Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.

Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne performing in December 2015
Born	Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (1982-09-27) September 27, 1982 (age 35) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Rapper singer songwriter record executive entrepreneur
Years active	1991–present
Home town	Hollygrove, New Orleans, U.S.
Children	4
Awards	List of awards and nominations
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Young Money Cash Money Republic
Associated acts	The B.G.'z Cash Money Millionaires Hot Boys Sqad Up Birdman 2 Chainz Mack Maine Eminem DJ Drama Drake Future DJ Khaled Juelz Santana Nicki Minaj Rick Ross T.I. T-Pain The Game Young Jeezy

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American hip hop recording artist. In 1991, at the 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, alongside fellow New Orleans-based rapper Lil' Doogie. In 1996, Lil Wayne joined the southern hip hop group Hot Boys, with his Cash Money label-mates Juvenile, Young Turk and Lil' Doogie (who now goes by B.G.). Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live!, that same year. Most of the group's success came with their platinum-selling album Guerrilla Warfare (1999) and the 1999 single "Bling Bling". Along with being the flagship artist of Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of his own label imprint, Young Money Entertainment, which he founded in 2005.

Lil Wayne's solo debut album Tha Block Is Hot (1999), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His subsequent albums, Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002), went on to be certified gold. Wayne reached higher popularity with his fourth album Tha Carter (2004), which was led by the single "Go D.J." and his appearance on Destiny's Child's Top 10 single "Soldier", that same year. The album was followed by Tha Carter II (2005), as well as several mixtapes and collaborations throughout 2006 and 2007. Wayne gained more prominence with his sixth album Tha Carter III (2008), which became his most successful album to date, with first-week sales of over one million copies in the United States. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and includes the hit singles "Lollipop", "A Milli" and "Got Money".