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Lil Wayne is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper who became one of the top-selling artists in late 2000. Also known as “Weezy Baby” he is one of the most talented, controversial, and famous rappers in the world. His freestyle abilities in singing, his unique songs, fantastic lyrics, and rhythmic hip-hop have made him a celebrated rapper.

Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. on September 27, 1982. He grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, Wayne described why he uses the name of “Wayne” instead of his birth name, Dwayne. He explained, “I dropped the D because I’m a junior and my father is living and he’s not in my life and he’s never been in my life. So I don’t want to be Dwayne, I’d rather be Wayne.” Katie Couric asked Wayne if his father knew and Wayne replied, “He knows now.”

Lil Wayne’s biological father left him when he was just a baby. He did have a stepfather who died when he was young. Lil Wayne found a father figure in Cash Money millionaire Birdman (aka Baby) who took him under his wing. Lil Wayne recorded freestyle raps on Birdman’s answering machine to get his attention. Lil Wayne calls Birdman “daddy” because he mentored him since the age of 11. Birdman was the one who brought him into the rap world. He would eventually help Lil Wayne launch his rap career.

Lil Wayne began rapping at block parties when he was a child. He wrote his first rap song at age 8. He began his career as a member of rap group, The Hot Boys, but he is especially known for his stellar solo career. His solo debut, “Tha Block is Hot,” went double platinum. Lil Wayne’s career surged with the release of 2008′s “Tha Carter III .” The album featured several hits including “A Milli,” “Mr. Carter” and “Lollipop.” In 2005, “Tha Carter” was followed by “Tha Carter II”. It sold over 200,000 copies during the first week. Lil Wayne then became the president of Cash Money Enterprises and during that same year he founded Young Money Entertainment. By 2007, he handed over his responsibilities of the companies. He began to work on his next album but four tracks were leaked, and as a result, he released a short-term album by the name of “The Leak” and followed it up with his original album, “Tha Carter III”. The album was a hit selling over a million copies in its first week. In 2008, Lil Wayne was the frontrunner in Grammy nominees, with eight nominations.

Lil Wayne has two children. His first child, Reginae Carter, was born when he was a teenager with high school girlfriend Antonia “Toya” Carter. Carter and Lil Wayne married on Valentines Day of 2004 and divorced in 2006. On October 22, 2008, his son, Dwayne Carter III, was born at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. He had his third child with actress, Lauren London.

Fans are sure to see more from this American Grammy Award-winning rap star known as Lil Wayne.
Information Source: wikipedia.org/Lil_Wayne

Author Bio: View the largest collection of music videos online featuring all of the most popular artist and bands including Akon, Lil Wayne, Eminem and more!

What’s next for a 26-year-old rapper who has already fully conquered the hip-hop music scene, pumping out multiple number one singles and albums while dominating just about every awards show in the process? A career as a rock star, of course. Lil Wayne, a New Orleans-hailed rapper who has worked his way up the charts in 2008 with smash singles like “A Milli” and “Lollipop,” is shelving his signature hip-hop beats and Southern rap antics for guitar riffs and rock ‘n’ roll, sparking rumors of an upcoming rock album to succeed his million-selling 2008 release Tha Carter III.

Now considered a bona fide rap star, Lil Wayne is (temporarily?) taking a break from the hip-hop industry, working with artists such as Canadian rapper Drake to produce a full-on rock album. A release date for the album is yet undetermined, but Lil Wayne made a comment at November’s BET Awards saying, “People see the guitars and they wanna call it rock and roll. I plug up the bass, I plug up the electric, I plug up the acoustic ? it’s not really rock and roll, it’s just great music I’m doing right now.”

