Lil Wayne
New Orleans rapper whose Tha Carter III sold over a million copies in its first week and won the Best Rap Album Grammy; founder of Young Money Entertainment, the label behind Drake and Nicki Minaj.
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- Country
- United States
- Known for
- Rapper, songwriter and record executive; founder of Young Money Entertainment
- Birth
- Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., born September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Breakthrough
- Debut album Tha Block Is Hot (1999); Tha Carter III (2008) sold 3.6 million copies and won the Best Rap Album Grammy
- Grammy record
- 5 wins and 28 nominations, per the Recording Academy
- Label
- Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Cash Money Records, which released No. 1 albums from Drake and Nicki Minaj
- Latest album
- Tha Carter VI, released June 6, 2025 via Young Money/Republic; debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200
The 2025 return: Tha Carter VI
On June 6, 2025, Lil Wayne released Tha Carter VI through Young Money and Republic Records — his fourteenth studio album, 19 tracks deep, and his first solo album in five years (Universal Music Canada). In sessions with Rolling Stone ahead of the release, Wayne described the record’s shift in approach: “If there’s one thing about this album that’s different, it’s me approaching it like, ‘Man, what would I sound like on something with such and such?’” (REVOLT).
That curiosity produced one of the strangest guest lists of his career. Opera legend Andrea Bocelli sings “Ave Maria” on a deeply personal cut about Wayne’s early health struggles; Bono, MGK, Jelly Roll, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Wyclef Jean, Kodak Black and his sons Kameron Carter and Lil Novi all appear across the project (REVOLT; Universal Music Canada). Wyclef Jean recorded more than 30 tracks with Wayne, longtime collaborator Wheezy returned, a Kanye West-produced song looked unlikely to make the final cut, and a Billie Eilish sample — once mistaken for a full feature — was still being cleared (REVOLT).
The emotional center is “The Days,” the Bono collaboration. The track dates to 2013–2014 and was produced by RedOne; on it Wayne raps about lying in a hospital bed after epileptic seizures — seizures he has lived with since childhood — while Bono delivers the hook and Kameron contributes a prepubescent voice note (U2 Songs). Rolling Stone broke news of the Bono collaboration in April 2025, and the song premiered in marketing for the 2025 NBA Finals; it appears on streaming and digital editions but not on CD or vinyl (U2 Songs; HipHopDX).
The album art, revealed in an Instagram post on April 22, pairs a childhood photo of Wayne with tattoos superimposed on his face — keeping with the themes of earlier Carter covers (REVOLT).
Commercially the album landed short of its predecessors. Tha Carter VI debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 equivalent album units — about 73,000 from streaming (97.06 million on-demand streams), roughly 34,000 in pure sales and 1,000 in track-equivalent units — behind Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem, then in its fourth week at No. 1 (HipHopDX; Hypebeast). The debut was the lowest of any Carter entry and of Wayne’s entire near-30-year career, and reviews were largely negative (HipHopDX). The contrast with the past was sharp: Funeral (2020) had debuted at No. 1 with 139,000 units, and Tha Carter V (2018) opened with 480,000 (HipHopDX). It was still Wayne’s 13th top-10 album, and it topped the Top Rap Albums chart, ending Kendrick Lamar’s GNX run there (Hypebeast).
Wayne marked the release the biggest way he could: headlining Madison Square Garden for the first time in his career on release night, then announcing a 34-city tour (Universal Music Canada). He had once told Rolling Stone he would only return to New York for “U2 money” — and the show arrived on the heels of his highly publicized Super Bowl halftime show snub in his native New Orleans (REVOLT). Even as the reviews landed, he kept a famous fan: Justin Bieber posted screenshots of a FaceTime call with his “I’m the One” collaborator, checking in with the GOAT (HipHopDX).
The climb: Hollygrove to the Carter series
Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana (Recording Academy). He began rapping and writing lyrics at eight, growing up without a father in the Hollygrove neighborhood, raised by his mother (History Tools). “I just expressed how I grew up,” he said of the hunger in his music in a 2010 interview. “How I came from nothing to something” (History Tools). At nine he met rapper and entrepreneur Bryan Williams — Birdman — who signed the young rapper to Cash Money Records before his teens (History Tools).
