Lil' Pimp is a 2005 feature length, black comedy animated film. It was the first feature length movie to be created entirely with Macromedia Flash animation. The movie was directed and written by Mark Brooks and Peter Gilstrap. The film was released straight to DVD, and was immediately criticised due to stereotypical depictions of certain groups.

Plot synopsis

The movie begins with a little redhead freckled 9-year-old boy (whose name is not mentioned during the movie, but is revealed in the very end of the movie, as well as in the credits, to be Lil' Pimp) unable to adapt to suburban life, as his only friend is a foul mouthed gerbil and faces constant rejection by his peers. Afterwards, he accidentally meets a prostitute under the name of Sweet Chiffon, who takes him to her working place, a bar named "the Playground", where he befriends the pimp "Fruit Juice", who gives him a small amount of "pimp glitter", and decides he wants to become a pimp. The following day at school, during show and tell he is scorned by his classmates for not having a living male relative and decides to use the pimp glitter to summon Fruit Juice, who consequently impresses the whole class. When he visits the Playground again, Fruit Juice alters the boy's style and dresses him as a pimp, too. Meanwhile, mayor Tony Gold threatens to close Fruit Juice's bar, unless he is given 90% of the profits. After this incident the boy's mother goes in search of him, first directed to a gay bar and informed by Sweet Chiffon of a "nasty midget" closely resembling her son and then to the Playground. The boy refuses to return home to his pressing mother, of which mayor Tony is informed directly and takes advantage, accusing Fruit Juice of keeping the boy against his will. He is promptly arrested and his bar is closed down. Afterwards, mayor Tony Gold kidnaps Fruit Juice's prostitutes, in order to exploit them, while assigning two policemen to plant a bomb in the closed Playground. Meanwhile, Fruit Juice believes that the boy betrayed him, but upon being visited and helped to escape by the boy, he changes his attitude towards him. After the narrow escape, the boy's friends meet secretly in his room in order to concoct a plan to foil the Mayor's scheme. Upon knocking on his door and receiving an unconvincing answer to her question ("Who's in there?" "Just me and my friends, mum." "Oh, that's ridiculous, son. We both know you don't have any friends."), his mother discovers them and agrees to disguise herself as a prostitute in order to lure the two policemen into giving her the keys to the Town Hall. The boy and his friends enter the Town Hall secretly and unveil mayor Tony's wide range of crimes, while the boy sets the prostitutes free. Then, after the gang moves the explosives, mayor Tony, unaware of the situation, presses the button on the remote controlling the bomb, devouring the Town Hall. In the end, Fruit Juice turns his bar into a theme park also named "the Playground" but less sexually explicit. Mayor Tony and the two policemen are then shown to be working at the park as costumed mascots.

Cast

Production

The film was the first one to be created entirely in Macromedia Flash animation. The film was officially to be released on March 14, 2003, but was eventually postponed to July 11, 2003, due to an early screening which the audience greatly disliked. It was postponed again to October 24, 2003, after which it was removed entirely from Sony's theatrical schedule and was released straight to DVD.

History

Lil' Pimp was an episodic web animation on MediaTrip.com until 2000.

References

External links

Category:2005 films Category:Black comedy films Category:Animated films Category:Independent films Category:American films Category:English-language films

Name	Lil' Flip
Landscape	no
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Wesley Eric Weston, Jr.
Alias	Flip, Flip Gates
Born	March 03, 1981
Origin	Cloverland, Houston, Texas, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	1998–present
Label	Suckafree (President) (2000-2004) Loud(2002) Columbia (2002-2004) Warner Bros. Records (2004) Clover G (CEO) (2006-present) Asylum(2007-2008) Hi-Powered (2009) Real Talk Ent. (2008-2009) E1 Music (2009-2010)
Associated acts	Gudda Gudda, Chamillionare, Three 6 Mafia, David Banner, Lil' Scrappy
Url

Wesley Eric Weston, Jr. (born March 3, 1981), Lil' Flip calls it the "album-before-the-album" Ahead of My Time was released on July 6, 2010 through Lil' Flip's label, Clover G Records.

Ahead of My Time was released on July 6, 2010 through Lil' Flip's label, Clover G Records.

