This artist became a rapper at the age of 9. Lil Wayne came from a tough childhood before exploring his talent for rapping as a member of the Hot Boys. With growing popularity, he pursued his solo career and released Tha Carter in 2004 and Tha Carter II in 2005. He was ready to take on the mantle of "Best Rapper Alive" and collaborated with artists such as Fall Out Boy and Fat Joe. Lil Wayne found success in 2008 with Tha Carter III, which included hit singles "A Milli" and "Lollipop", earning him 4 Grammys that year. Following Tha Carter III, he released IV and V, along with mixtapes. Even during his prison sentence in 2010, he released the album "I Am Not a Human Being", which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. Lil Wayne has sold over 120 million records worldwide and introduced a new generation of rappers, including Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga through his record label, Young Money Entertainment. Over his career Lil Wayne won numerous awards — from the Grammys, BET, Billboard, VMAs, and NAACP — cementing his legacy as one of hip-hop’s greatest. Watch Behind the Music now on Paramount+.

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