His career took off in 1997, at 15, when he joined the Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, B.G. and Turk; their debut Get It How You Live sold more than 400,000 copies and earned a platinum plaque (History Tools). His solo debut, Tha Block Is Hot, arrived in 1999 when he was 17, went platinum and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (History Tools; Recording Academy).
Tha Carter (2004), with “Bring It Back” and “Go D.J.,” made him one of rap’s elite; Tha Carter II (2005) sold more than 238,000 copies in its first week (History Tools). Then came Tha Carter III (2008): 3.6 million copies sold, the “Lollipop” / “Got Money” / “A Milli” run, and four Grammy wins including Best Rap Album (History Tools). “Lollipop,” featuring Static Major, was his first No. 1 hit (Recording Academy).
The Grammy record
The Recording Academy credits Wayne with five wins from 28 nominations (Recording Academy). His first nomination came for 2005, as a featured artist on Destiny’s Child’s “Soldier” (Recording Academy). The first wins were the four he took at the 51st GRAMMYs for 2008 — Best Rap Album (Tha Carter III) and Best Rap Song (“Lollipop”) among them — and the fifth came in 2017 for Best Rap Performance on Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem” with 2 Chainz (Recording Academy). He made his Grammy stage debut at the same ceremony, performing “Swagga Like Us” with M.I.A., T.I., Jay-Z and Kanye West, then joining Robin Thicke, Allen Toussaint and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band for “Big Chief” (Recording Academy). In 2026 he was nominated again for Best Rap Song for his turn on Tyler, The Creator’s “Sticky” with GloRilla and Sexyy Red (Recording Academy).
The label builder
Wayne founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money Records; the label has released No. 1 albums from Drake and Nicki Minaj (Recording Academy). In August 2009 he signed Minaj — news of the deal broke August 1, 2009, months after Drake joined the roster — making her the label’s new First Lady, with a debut album project planned for 2010 (HipHopRX).
Three decades in, the business has widened: through Young Money APAA Sports he represents athletes including Travis Hunter, while he still turns up on other artists’ records — features for Tyler, The Creator and Cordae among them (REVOLT).
What this profile does not claim
- Details of Wayne’s 2010 imprisonment and its exact length; no source covering them was read in full.
- The reported record for Billboard Hot 100 entries; only snippets surfaced and they were not verified.
- The childhood shooting account and stepfather details; snippets only, excluded as unverified.
- The exact age of his Cash Money signing; sources differ, so this profile says only that it happened before his teens.
- Any net worth figure or record-sales total beyond the verified debut-week numbers above.
- A Wayne quotation from the Universal release; it was not captured verbatim at read time.
Timeline
- 1982
- Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on September 27 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- 1997
- Joined the Hot Boys at 15 alongside Juvenile, B.G. and Turk; their debut Get It How You Live sold more than 400,000 copies and earned a platinum plaque.
- 1999
- Released his solo debut album Tha Block Is Hot at 17; it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum.
- 2004
- Released Tha Carter, featuring "Bring It Back" and "Go D.J.," establishing him as one of rap's elite.
- 2005
- Released Tha Carter II, which sold more than 238,000 copies in its first week; earned his first Grammy nomination as a featured artist on Destiny's Child's "Soldier."
- 2008
- Released Tha Carter III: 3.6 million copies sold, "Lollipop" became his first No. 1 hit, and he won four Grammys including Best Rap Album at the 51st GRAMMYs for 2008.
- 2009
- Signed Nicki Minaj to Young Money Entertainment — news broke August 1, 2009, months after Drake joined the roster — making her the label's new First Lady.
- 2017
- Won his fifth Grammy: Best Rap Performance for Chance the Rapper's "No Problem" featuring Wayne and 2 Chainz.
- 2018
- Tha Carter V opened with 480,000 equivalent album units in its first week.
- 2020
- Funeral debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 139,000 equivalent album units.
- 2025
- Released Tha Carter VI on June 6 via Young Money/Republic; it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 equivalent units, the lowest debut week of his career. He headlined Madison Square Garden for the first time on release night.
- 2026
- Nominated for the Best Rap Song Grammy for his turn on Tyler, The Creator's "Sticky" with GloRilla and Sexyy Red.
