Out of all the “Lils” (Bow Wow, Boosie, Bub, Mama, Kim, Jon, Romeo, etc.), Lil Wayne is arguably the best. Lil Wayne is an enigma. He’s a rapper unlike any other. He’s a mixtape master, and drops albums that defy standard analysis. He’s done more guest spots than most rappers would ever dream of, and is worth more money than you’d ever imagine. He was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records, and is the CEO of Young Money Entertainment.
But who is Lil Wayne? What’s his day to day life like? Who are his influences? What causes does he believe in? What was his (insane) childhood like? When did he start rapping and how? What were those gun charges a few years ago? What’s with all of those death/health rumors? Is Sizzurp really that good?We’ve put together a list of the coolest facts about Lil Wayne, including trivia, fun facts, and your hottest burning questions. Check out these awesome Lil Wayne facts below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.
He Initially Went by a Very Different Rap Name
- Photo:
- Cindy Ord
- Getty Images
Lil Wayne went through a series of other stage names before settling on the one we know and love today. His real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., but that sounds way more like the same of an accountant or an insurance salesman than a hardcore rapper. Before landing on Lil Wayne, he called himself Shrimp Daddy. This nickname was an homage to fellow Cash Money rapper, Pimp Daddy, and also made fun of his short stature. For a while, he also used the nickname Baby D, but that one eventually fizzled out. Source: XXL
His Net Worth Is $150 Million
- Photo:
- Al Bello
- Getty Images
Lil Wayne might be lil, but his bank account is huge! This dude has some serious stacks. The 5’6″ rapper’s estimated net worth is $150 million. He’s had chart-topping album after chart-topping album, reinvented the mixtape game, and has invested his earnings well. He’s also the first rapper to have an album drop at #1 since Tupac in the early ’90s.Source: The Richest
He Hasn’t Written Down a Single Thing Since 2002
- Photo:
- Joey Foley
- Getty Images
Lil Wayne did an epic 10,000 bars freestyle in 2002, and hasn’t bothered to write down his lyrics ever since. He believes that as soon as you write down your rhymes, they can become false, in away. He explained this philosophy in an interview with GQ:
“But you could read what’s on the paper, right? So basically anybody that could read could recite it. That takes something away from it. But if I walk up to a guy and say “Rap for me,” he’s going to say something. His characteristics or whatever. I’m going to get what I love about him, just from his presence. That’s why you never saw me rap no TV shows. Other rappers be having to rap after an interview. So can you spit something for us? They never ask me to do that because the interview is so compelling that they actually got Lil Wayne.
I always tell somebody that’s why I am good, that’s why I’m okay, because I’m being me, I’m doing me. Now the day I gotta write stuff down – no one can believe what’s written down. Perfect example: If I was a bum and I told you I had a mansion around the corner and three Bentleys and twenty-eight bitches in my house butt naked waiting for me, you wouldn’t believe me. I’d say, ‘You stink, get out my face, give him $100.’
But if there was a book that said, there was this bum with a mansion with twenty bitches in it, you’ll try to use it and put it toward real life. That’s why I don’t write nothing down. That’s why I don’t believe the Bible, nothing that’s written, because nothing that’s written is to be believed.” Source: Real Talk NY
His Birth Name Is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.
- Photo:
During an interview with Katie Couric, Lil Wayne revealed that he dropped the “D” in Dwayne because “I’m a junior and my father is livin’ … he’s never been in my life, so I don’t wanna be Dwayne, I’d rather be Wayne.” When she asked him if his father knew this, Lil Wayne replied, “He knows now.”
Lil Wayne and his biological father never had a good relationship. He considers his stepfather, Rabbit, to be his real dad. Unfortunately, Rabbit was murdered before Lil Wayne made it big. In order to commemorate Rabbit, Lil Wayne had a tattoo dedicated to him. Source: CBS News
He’s Recorded Well Over 500 Guest Tracks on Other Artists’ Albums
In the 15 year span between 1997 and 2012, Lil Wayne recorded 597 guest tracks on other artists’ albums. He’s obviously done more since, but unfortunately, the author of this fan site hasn’t updated the exact number in a while. He has recorded more guest tracks than any other musician alive or dead.
