Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. Rooted in Southern hip-hop, he is regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Known for his creative lyrical ability—which often uses punchlines, homonyms, word play—and braggadocio, his music often deals with the subjects of wealth, drugs, and sex. Born and raised in New Orleans, he was discovered by hometown rapper Birdman in 1993 and signed with the latter's record label, Cash Money Records, at age eleven. He emerged as the flagship artist of the label in the following years until his departure in June 2018.
The Pack was a hip hop group formed in Berkeley, California in 2004, composed of rappers Lil B, Young L, Stunnaman, and Lil Uno. They recorded in tandem for over a year at Young L's home studio, during which they released their first two mixtapes: Wolfpack Muzik Vol. 1 (2005) and Wolfpack Muzik Vol. 2 (2006).
"Just Fine" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart for her eighth studio album, Growing Pains (2007), while production was helmed by Pha and Stewart. It was released as the album's lead single on October 16, 2007. The song peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, while also topping the US Hot Dance Club Play chart.
"Love in This Club" is a song by American singer Usher featuring American rapper Young Jeezy. It was released on February 22, 2008, as the lead single from Usher's fifth studio album, Here I Stand. The song was written by Usher, Polow da Don, Jeezy, Darnell Dalton, Ryon Lovett, Lamar Taylor and Keith Thomas, and produced by da Don, with a Las Vegas-inspired synth-driven beat. Its lyrics refer to seducing someone in a nightclub. The song was originally leaked by da Don prior to its release.
"A Milli", abbreviated occasionally as "Milli", is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne. The song was released April 23, 2008, as the second official single from his sixth album Tha Carter III.
"No Matter What" is a song by American recording artist T.I., from his sixth album Paper Trail. It was released as the album's first single on April 29, 2008, with its eventual release onto the iTunes Store on May 6. The song was nominated at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Male Video. The song ranked 10 in Rolling Stone's list of 2008's best songs.
"Lost" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Gorilla Zoe, released October 14, 2008 as the lead single from his second studio album Don't Feed Da Animals (2009). The song leaked in May 2008 entitled "Losin' My Mind", featuring a verse from fellow American rapper Lil Wayne. It is notable that, specifically with the Lil Wayne version, both songs use the auto-tune effect. "Lost" received positive reviews from critics praising Drumma Boy's electronic production and Zoe's sincere Auto-Tune delivery of introspective lyrics. The track peaked at numbers 10 and 29 on both the Billboard Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively. It also reached number 71 on the Hot 100.
Jermaine Anthony Preyan, better known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American record executive, songwriter, and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was named president of Lil Wayne's record label Young Money Entertainment in 2009, having known Wayne since childhood. Preyan has co-written several of Wayne's singles, including "How to Love", "Got Money", "No Worries" and "It's Good", among others. Furthermore, he has co-written severally for other artists or Wayne's collaborators, often in tandem with record producer Ke'noe; his credits include "Dreams and Nightmares" by Meek Mill and "So Sophisticated" by Rick Ross.
"BedRock" is the second single by hip hop group/record label Young Money Entertainment from their debut collaboration album, We Are Young Money (2009). It is performed by acts that were signed under Young Money, including rap verses by Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj as her debut single, Drake, Tyga, Jae Millz, with the chorus performed by Lloyd. "BedRock" is also featured as a bonus track on the Japanese, New Zealand, and the "Complete Edition" 2020 reissue editions of Nicki Minaj's debut studio album, Pink Friday and is also featured on Lil Wayne's greatest hits album I Am Music.
"I Wanna Rock" is the third official single from American rapper, Snoop Dogg's tenth studio album, Malice n Wonderland. It was released digitally on iTunes on November 17, 2009, after the second single "That's Tha Homie". The song was produced by Scoop DeVille and mixed by Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg released it on a mixtape titled "I Wanna Rock" on November 23. The song was confirmed by BBC Radio 1 to be released in the UK on March 15, 2010 but is now listed as "Coming Soon".