Sources
9 sources (3 tier 2, 5 tier 3, 1 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
u2songs.com is a specialist U2 discography database, used only for "The Days" recording history. History Tools is a fan-written editorial profile, used only for early-career facts that supplement higher-tier sources. HipHopRX is a 2009-contemporary hip-hop report, used for the dated signing news. No Wayne quotation from the Universal release is reproduced; it was not captured verbatim at read time.
- Lil Wayne Tier 2Supports: Birth identity (Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., September 27, 1982, New Orleans); Tha Block Is Hot as the 1999 breakthrough album peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200; "Lollipop" as his first No. 1 hit on Tha Carter III (2008); the first Grammy nomination for 2005 on Destiny's Child's "Soldier"; four wins at the 51st GRAMMYs for 2008 including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song; the 5-wins/28-nominations tally; the 2017 Best Rap Performance win for "No Problem"; the 2026 Best Rap Song nomination for "Sticky"; Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money Records with No. 1 albums from Drake and Nicki Minaj. Open original source
- Supports: The June 6 release via Young Money and Republic; first solo album since 2020; Wayne's Rolling Stone-session quotation on the album's approach; the feature list (Miley Cyrus, MGK, Bono, Elephant Man, Kameron; Bocelli's "Ave Maria" on the early-health-struggles cut); Wyclef Jean's 30-plus recorded tracks, Wheezy's return, the Kanye-produced song likely cut, the Billie Eilish sample clearance; "These Are the Days" (epileptic-seizure lyric, Bono's hook, Kameron's childhood voice note, Biggie/Tupac flow flips, the Matthew Perry line); the April 22 cover reveal; the first Madison Square Garden headlining show and the "U2 money" Rolling Stone remark; the "highly publicized Super Bowl halftime show snub"; Young Money APAA Sports representing Travis Hunter; features for Tyler, The Creator and Cordae. Open original source
- Supports: The 2013–2014 origin of "The Days" with Bono and its RedOne production; the hospital-bed lyric about epileptic seizures suffered since childhood; Kameron's prepubescent voice note; the digital-only release (not on CD/vinyl); Rolling Stone breaking the Bono collaboration news in April 2025; Bocelli's "Ave Maria" on the song about Wayne's early health struggles; Wyclef's 30-track sessions. Open original source
- Supports: The No. 2 Billboard 200 debut with 108,000 equivalent units behind Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem (fourth week at No. 1); the largely negative reviews and failed commercial impact; Funeral's 139,000-unit No. 1 debut; Tha Carter V's 480,000-unit opening week; the lowest debut week of any Carter entry and of his near-30-year career; the "The Days"/Bono NBA Finals promo debut; the 19-track feature roster. Open original source
- Supports: The 108,000-unit breakdown (73,000 streaming = 97.06M on-demand streams, ~34,000 pure sales, 1,000 TEA); his 13th top-10 album; the No. 1 Top Rap Albums finish ending Kendrick Lamar's GNX run. Open original source
- Supports: Corroboration of the first-week sales figures and the No. 2 debut. Open original source
- Supports: Nicki Minaj's Young Money Entertainment signing (news broke August 1, 2009), months after Drake signed with Young Money/Universal Records; her title as the new First Lady of Young Money; the debut album project scheduled for a 2010 release. Open original source
- Supports: Early-career backbone: writing and rapping from age 8; the Hollygrove upbringing; meeting Birdman (Bryan Williams) at nine and signing to Cash Money Records before his teens; joining the Hot Boys in 1997 at 15 with Juvenile, B.G. and Turk; Get It How You Live's 400,000-plus sales and platinum plaque; the platinum Tha Block Is Hot debut at 17; Tha Carter (2004) and its singles; Tha Carter II's 238,000-plus first-week copies; Tha Carter III's 3.6 million copies sold and four Grammy wins. Open original source
- Lil Wayne Releases Tha Carter VI First-partySupports: The June 6, 2025 release date via Young Money/Republic; 14th studio album; 19 tracks; production by Wayne, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Wyclef Jean and others; the full feature list including his sons Kameron Carter and Lil Novi; "The Days" (feat. Bono) premiered in 2025 NBA Finals marketing; the first-ever MSG headlining show on release night; the 34-city tour. Open original source
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