Discography

Studio albums

2002: Undaground Legend

2004: U Gotta Feel Me

2007: I Need Mine

2009: Respect Me

2009: Underground Legend 2

2011: TBA

References

External links

Official website

Clover G's Official YouTube channel

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American shooting survivors Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:Screwed Up Click members Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

Name	Lil' Troy
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Troy Birklett
Alias
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genre	Southern Rap
Occupation	rapper
Years active	1997–present
Label	Short Stop Records

Troy Birklett, better known by his stage name Lil' Troy is an American rapper from Houston, Texas.

Before his rapping career, Birklett was a successful drug dealer, who funded his music business with the money he earned from selling drugs. He eventually was convicted of "using a communications device to commit a felony" and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, although served only nine months in Beaumont, Texas federal detention.

Lil' Troy, who featured in his songs many members of Houston's thriving rap scene of the late 1990s, managed to reach national audiences with his single "Wanna Be a Baller" produced by Bruce "Grim" Rhodes. Lil Troy released his follow up in 2001, titled Back to Ballin. This album didn't contain a charting single and didn't fare nearly as well as his debut. He released his third and to date last album, Paperwork, in 2006.

Lil' Troy is a co-owner and manager of his own club in downtown Houston called "The Orbit Room", which frequents famous Houston rappers and raves. He is often seen on the campus of Stephen F Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas with one of his sons (and SFA student) TiDarian "T" Birklett performing free, but grizzly shows.

Discography

1998: Sittin' Fat Down South

2001: Back to Ballin

2006: Paperwork

References

External links

Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American drug traffickers Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:Underground rappers Category:Businesspeople from Texas Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Name	Lil' Keke
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Marcus Lakee Edwards
Alias
Born	March 29, 1976
Origin	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genre	Southern rap, Screwed & Chopped, Dirty South
Occupation	rapper
Years active	1993–present
Label	Swishahouse, Warner Music Group, TF Records, Universal Motown, Screwed Up Records
Associated acts	Screwed Up Click, Fat Pat, DJ Screw, Herschelwood Hardheadz, Big Hawk, Z-RO, Lil' Flip, UGK, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Big Pokey

Lil' Keke (born Marcus Lakee Edwards; March 29, 1976)

Biography

Music career

Lil Keke gained national underground love with his track "Southside" from his 1997 release "Don't mess Wit Texas". 2005 saw Lil' Keke signed to Swishahouse Records. In an interview with HitQuarters at the time, label president and A&R; T. Farris said, "He is a legend here in Houston. He plays a big role in the whole style of rap that we make down here." Lil' Keke started out working alongside DJ Screw doing mixtapes.

Discography

1998: The Commission

2001: Platinum In Da Ghetto

2008: Loved by Few, Hated by Many

2011: Only In America

References

External links

Category:African American musicians Category:1976 births Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:African American rappers Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Living people Category:Underground rappers Category:Screwed Up Click members Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas

Name	David Banner
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lavell William Crump
Born	April 11, 1972Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Instrument	Sampler, Keyboards
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, record producer
Years active	1999–present
Label	Big Face, SRC, Universal Records
Associated acts	Crooked Lettaz, Lil Flip, Yung Wun, 9th Wonder
Url	www.david-banner.com

Lavell Crump, (born April 11, 1972) better known by the stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer & occasional actor. Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Southern University. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz before going solo in 2000 with Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1 and signed to Universal Records in 2003. With Universal, Banner released four albums: (2003), (2004), Certified (2005), and The Greatest Story Ever Told (2008).

Early life

Lavell Crump grew up in the Queens neighborhood of Jackson, Mississippi, the son of Zeno and Carolyn Crump. He attended Northwest Jackson Middle School and Provine High School. He attended the University of Maryland to pursue a master's degree in education but dropped out to pursue his music career. With several of his friends, Banner sent some demo tapes to Jackson radio station WJMI, whose operations manager praised them. Banner released his solo debut album Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1 in 2000. Released under the independent label Big Face Records, the album sold about 7,000 copies.

When the single "Like a Pimp" became a radio hit it attracted significant label interest towards the artist. After assessing the offers, Banner and manager Scott Johnson decided to sign with Universal Records subsidiary SRC Records because the pair were aware of CEO Steve Rifkind's successful history with Loud Records. He released the follow-up album the same year called , yielding "Crank It Up", featuring Static Major. Banner produced T.I.'s 2004 single "Rubberband Man", which reached #30 on the Hot 100, #15 on the R&B; chart, and #11 on the rap chart.

