X-TRAIL: LIL WAYNE
By Seyi Ogunbameru
March 25, 2010 03:55AM
Rising out of obscurity to stand in the limelight as an international rap juggernaut, Lil Wayne has come a long way from his humble but harsh Hollygrove beginnings. With the recent incarceration of the New Orleans, Louisiana native, we look at the life and times of the Young Money boss and Cash Money Millionaire.
1982: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr is born September 27 to Jacida “Cita” Carter and Dwayne Michael Turner.
1990: Writes his first rap song
1993: Meets Bryan “Baby” Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records and starts to record freestyles on Baby's answering machine.
1994: Plays the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz
1995: Accidentally shoots himself with a .44 caliber gun in his chest while mimicking Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle in his bedroom mirror; the bullet misses his heart by two inches and he goes on life support for two weeks.
>> Signs with Cash Money Records and hooks up with another newcomer, Lil' Doogie “B.G”, to form The B.G.'z. Later, they release their first and only album, True Story.
1996: Drops out of school
1997: Joins the Hot Boys alongside rappers Juvenile, B.G. and Turk as the youngest member to release their debut album Get it How You Live.
>> Officially adopts the name Lil Wayne, dropping the “D” from his first name in order to separate himself from an absent father.
>> Step-father Reginald “Rabbit” Carter dies.
1998: Welcomes his first child, Reginae Carter with Antonia “Toya” Johnson, his high school sweetheart.
>> Distinguishes himself on the Hot Boys' multi-platinum selling Universal debut, Guerilla Warfare
1999: Releases debut solo album Tha Block is Hot and receives a Source Award nomination for “Best New Artist.
2000: Releases second album, Lights Out.
>> The Hot Boys receive a Source Award for “Group of the Year.”
2001: Gets shot in the chest in Florida after “some groupies” fire two shots through his tour bus window.
2002: Releases third album 500 Degreez.
2003: Releases hit mixtape called Da Drought.
2004: Releases fourth album Tha Carter and two mixtapes, Da Drought 2 and The Prefix.
>> Marries Johnson.
>> Features on Destiny's Child's single “Soldier” which earns him prominent nominations like 2005 BET Award-Best Collaboration and 2006 Grammy Award-Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
2005: Releases fifth album Tha Carter II and two mixtapes, The Suffix and Dedication with DJ Drama.
>> Enrolls at the University of Houston, majoring in Political Science but later switches to Psychology.
2006: Releases collaboration album with mentor Baby: Like Father, Like Son and also a mixtape with DJ Drama called Dedication 2, which includes a track entitled “Georgia Bush” addressing the problems surrounding the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in his native New Orleans, Lousiana.
>> Divorces wife, Antonia “Toya” Carter.
2007: Releases mixtape, Da Drought 3 and features with several artists including DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Enrique Iglesias
>> Selected in an MTV poll as “Hottest MC in the Game,” in The New Yorker magazine as “Rapper of the Year”, GQ magazine as “Workaholic of the Year” and the BET Hip-Hop Award for “MVP of the Year.”
>> Arrested at a performance at the Beacon Theatre when the New York City Police Department discovers him smoking marijuana near a tour bus.
>> Arrested again following a performance at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, on felony fugitive charges after Georgia authorities accuse him of possessing a controlled substance.
2008: Releases sixth album Tha Carter III and wins Grammy for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for “A Milli”, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his appearance on T.I.'s single “Swagga Like Us” and Best Rap Song for “Lollipop”.
>> Named “Best Rock Star Alive” by Blender magazine and “Best MC” by Rolling Stone.
>> Releases tenth mixtape, Dedication 3 with DJ Drama.
>> Has second child, Dwayne III.
>> Arrested in Yuma, Arizona when his tour bus is stopped by Border Patrol agents whose K-9 Unit recovers 105 grams (3.7 oz) of marijuana, almost 29 grams (1.0 oz) of cocaine, 41 grams (1.4 oz) of MDMA, and $22,000 (approx. N3.3 million) in cash.
2009: MTV lists him number two on their list of Hottest MCs in the Game.
>> Releases collaboration album with his Young Money artists
>> Has his third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, born to actress Lauren London and fourth child, Neal, with singer Nivea.
>> Detained at the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint after an unknown amount of marijuana was found on two of his tour buses
2010: Releases seventh album Rebirth.
>> Re-signs with Cash Money Records and goes to jail to serve a one-year sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon
>> Gets bench warrant when he doesn't show for a final trial management conference. However, the rapper was already in prison, serving a year-long sentence in Rikers on weapons charges.
Additional info: WIKIPEDIA, CASHMONEY-RECORDS.COM, STARPULSE.COM