With a current nationwide “I Am Music” tour underway, Lil Wayne is one busy artist, and writing/recording sessions for his upcoming album will undoubtedly keep his name at the forefront of the music scene for the next year as 2009 unfolds. While the hot Southern rapper expands his musical wings this year for a taste of different genres, it’s easy to see how this Louisiana native got his start in the hip-hop industry. Hobnobbing with Cash Money Records while growing up in New Orleans’ 17th Ward, Lil Wayne (whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.) got his start in the music industry as a teenager, joining the Cash Money hip-hop group Hot Boys and making his rapping debut in the group’s 1997 album Get It How U Live! 1999′s Guerrilla Warfare was Wayne’s second effort with Hot Boys, and the talented teen embarked upon a solo career thereafter, releasing his debut solo effort Tha Block is Hot in 1999. The album was an instant number one on the R&B/hip-hop charts, marking Lil Wayne’s official arrival on the music scene.

Lil Wayne spent the rest of the early 2000s recording and releasing a string of successful albums, but it was 2004′s Tha Carter that gave the talented artist his next big hit. The album spawned the Top Five hit single “Go DJ,” also setting him up with collaborations with other R&B artists. 2005′s Tha Carter II further nailed the name Lil Wayne into the floorboards of the rap industry, sparking huge hits with singles “Fireman,” “Best Rapper Alive,” Hustler Musik” and “Receipt.” After the smash single “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” emerged on the music scene, Lil Wayne went back in the studio and came out with the insanely strong album Tha Carter III, another instant number one all over the charts that has sparked the smash singles “Got Money,” “A Milli” and “Lollipop.” Lil Wayne has since taken to the road, embarking upon a string of tour dates for his “I Am Music” tour. If you haven’t seen the nation’s freshest rap act in concert, get Lil Wayne tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/lil-wayne-tickets and start rapping the explicit words to “Lollipop” right along with the New Orleans gent!

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling Lil Wayne tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Many musical artists made their careers a success by using music videos. As an important part of the music industry, music videos not only showcase an artist’s singing talent, but also how they perform. The history of music videos shows how the use of the videos transformed the music industry.

Premiering in 1974, the Australian TV show ‘Countdown’ played an important role in the development of the music video industry. Music video clips were used as a method of promoting acts that were to appear on the show. As the popularity of the video clips grew, the music industry began to realize the marketing potential of these music clips. One of the most notable video clips features was the AC/DC hit, “It’s A Long Way to the Top.” During the 1980s, ‘Countdown’ aired in 22 countries.

In 1980, the New Zealand group Split Enz became one of the first bands to create an entire set of music promo clips and market them on video cassette for each song on their album, ‘True Colors.’

Predating MTV by almost three years, ‘Video Concert Hall,’ was the first nationwide video music program on American television. Premiering in June 1981, one of the first US programs to play music videos was the USA Cable Network program ‘Night Flight.’ Night Flight predated MTV’s launch by just a few months.

In 1981, the U.S. video channel MTV was launched and it began the age of 24-hour music television. They launched the channel with the video, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Throughout the 1980s, MTV expanded to become an important tool used in music marketing. Singers like Madonna not only used music videos to promote their albums, but to create their images. In 1983, the almost 14-minute-long video for Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller,” was released. It became the world’s most successful and influential video in music video history.

In 1985, MTV launched the channel VH1 which featured softer music for an older audience than the typical young MTV audience. In 1987, MTV Europe was launched and in 1991, MTV Asia was introduced.

In 1988, the MTV show, Yo! MTV Raps was launched. The show helped to bring hip hop music to a nation wide audience. Two of the videos that are most famous for being two of the three most expensive music videos of all time are Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream,” which cost $7 million to produce, and Madonna’s “Bedtime Story,” which cost $5 million. “Scream” is still the most expensively video ever made.

During the 1990s, MTV launched channels around the world that included: MTV Latin America in 1993, MTV India in 1996, and MTV Mandarin in 1997. In 1996, MTV2, originally called “M2″ was launched as an alternative and older music video channel.

By the mid-2000s, MTV and many of its other channels had stopped showing a large number of music videos and began showing reality television shows.

Music Videos have played an important role in the success of many artists and the music industry.

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On September 27, 1982, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent his early years growing up in the tough Hollygrove district. He started rapping at a very young age at local block parties, where he was heard by a group signed by Cash Money Records.