In 2005, he released another album, Certified. Its first single was "Ain't Got Nothing", featuring Magic & Lil Boosie, followed by his second single, "Play", which reached #7 on the Hot 100 chart, #5 on the R&B; chart, and #3 on the rap chart. His first single is "9mm", featuring Akon, Lil Wayne, & Snoop Dogg. Banner produced his next two singles: "Get Like Me", featuring Chris Brown and Yung Joc, and "Shawty Say", featuring Lil Wayne. "Get Like Me" reached #16 on the Hot 100, #7 on the R&B; chart, and #2 on the rap chart. He worked with gospel duo Mary Mary in Superfriend.

He is credited with writing, producing and arranging an original song (with vocals by Blackstreet's Kermit Quinn) for Gatorade's 2010 "Gatorade Has Evolved" TV commercial.

2010 will see the release of the first fruits of a much anticipated collaboration between Banner and hip-hop producer 9th Wonder. The duo paired up to create an album entitled "Death Of A Pop Star", which was released on December 21, 2010. In an interview with HitQuarters, 9th Wonder talked about the inspiration behind the album saying, "We thought that in many ways the death of Michael Jackson meant the death of black music ... Not to say black music is dead all the way, but on the mainstream side there’s not really much of a focus on soul. There’s not a lot of people trying to redefine soul music."

Major national advertisement for Gatorade running still in July 2010 featuring Evolve, Written, produced and arranged by David Banner.Revolvution Ad's Full Song on YOUTUBE.

Recently, He contributed an original music for a commercial for the upcoming video game

Film career

Banner played the part of Tehronne in Black Snake Moan. He has worked on the Adult Swim cartoon show That Crook'd 'Sipp, which premiered Sunday, May 13, 2007. His single "Play" was used as the background music in the pilot's first television promo. In 2007, he played the character of Mo, in the film This Christmas. Banner also starred as Jay, a gang leader from the hood in . In 2010 he played Bosch in the film The Experiment.

Activism

In November 2006, Banner was awarded a Visionary Award by the National Black Caucus of the State Legislature in recognition of his work after Hurricane Katrina.

On September 25, 2007, Banner testified in front of Congress at a hearing about African-American media stereotypes, which was aired nationally on C-SPAN2. He spoke about his lyrics and whether or not they were appropriate or stereotypical. Banner argued that his lyrics explain the pain blacks go through. In his opening statement, Banner was applauded by several in attendance for saying, "I can admit there are some problems in hip hop but it is only a reflection of what's taking place in our society. Hip hop is sick because America is sick."

Discography

2000: Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1

2003:

2003:

2005: Certified

2008: The Greatest Story Ever Told

2011: MTA3: The Trinity Movement

Collaboration

2010: Death of a Pop Star (with 9th Wonder)

Filmography

Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards

* 2008, Best Hip-Hop Video ("Get Like Me") with Chris Brown & Yung Joc [Nominated]

* 2008, Best Hip-Hop Collabo ("Get Like Me") with Chris Brown & Yung Joc [Nominated]

* 2008, Best Producer [Nominated]

Ozone Awards

* 2008, Best Rap/R&B; Collaboration ("Get Like Me"), featuring Chris Brown & Yung Joc [Nominated]

References

External links

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:African American actors Category:African American record producers Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:Musicians from Mississippi Category:People from Jackson, Mississippi Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Southern University alumni Category:University of Maryland, College Park alumni

Name	Lil Wayne
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Born	September 27, 1982New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Instrument	Vocals, Guitars
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, CEO
Years active	1992–present
Associated acts	Big Tymers, Birdman, Drake, Cash Money Millionaires, Hot Boys, Juelz Santana, Kevin Rudolf, T-Pain, Young Money, Eminem
Label	Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Url

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), Lil Wayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and 2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on several popular rap and R&B; singles.

His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 which went on to sell over 1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included the number-one single "Lollipop" and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Lil Wayne released his debut rock album, Rebirth, in 2010 to primarily negative reception from critics. The album eventually went gold. In March 2010, Lil Wayne began serving an 8 month prison sentence in New York after being convicted of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in July 2007. While in jail he released another album entitled I Am Not a Human Being in September 2010, featuring Young Money artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Twist.

