Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.
Born in New Orleans, 1982
Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in New Orleans. He entered music young, recording with the B.G.’z before joining the Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, B.G. and Turk. Those early Cash Money releases put his voice in the centre of a New Orleans sound that travelled far beyond the city. Apple Music artist biography ↗
His solo debut, Tha Block Is Hot, arrived in 1999. The Tha Carter series began in 2004 and became a thread through his career. Around those albums he built an unusually large mixtape catalogue, with the Dedication, Da Drought and No Ceilings series offering another way to follow how his writing and delivery changed. Official music catalogue ↗
Tha Carter III became a defining 2008 release. At the 2009 GRAMMY Awards, Wayne won four awards, including Best Rap Album for that record. He also founded Young Money Entertainment, which became the home for artists including Drake and Nicki Minaj. Recording Academy biography ↗
He continued to release solo projects and collaborations through the 2010s and 2020s. Tha Carter VI was released in June 2025 by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. This archive treats the story as an evolving record: follow the release pages and original interviews for dates, context and Wayne’s own words. Universal Music announcement ↗
January 2009 / Vancouver
A live moment
This photograph documents Lil Wayne performing at General Motors Place in Vancouver on 25 January 2009. The frame holds both the stage and the crowd, putting a live moment beside the albums, mixtapes and interviews in this archive. It is one dated piece of the wider story, with the original image and license linked below.