personal and familial responsibilityand the difficulty of achieving
Lil Wayne's lyrical skills or successduring an address to a
meeting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP,
telling the audience:
They might think theyve got a pretty jump shot or a pretty
good flow, but our kids cant all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne. I
want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and
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teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be
a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be President of
the United States of America.[125]
Obama also mentioned listening to Lil Wayne on his iPod:
My rap palate has greatly improved. Jay-Z used to be sort of
what predominated, but now I've got a little Nas and a little Lil
Wayne and some other stuff.[126]
Discography
Main article: Lil Wayne discography
* 1999: Tha Block Is Hot
* 2000: Lights Out
* 2002: 500 Degreez
* 2004: Tha Carter
* 2005: Tha Carter II
* 2008: Tha Carter III
* 2010: Rebirth
* 2010: I Am Not a Human Being
* 2011: Tha Carter IV