American rapper, songwriter Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., also known as Lil Wayne began
his music career at the tender age of nine. He joined Cash Money Records as the
youngest member of the label. In 1997 he joined the group Hot Boys and got his first taste
of success and fame after the release of the groups major selling album Guerrilla Warfare.
In 1999 Lil Wayne released his debut album The Block is Hot, which hit the top of the Hip
Hop charts, selling over one million copies in the U.S and went on to become double
platinum. The sale of his next two albums sold modestly, however the release of the Carter
series helped cement the rappers reputation as one of the leading hip-hop performers. Lil
Wayne’s sixth studio album, The Carter III, was released in June 2008 and featured
appearances by T-Pain, Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. The album debuted at number one on
the US Billboard 200 selling over a million copies in the first week of sales and included
top hits such as “A Milli” and “Lollipop”. It was this album that won the artist four Grammy
Awards at the 2009 ceremony. Since the success of this album, Lil Wayne went on to
produce another 3 albums with his tenth album released on December 11, 2012. For all of
his success, he has never forgotten his roots and despite being in trouble with the law on
several occasions in recent years, he has helped establish the One Family Foundation to
help urban youths.