Lil' Wayne是一名年轻的美国南方说唱歌手，最初成名是因为他在说唱乐团The Hot Boys的出色表现，作为乐团里年龄最小的一名成员，Lil' Wayne也是个人生涯成绩最好的乐团成员之一。来自于美国路易斯安纳州新奥尔良市的Lil' Wayne又名Lil Wheezy，从小成长于充满暴力和饱受贫困的街头，早年辍学之后开始正式从事说唱音乐发展，经常受到Cash Money唱片公司一些歌手的影响，不久之后由于好朋友Lil Slim的引荐，年少的Lil' Wayne也得以加入Cash Money唱片公司开始自己的说唱梦想。

Charismatic Southern rapper Lil Wayne began his industry ascendance as one of the Hot Boys, a short-lived Cash Money Records all-star group, and after establishing himself as a successful solo artist, he grew to become a critical favorite, known especially for his entertainting underground mixtapes. Born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, LA, Lil Wayne grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans 17th Ward. There he became acquainted with the Cash Money Records collective, which he eventually joined as a teenager. Get It How U Live! (1997), a Hot Boys album also featuring Juvenile, B.G., and Turk, marked Lil Waynes album debut; at age 18, he was the youngest group member.

A second Hot Boys album, Guerrilla Warfare (1999), preceded Lil Waynes solo debut, Tha Block Is Hot (1999). The solo album went double platinum, peaking at number three on Billboards album chart and spawning a Top Ten hit with the title track. Lil Waynes second album, Lights Out (2000), failed to match the success of its predecessor, nor did 500 Degreez (2002), his third album. By this point in time, Lil Wayne was the only remaining Hot Boy on Cash Money — all other members had defected — and the future didnt seem promising for him or the label. Consequently, he purportedly scrapped work on his fourth album and instead released the recordings as an underground mixtape, Da Drought (2003), his first of many to follow.

Tha Carter (2004) signaled a change in direction for Lil Wayne. The album itself wasnt a huge departure from Lil Waynes past three — its filled to the brim with tracks produced by Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh, some of which could well have been left on the cutting room floor — yet it showcased a more measured and mature performance by the rapper, who seemed newly emboldened and sported a new look on the album cover (i.e., dreadlocks). The change in direction was commercial as well as musical, as Tha Carter featured Lil Waynes biggest hit in years, Go DJ; moreover, the album itself was a Top Five hit. Also in 2004, Lil Wayne began to be guest-featured regularly, starting with Destinys Childs Soldier, a Top Three hit.