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By ADAM GRAHAM - The Detroit News
From kiddie rapper to the industry's hottest artist, here are 10 moments that shaped the career of Lil Wayne, who will perform Friday at the Sprint Center.
OCTOBER 1997 - The arrival: Alongside fellow Cash Money Records labelmates Juvenile, B.G. and Turk, 15-year-old Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter, makes his debut on the Hot Boys' first album, "Get It How U Live!" The New Orleans foursome goes on to release two more albums, 1999's "Guerrilla Warfare" and 2003's "Let 'Em Burn." Wayne, meanwhile, becomes a fixture on Cash Money with hits such as "Project Chick," B.G.'s "Bling Bling" and the Big Tymers' "1 Stunna."
NOVEMBER 1999 - "Tha Block Is Hot" is released: Wayne's solo debut is largely a round-robin affair, with his Hot Boys and Cash Money posse members chiming in on more than half the cuts. Only 17 at the time, Wayne has yet to mature as an artist, but the title track catches fire with listeners and pushes the album to 1.37 million sales.
JUNE 2004 - "The Best Rapper Alive," but with a caveat: Wayne's fourth album, "Tha Carter," signals a creative rebirth, as the rapper's stock had dipped with the lackluster solo efforts "Lights Out" (2000) and "500 Degreez" (2002). On "Tha Carter," his wordplay is much sharper than in the past, and his newfound confidence is staggering. On the track "Bring It Back" he calls himself "the best rapper alive since the best rapper retired," a reference to Jay-Z's short-lived 2003 retirement. The boast here is wildly premature but hints at greatness to come.
NOVEMBER 2004 - A "Soldier" enlists: Appearing on Destiny's Child's street-leaning single "Soldier," Wayne steals the show with his plea "Weezy F. Baby, please say the Baby" line. From this point onward, Wayne makes himself hip-hop's unofficial Cameo King and appears on a nonstop barrage of tracks from dozens, if not hundreds, of artists (if Wayne isn't on your track, you must not have paid him). He makes himself so ubiquitous that you can�t help but take notice, and his croaky delivery becomes as familiar to hip-hop's sound as handclaps or rattling drums.
DECEMBER 2005 - No more asterisk: On "Tha Carter II," Wayne continues his argument that he's the best in the biz but no longer amends the statement with the "since the best rapper retired" remark. Fueled by hit single "Fireman," "Tha Carter II" goes on to sell 1.45 million copies.
MAY 2006 - A "Dedication" to George W. Bush: In addition to his officially released major label albums, Wayne becomes a fixture on the underground mixtape circuit and further asserts his lyrical dominance on the "Dedication" series of mixtapes with DJ Drama. The highly acclaimed "Dedication 2" disc closes with "Georgia ... Bush," a lament for Wayne's hometown of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The song unfolds over a sample of Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" and features several pointed jabs at President Bush and his handling of the Katrina disaster. For a rapper often accused of talking about little besides his own greatness, it's a sizable leap forward.
MAY 2007 - "Da Drought 3" floods the marketplace: By now Wayne has begun convincing others of his self-appointed Best Rapper Alive title, and he proves it on this seminal mixtape. The two-disc set, released for free on the Internet, features Wayne rapping over familiar instrumentals from Gnarls Barkley, Beyonce and more and easily, breezily making each track his own. Anticipation continues to build for what's set to be his magnum opus, "Tha Carter III."
JULY 2007 - MTV names Wayne the "Hottest MC in the Game": In a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, MTV's influential poll of industry movers and shakers places Wayne at the top of hip-hop's mountain above such heavyweights as Kanye West and OutKast's Andre 3000. By Wayne's clock, they're only three years too late.
JUNE 2008 - "Tha Carter III" sells "A Milli": After months of anticipation (and several delays), "Tha Carter III," driven by the No. 1 hit "Lollipop," finally hits stores and sells 1.05 million copies its first week. It's the first album to sell more than a million copies its first week since 50 Cent's "The Massacre" CD in 2005. The album goes on to be 2008's best-selling album, selling 2.75 million copies to date, while topping innumerable year-end critics' polls.
DECEMBER 2008 - Grammy calls: Lil Wayne receives a field-leading eight Grammy nominations, including an album of the year nod for "Tha Carter III." Those awards will be presented Feb. 8. Talk swirls of, you guessed it, "Tha Carter IV."
Oh and there is one more:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - Lil Wayne works it out at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY at the Swagger Fest - Remix. In his only Upstate New York appearance, Weezy proves to Rochester that he is the "Best Rapper Alive!"