Source: Lil Wayne HQ
He Accidentally Shot Himself When He Was 12 Years Old
Lil Wayne almost died at age 12 when he accidentally shot himself in the chest. He came home early from school on report card day, and found a .9mm handgun sitting on a bed in his home. He started playing around with it and accidentally shot himself in the chest. Miraculously, the bullet missed all of his vital organs, but he quickly began bleeding out. Luckily, an off-duty police officer named Robert Hoobler responded quickly to the 911 call, and was able to save Lil Wayne’s life. Source: The Times Picayune
He and Birdman Have Been Friends Forever
- Photo:
Lil Wayne became friends with Lil Slim and Birdman when he was just nine years old. They were both signed to his favorite record label, and Lil Wayne wasn’t even intimidated when they asked him to start rapping right there on the spot. He impressed both of them so much with his confidence and his rhymes that they signed him to Cash Money Records.
His First Album Dropped When He Was Only 11
- Photo:
After signing with Cash Money Records at age nine, he wrote and produced an album called “True Story.” It was released under the name “The B.G.’z,” which was a mini rap group made up of Lil Wayne (known as Baby D at the time), and BG (aka Lil’ Doogie). Lil Wayne was only 11 years old when this album dropped.
Source: Dat Riff
He’s Been Carrying a Gun Since His Preteen Days
Lil Wayne has been a gun advocate for as long as he’s been alive. In fact, he’s been carrying a gun since he was 11 years old. His first gun was a .32 Derringer, and the bullets only cost him a quarter each. More recently, he’s become more outspoken about gun violence. He said in an interview, “You mentioned that in 2010, I was locked up for a weapon. If there was anything I could do in my life that I could ever change, it’d be that. Sandy Hook Elementary, my heart goes out to you.”
Source: Perez Hilton
He Has Epilepsy and Other Serious Health Problems
- Photo:
Source: MTV
He Spent Almost a Year at Rikers Island
Lil Wayne served 242 days of his yearlong sentence at Rikers Island on weapons charges. He served his time well, and was let out early for good behavior. He credits the popular card game UNO for helping him pass the time in lockup.
Prison wasn’t always easy for Lil Wayne, but he adjusted soon enough. “Not to use the word ‘easy’ – but it wasn’t difficult as people might think, There’s difficulty – mentally, just waking up every damn day in that motherf—-r. But once you get over that, it’s all good.”Source: NY Daily News
He Was a Straight-A Student Before He Dropped Out
- In an interview with Katie Couric, Lil Wayne described how and why he left school, and how he benefitted from leaving early to pursue other things.”Yeah. I had an album out, I was platinum already, thank God, and I was still trying to go to regular, public school. My mom saw me getting ready for school one day and she was walking past the room… and she saw me putting my gun in my backpack. And she said, ‘You gotta bring that to school with you?’ And I asked her, ‘You don’t want me to bring it?’ She thought about it and then she said, ‘I do.’ So I put it back in my bag. Because she bought it for me for protection. She was like you do need it. She was still on the phone and she walked back to my room and said, ‘You don’t go to school no more. You’re getting a G.E.D. if that’s the way you gotta go to school.’ So I went and got a G.E.D. and I went to college.”Before he left school, he was actually a straight-A student. But imagine producing a platinum album as a teenager! His life was definitely out of the ordinary at the time.
- His First Album Is Almost Completely Free of Swear Words
Lil Wayne’s first solo album, Tha Block Is Hot, came out in 1999 with very few swear words. This is completely unheard of by most rap album standards, but Lil Wayne’s mother made him promise that he would watch his language. The album actually says “Parental Advisory” on the cover, but that’s only because Lil Wayne was a minor at the time. Source: Wikipedia
His Mom Encouraged Him to Have a Child… At 15
By age 15, Lil Wayne had already led a more fulfilling life than most of us will live by the time we’re 40. He had obtained his GED, survived shooting himself in the chest, became a platinum rap artist, and was touring regularly. Because he was on the road so much, his mom started having early empty nest syndrome, and wanted to have her baby back in the house. She managed to convince him to have a child with his high school sweetheart, Antonia “Tonya” Wright. The two had a child together, and Lil Wayne’s mom helped raise their daughter, Reginae. Source: axs.com
He’s Never Once Had a Day Job
The closest Lil Wayne has ever gotten to punching a clock was the time he worked as an unpaid summer camp counselor in his youth. Signing with a major rap label at age 11 does seem to have its perks – he’s never had to work a day job in his life.
Source: Biography.com
He Has Four Children and Four Bahamas
Lil Wayne has father four children with four different women. He considers being a father the most important part of his life, and does his best to be involved in his kids’ lives. His first daughter, Reginae, was born to his high school sweetheart, Toya Wright, when they were 15 years old. His son, Dwayne Carter III was born to radio broadcaster Sarah Vivian in 2009. Actress Lauren London gave birth to his second son, Cameron Carter, in 2009. His youngest child, Neal Carter, was born later in 2009 to singer Nivea. Source: Starcasm