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Lil Wayne

Raised in New Orleans, Dwayne Carter Jr. aka Lil Wayne dropped out of school at the age of 14 to become a rapper. A child protégé who began recording tracks for Cash Money Records when he was eleven, he joined rap group Hot Boys in 1997 before releasing his debut solo album 'Tha Block Is Hot' (1999). His reputation grew fast through a constant flow of mixtapes. In 2002 he decided he'd no longer write down lyrics and, in one cathartic session, he recorded all his unused written material on the 35-minute track '10,000 Bars'. His new freestyle technique helped convert underground credibility into mainstream acceptance with the albums '50 Degreez' (2002), 'Tha Carter' (2004) and 'Tha Carter II' (2006). But it was chart-topping album 'Tha Carter III' (2008) that finally made his prophecy come true, producing the US number one single 'Lollipop'. He went on to enter the genre of rock on 'Rebirth' (2010) and the move paid off; the album hit number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts. Recorded prior to and released during an eight-month stint in prison, 'I Am Not a Human Being' arrived in 2010. It was certified platinum and hit number one on the Billboard 200. Subsequent release 'Tha Carter IV' (2011) was certified double-platinum and also peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. It was his third album to top the chart in its first week of release. It was followed by 'I Am Not a Human Being II' (2013), 'Free Weezy Album' (2015) and 'Tha Carter V' (2018) which were also commercially successful. He has also enjoyed an acting career in films 'Baller Blockin'' (2000), 'Who's Your Caddy?' (2007), 'Hurricane Season' (2009) and 'Freaknik: The Movie' (2010). He has also written a book titled 'Gone Til' November: A Journal of Rikers Island' which details his experience of being incarcerated in 2010 at Rikers Island prison. Despite rumours of his retirement from music after ongoing disputes with Cash Money Records and the stalled release of 'The Carter V' in 2018, Lil Wayne returned with his 13th studio album 'Funeral' in 2020. Shortly after the album's release, he was revealed to be The Robot on the TV series 'The Masked Singer'.