Early life

Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter was born when his mother, a chef, was 19 years old. His parents were divorced when he was 2, and his father permanently abandoned the family. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School. In the summer of 1991, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Carter recorded freestyle raps on Williams's answering machine, leading him to mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. He also recorded his first ever collaboration album True Story with rapper B.G.. At the time, Carter was 11, and B.G. was 14, and was billed as "The B.G.'z". When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz. At age 13, he accidentally shot himself with a .44 caliber gun, with the bullet missing his heart by two inches.

Music career

1997–99: The Hot Boys

In 1997, Carter joined the Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. At age 15, Carter was the youngest member at that time. Hot Boys' debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare, Carter was also featured on Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Let 'Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded. It reached No. 3 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 14 on the Billboard 200.

Carter's debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot at age 17 featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys and was certified 2x platinum, climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard album charts. and also became a Top Ten hit. Critics pointed to the lack of coherent narratives in his verses as evidence that he had yet to mature to the level of his fellow Hot Boys. The lead single was "Get Off The Corner" which was noticed for an improvement in lyrical content and style, it also received a music video. The second single which received less attention was "Shine" featuring The Hot Boys. Near the release of Lights Out, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, "1# Stunna" with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which rose to 24th place on the Hot Rap Tracks charts.

In 2001, Lil Wayne was shot in the chest in Florida after "some groupies" fired two shots through his tour bus window. He recalled the incident in 2008 interview: 'It [the bullet] 'didn’t go all the way in, ’cause the window slowed it down.' The lead single was "Way Of Life" which like the album failed to match the success of his previous singles. After the release of 500 Degreez, he was featured in the single "Neva Get Enuf" by 3LW.

2004–07: Tha Carter, Tha Carter II and collaborations

In the summer of 2004, Wayne's album Tha Carter was released, marking what critics considered advancement in his rapping style and lyrical themes. In addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Wayne's now-signature dreadlocks. After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" with T.I., which peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B; Charts. The song Get Something (featuring Mannie Fresh) was supposed to appear on the album but failed to make the cut, however the music video was released.

Tha Carter II, the follow-up to the original Tha Carter album, was released in December 2005, this time without production by longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had since left the label. Tha Carter II sold more than 238,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and went on to sell 2,000,000 copies world wide. The lead single, "Fireman," became a hit in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles included "Grown Man", "Hustler Muzik", and "Shooter" (featuring R&B; singer Robin Thicke). Lil Wayne also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me", which rose to No. 13 on the U.S. R&B; Charts.

In 2005, Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money. However, as of late 2007, Lil Wayne reported that he has stepped down from the management of both labels and has handed management of Young Money over to Cortez Bryant.

on July 23, 2007]]

In 2006, Lil Wayne collaborated with rapper Birdman for the album Like Father, Like Son, whose first single "Stuntin' Like My Daddy", reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of a follow-up solo album, Lil Wayne reached his audience through a plethora of mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop and hip-hop singles. and Vibe

Despite no album release for two years, Lil Wayne appeared in numerous singles as a featured performer, including "Gimme That" by Chris Brown, "Make It Rain" by Fat Joe, "You" by Lloyd, and "We Takin' Over" by DJ Khaled (also featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and Birdman), "Duffle Bag Boy" by Playaz Circle, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean (also featuring Akon), and the remix to "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled (also featuring T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Rick Ross). All these singles charted within the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Tracks, and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs charts. On Birdman's 2007 album 5 * Stunna, Lil Wayne appeared on the singles "100 Million" and "I Run This" among several other tracks. Wayne also appeared on tracks from albums Getback by Little Brother, American Gangster by Jay-Z, and Graduation by Kanye West and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias. "Make it Rain", a Scott Storch production that peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 2008.

Vibe magazine ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007 and ranked his verse in DJ Khaled's "We Takin Over" as his best of 2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over the beat of Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got") from Da Drought 3 the second song. The New Yorker magazine ranked him "Rapper of the Year", In 2008 he was named "Best Rock Star Alive" by Blender magazine

2008–09: Tha Carter III and We Are Young Money

Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III's largest delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and "The Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Lil Wayne initially decided to use the leaked tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album, titled The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008, The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but an official EP titled The Leak and containing five tracks was released digitally on December 25, 2007.

