Lil Wayne is thought of by many to be one of the most influential hip hop artists, if not the greatest rapper of all time. The New Orleans native grew up in the less-affluent Hollygrove neighborhood, and was an honor student before quitting school at 14 to perform full-time. His long-time association with Cash Money Records gave him a stability and helped create a consistent and burgeoning fan base (and admiring fellow musicians) over the years. Lil Wayne (born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) was signed to Cash Money at age 11, and three years later was recording as the Hot Boys along with Juvenile, B.G., and Turk.

Lil Wayne’s unique stylings, musicianship, originality, and persona, as well as his persistence and prolific output, stood out among the developing hip hop movement, and his work has been credited as being influential by just about every other major name in the genre. Wayne’s legend was cemented with such mainstream superhits as “Tha Carter” and “Tha Carter II.” Wayne has sold over 120 million records worldwide, including more than 25 million albums and 92 million digital tracks in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has won five Grammy Awards, eleven BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and eight NAACP Image Awards. On September 27, 2012, he became the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100, with 109 songs.