Weezy began his career at the raw age of nine when he joined Cash Money Records. This label, managed by Bryan “Birdman” Williams, remained local to New Orleans, never really living up to their name until Wayne released his first breakthrough album in 1999 called, “The Block is Hot.” The record went platinum selling over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. alone. His incredible lyricism and flow was starting to become obvious around the country and would soon be a worldwide phenomenon.
After the release of “The Block is Hot,” Mr. Carter fell out of the public eye for five years, only releasing two albums. Each sold a meager 500,000 copies, a number well under par for Weezy. His Next break would come in 2004 with the first release of the Album Series “Tha Carter.” Mannie Fresh, a producer for cash money, worked on it with Wayne. Despite an early leak, it sold 116,000 copies in the first week and 878,000 overall. “Go D.j.,” came off this album and was rated number 3 on the U.S. Rap Charts top 40, making it Wayne’s first hit single. The year after this, 2005, Wayne released “Tha Carter 2”, selling 238,000 copies in the first week and later going platinum. The best was yet to come. He was well on his way to becoming the biggest rapper in the game.
After a long 3-year wait, Wayne released “Tha Carter 3,” this would bring Weezy more money and fame than he could ever imagine. It went platinum within the first week, selling well over a million copies. What made this album unique was that every song essentially became a single; it was far from being a one hit wonder. “A Milli,” Got Money,” and “Mrs. Officer” made the top one hundred chart. The biggest hit by a long shot was “Lollipop.” This track was named the best selling digital single of 2008, with a total of 9.1 million copies sold. Wayne made 50 million dollars in this year alone.
Two years after this, in 2010, Mr. Carter would release a rock album “Rebirth” in an attempt to appeal to a bigger audience than just hip-hop enthusiasts. This would be seen as Wayne’s only flaw in his career, the album received extremely negative criticism and made fans question his talent as an artist. Despite the negative response, the album squeezed out 500,000 copies officially making it gold. Fans would soon be reassured of the talent of Lil Wayne that he displayed in “Tha Carter 3” with his next album and he would once again be in the spotlight.
“I am not a Human Being” was the next album, it would be released while he was imprisoned, after being found guilty for criminal possession of a weapon. The studio album featured upcoming young money artists such as Drake, Lil Twist, and the gorgeous Nicki Minaj. This would be the first Album since Tupac Shakur’s “Me against the World” to be released while the artist was in jail and still reach the top slot on the Billboard 200. The lead single on the album “Right Above it” would become a top ten hit of the United States.
After this, Weezy decided to stick to what he did best and made a continuation of the Carter series. He would release the Carter IV on August 29th, 2011. The album blew up, nearly to the scale of the insurmountable Carter 3. It nearly went platinum within the first week selling 964,000 copies.
In an interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez, on March 29th 2011, Mr. Carter announced that the Carter IV will be his last album and he will retire after the release. Wayne said, “I have four kids, I would feel selfish going to the studio when it’s such a vital point in their lives.”
Lil Wayne came a long way since his days living in poverty in New Orleans. He and the Young Money crew have since revolutionized hip-hop, shaping what it is today, a multi billion dollar industry. Mr. Carter is the epitome of a poverty stricken child turned American millionaire and now according to his interview with Hot 97, a family man. He is looked up to by upcoming artists around the world and gives children born in circumstances such as his, hope for a better life. Wayne made a dent on the history of music and if he were to die today the world would “remember him like John Lennon,” quoted from “John” a track off his latest album, “Tha Carter 4.”
No comments:
Post a Comment