Cash Money’s CEO, Brian “Baby” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams was giving Wayne some consideration. After Wayne learned the phone number and location of their office, he practically haunted them day and night. He would even leave daily rap messages on their answering machine. They were so impressed with the 12 year olds dedication they decided to give in and sign him, pairing him up with another young rapper, Big Goochie, who they had also just signed.

The duo released an album, “True Story” under the “The B.G.’s” and right from day one his style was a true gangsta rap. He was unlike most young rappers who usually start off with “bubble gum rap,” and do not make the change over until they are well out of their teen years.

Wayne’s mother became worried about her son’s actions and the company he kept when he began wearing gang affiliation clothing. Knowing the street reputation the Williams brothers had, she decided it was best to remove Lil Wayne from the Cash Money Company. In retaliation, he ran away from home for a week and during that time managed to convince his Mom that the records company owners were not to blame for any of his actions or choices.

In 1995, he along with B.G., and two other young rappers, Young Turk and Juvenile, formed the group Hot Boys. The first album, “Get it How you Live” in 1997 was followed up with “Guerilla Warfare” in 1999, shortly before his first solo effort. Wayne’s first solo album was a great success; “Tha Block is Hot” (title track) became a top ten hit.

The second album, “Lights Out” and the third,”500 Degreez”, did not fair as well and lead him to take a brief break from solo efforts to collaborate with others. Also, by this time he was the last of the Hot Boys; the others having gone their own way and retreating from what seemed to be a failing record company.

During the early 2000′s, Lil Wayne was a prolific contributor to others rap lyrics and made numerous guest appearances on other rapper’s recordings. At this time, he also made several mix tapes that received critical acclaim within the music industry. He even offered a few mixes online for free. In 2004 he released a new album, “Tha Carter” which introduced the public to a more defined and crisper performance from the young rapper. The single, “Go D.J.”, hit the top 20, and the album, the top five. In December 2005, he released “Tha Carter II”, which arrived on the charts at number two and produced a hit single, “Fireman.”

“Tha Carter III” was released in June 2008 and sold one million copies within the first week, and another million within the month. Two big hit singles from this album were “Lollipop” and “A Milli.”

Wayne’s style has become refined and improves as time progresses and with his talent for writing lyrics, record sales for him come with great ease. If his work is followed, and especially from such a young age, it may be easy to agree with his self proclaimed statement, that he is “the best rapper alive.”

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The Internet makes it simple to download music videos and watch them from the comfort of your home. Now people do not need expensive cable or satellite services to watch music videos. The Internet also brings another benefit to music fans beyond the simplicity of watching the videos, and that is the ability to quickly learn more about their favorite artists. Lil Wayne is one artist that many know little about.

The Man Behind the Music

Lil Wayne, as his fans know him, was born as Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans. An intelligent young man, Dwayne was part of the gifted program at Lafayette Elementary School. When he entered secondary school, he was an active part of the drama club. However, even as a young boy, rap was his passion.

His first rap was written at just eight years old. When he was 11, Lil Wayne met Bryan Williams, successful rapper and the owner of Cash Money Records. He impressed the man by recording freestyle raps on his answering machine, and soon young Dwayne was being included in songs distributed by the recording studio. Dwayne dropped out of school at age 14 to pursue his musical passion, but he continued to pursue his education, earning his GED and enrolling in the University of Houston where he majored first in political science and then in psychology. Due to his popularity, he takes classes online.

Lil Wayne got his music debut with the group he formed known as Hot Boys in 1997. The group was responsible for Guerrilla Warfare, a label that reached the number one slot in Billboard magazine for Hip-Hop Albums. At age 17, Lil Wayne released his first solo album, Tha Block Is Hot, and it went double platinum, bringing several awards to the young artist. This paved the way for a successful career that included popular raps like “Get off the Corner,” “Go DJ,” and “Fireman.” While rap is Lil Wayne’s main style, he has released several mixtapes, including Dedication and Drama, which have established him as a freestyle rapper. His latest album is a rock album entitled Rebirth, which is scheduled for release in June of 2009.

