Lil Wayne – American hip-hop artist
Lil Wayne’s real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. He was born on 27 September 1982 in New Orleans. When Carter was 8, he started writing lyrics. A year later, he was already working with the label Cash Money. Wayne’s mother was just 19 when he was born. Two years after his birth, Carter’s father abandoned the family. His mom remarried and Wayne was raised by a stepfather. Wayne was a talented boy. He attended a school for gifted children. In high school, he was the star of a local drama club. However, excellent grades didn’t keep Dwayne from quitting school to pursue a career in music when he was just 14 years old.
In 1996, Wayne started working with a hip-hop group Hot Boys. A year later, the band presented a debut LP, Get It How U Live! At the same time, Carter collaborated with the rapper Juvenile to record a single, "Back That Azz Up", which climbed to the 18th spot on Billboard Hot 100 and settled on the 5th position of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.
When Wayne was just 17 years old, he released his debut solo album, Tha Block Is Hot. It came in third on Billboard 200. The songs "Best New Artist" and "Tha Block Is Hot" made the album popular. It sold more than 1.4 million copies.