Tha Carter IV is the ninth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on August 29, 2011, through Cash Money Records, Universal Republic Records and Young Money Entertainment. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2008, shortly after Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III (2008) was released to strong sales and critical acclaim: however, the sessions were put on hold, as Lil Wayne claimed he did not want to follow an album he held in high regard so quickly with another, potentially inferior release. In the interim, Lil Wayne released his two other albums in 2010: the largely rock-themed Rebirth, and I Am Not a Human Being. The latter was reportedly composed from unreleased material from the original Tha Carter IV sessions, as the album was released whilst Wayne served a prison sentence at Rikers Island prison for illegal possession of a weapon, and was thus unable to record any new material: this also meant Tha Carter IV's recording sessions were once more put on hold.
"Fire Flame" is a song by American rapper Birdman. The song features a guest appearance from fellow rapper Lil Wayne, who was not originally intended to appear on the song: however, his vocals were added following his release from prison. The rappers wrote the song, along with record producers Mr. Beatz and Kill Will, who also handled the song's production.
"6 Foot 7 Foot" is a song by rapper Lil Wayne featuring label mate Cory Gunz. It is taken from Wayne's ninth album, Tha Carter IV (2011). It was officially released on iTunes on December 16, 2010. It was produced by "A Milli" producer Bangladesh. The song samples "Day-O " by Harry Belafonte
"Look at Me Now" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes released as the second single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on February 1, 2011. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers Afrojack, Diplo, and Free School, with additional writing from Ryan Buendia. Musically, "Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south–inspired" hip hop song that features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds."
"John" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, and the second single from his album Tha Carter IV. The song features rapper Rick Ross, and it peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. "John" was released on March 24, 2011, on iTunes. The song uses the hook from Rick Ross' song "I'm Not a Star" from his album Teflon Don. The song title is a reference to English musician John Lennon. Lil Wayne performed the song at 2011's MTV Video Music Awards to the riff of Black Sabbath song, Iron Man.
"How to Love" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as the third single from his ninth studio album, Tha Carter IV. The song features production from Drum Up for Drum Up Digital with Noel "Detail" Fisher and was released as a digital download on June 13, 2011. It was later released to urban contemporary radio stations on June 24, 2011. The song also makes it his first entry on hot adult contemporary stations, as CJFM-FM Montreal began playing it a month later after the single's release. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his third highest peak on the chart as the primary artist. Lil Wayne performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, and it received a nomination for "Best Video with a Message" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.
"My Homies Still" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne featuring fellow American rapper Big Sean, released on June 5, 2012, as a standalone single. It was also included on the deluxe version of his tenth studio album I Am Not a Human Being II (2013). The song was produced by Streetrunner and Sarom. It reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix featuring Young Jeezy appears on Wayne's Dedication 4 mixtape.
"Rich As Fuck" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne, sent to urban radio on April 9, 2013, as the third and final single from his tenth studio album, I Am Not a Human Being II (2013). The song, produced by T-Minus and Nikhil Seetharam, features a guest appearance from fellow rapper 2 Chainz. The song has since peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Omar Jeffery Pineiro, known professionally as Smokepurpp, is an American rapper. He first became known in the SoundCloud rap scene for his 2017 single "Audi", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In March of that year, he signed with Alamo and Interscope Records to release the song and his debut mixtape for which it served as lead single, Deadstar (2017), the following September. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200, while his debut studio album and the mixtape's sequel, Deadstar 2 (2019) narrowly entered the chart. His second album, Florida Jit (2020) failed to chart in any known territory and served as his final album on the label.
Dominique Armani Jones, known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "My Dawg." He signed with Quality Control Music, an imprint of Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed". Later that same year, he released the collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna, and his solo mixtape Street Gossip; the former spawned his second top-ten single "Drip Too Hard", while the latter peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