Trivia About Lil Wayne

*Lil Wayne has three children, two daughters and a son

*Lil Wayne played football and basketball before dropping out of school

*His record company is called Young Money Records

*His first album Tha Block Is Hot, contains no curse words, even though it has an explicit-lyrics sticker

*Lil Wayne is only 5’6″

*He signed with Cash Money at just eleven years old

*Lil Wayne was arrested in 2007 for illegal possession of a firearm, which was discovered after he was taken into custody for smoking marijuana

*The Carter III, which was released in June of 2008, sold over one million copies in its first week, which had not happened to any album since 2008

*Lil Wayne is training a prodigy name Tyga, and appears in Tyga’s music video, Coconut Juice, as a uniformed policeman

*He wears a trademark red bandanna, either on tied to his right arm or leg or tucked in his right pocket

*Lil Wayne’s mother, Jacinda “Cita” Carter, raised him as a single mother

*After Hurricane Katrina, Lil Wayne moved to Houston, Texas

If you want to watch music videos with Lil Wayne in them, you can download them all over the Internet. Simply search for the artist and you will find clips and full videos available for download. Watch a few clips, and then purchase your favorite ones. This will allow you to watch this gifted artist whenever you wish.

Author Bio: Searching for music videos online? Come check out the largest collection of music video online featuring all of the most popular artists and bands! Including Lil Wayne video, Linkin Park, and Fall Out Boy.

The Apple I-pod is one of the most technologically advanced multi media players on the market. The new I-pod touch and I-pod video have the capabilities to store and play thousands of songs and pictures like the older models, but now have the technology to store and play hundreds of hours of video as well.

Apple has taken instant, hand held entertainment to a new level, allowing I-pod users to create their own videos and upload them onto their I-pods to enjoy and share, or to purchase their favorite music videos from I-tunes (or one of any number of other online retailers) to carry with them anywhere they go.

Where to get your Favorite Videos

There are a number of ways to get your favorite music videos and movie clips onto your I-pod where you’ll be able to enjoy them wherever and whenever you want.

The Safest Bets

You can join a website for the specific purpose of supplying videos for portable media players. This is often a good option, because the files will already be in the format that will be compatible with your I-pod software, so all you have to do is essentially point and click to have all of your favorite music videos in the palm of your hand. The only downside to joining a membership site, is that you have to pay the fee regardless of how many videos you download – so if you only find a few that you really want, then you could be paying an exceedingly high per-video fee. The up side is that downloading videos this way is perfectly safe and legal; you can search and download all the videos you want without any fear of viruses or legal repercussions.

You can transfer videos from DVDs that you already own, which will be free, but a little bit more complicated. I-pods only support video in the MPEG 4 format, which means that any videos in any other format will have to be translated into the MPEG 4 format in order to be compatible with your I-pod. Translating video into this format will require you to purchase software that can change the video format, creating an extra cost and adding an extra step to the process. You may or may not be able to find a software application that can translate certain video formats for you for free, but be very wary about what sites you download programs from – in looking for a cheaper alternative, you may just find yourself with an unwanted virus.

You can also join a “pay as you download” site, where you won’t have any out of pocket cost to join, but will pay for each individual video that you download. This is just as safe and legal as the pay membership sites, but you will probably end up paying a bit more for each individual video that you download. These sites often have very extensive libraries containing thousands and thousands of videos to choose from, so finding the exact videos that you want shouldn’t be very challenging.

A Cheaper but, Risky Option

If you don’t want to pay for the software to translate videos into the MPEG4 format, or pay anything for the videos that you download, you can always visit a free download or shareware site. You’ll usually be able to find exactly what you are looking for on these sites, but the big downsides here are that it is dangerous and illegal. These sites usually aren’t monitored very well, so it’s pretty common to find that either a virus or some form of spy-ware has found it’s way onto your computer, particular if your are on the sites often.

Whatever method of downloading videos to your I-pod that you happen to choose, you’ll be opening yourself up to a whole new style of entertainment. You’ll have instant access to all of your favorite music videos, no matter when or where you want to view them. Apple has totally changed the way we are able to entertain ourselves with the capabilities of the new series of I-pods.

Author Bio: View the largest collection of music videos online featuring all of the most popular artist and bands including Akon, Lil Wayne, Eminem and more!