Tha Carter III was released on June 10, 2008, selling more than a million copies in its first week of release, the first to do so since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005. The first single "Lollipop", featuring Static became the rapper's most commercially successful song at that point, topping the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first Top 10 single for Lil Wayne as a solo artist, as well as his first No. 1 on the chart. His third single from Carter III', "Got Money" featuring T-Pain, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 100. Along with his album singles, Lil Wayne appeared on R&B; singles "Girls Around the World" by Lloyd, "Love In This Club, Part II" by Usher, "Official Girl" by Cassie, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, "Turnin' Me On" by Keri Hilson, and "Can't Believe It" by T-Pain; rap singles "My Life" by The Game, "Shawty Say" by David Banner, "Swagga Like Us" by T.I., "Cutty Buddy" by Mike Jones, All My Life (In the Ghetto) by Jay Rock and the remix to "Certified" by Glasses Malone; and pop single "Let It Rock" by new Cash Money artist Kevin Rudolf. On July 14, 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America certified Tha Carter III two times platinum. In an October 2008 interview with MTV News, Lil Wayne announced plans to re-release this album with all new tracks, including a duet with Ludacris and remixes of "A Milli". concert in Vancouver in January 2009.]]

The lineup for New Orleans' 2008 Voodoo Experience concert, held in October, featured Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine reported that the event would mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career. Lil Wayne stated that he would reunite with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. They plan to release an album after B.G.'s solo album Too Hood to Be Hollywood was completed. Wayne also performed as the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest with Kanye West, performing the remix of "Lollipop" with West and also lip-syncing to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Lil Wayne also performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Kid Rock ("All Summer Long"), Leona Lewis ("DontGetIt (Misunderstood)") and T-Pain ("Got Money"). On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, he performed "Lollipop" and "Got Money". He later performed at the homecoming rally at Vanderbilt University and the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards with 12 nominations. He won the "MVP" title at the BET Hip Hop Awards and seven others. It was revealed that M.I.A. dropped out of performing on the tour due to her pregnancy, however Jay-Z is expected to perform with Wayne on the song "Mr. Carter" at select shows.

On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the Country Music Association Awards. He played alongside Kid Rock for the song, "All Summer Long", in which Wayne did not rap but instead inaudibly strummed guitar strings alongside the guitarist in Kid Rock's band. Shortly after, Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys – the most for any artist nominated that year. Wayne was then named the first ever MTV Man of the Year at the end of 2008. He won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for "A Milli", Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his appearance in T.I.'s single "Swagga Like Us", and Best Rap Song for "Lollipop". Tha Carter III won the award for Best Rap Album.

DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of the Dedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne, who insisted that it will would be a full album under the title. However despite the fact Wayne wanted to release Dedication 3 as an album, it was released as a mixtape on November 14, 2008.

MTV listed Lil Wayne number two on their 2009 list of the Hottest MCs In The Game.

On December 23, 2009, Wayne released a collaboration album with Young Money, with the first single confirmed as "Every Girl". The second single is "BedRock", featuring Lloyd. The third single is "Roger That". On May 24, 2010, the album was certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold.

Wayne is featured on the song, "Revolver", with Madonna for her 2009 greatest hits album, Celebration. He was also featured on a Weezer song, "Can't Stop Partying", on their 2009 album, Raditude.

2008–present: Rebirth, I Am Not a Human Being, and Tha Carter IV

In late 2008, Wayne stated that he would re-release The Carter III with leftover tracks and call it Rebirth, several months later, however, he announced Rebirth would instead release as his debut rock album, maintaining its title as Rebirth. To support the release of Rebirth and a collaboration album with Young Money Entertainment, Wayne headlined the 'Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival'... a United States and Canada–only concert tour which started on July 29, 2009. The Rebirth album was originally scheduled for a April 7, 2009 release, however after numerous delays, the album was released on February 2, 2010. For the anticipation of Rebirth, Wayne was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone.

"Prom Queen", the first official single, debuted on January 27, 2009 immediately after a live Internet broadcast on Ustream of his concert in San Diego. "Prom Queen" peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. On December 3, 2009, Lil Wayne's second single from the album, "On Fire", was released on iTunes. "On Fire" was produced by Cool & Dre with Lil Wayne playing the guitar with the aid of Pro Tools. "On Fire" peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Drop the World", which features Eminem, is the third single from the album. Following Tha Carter III's achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming 2008's best-selling record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money Records for a multi-album deal. Wayne said Tha Carter IV will be released in 2009 just before the holidays. Birdman had previously stated that Tha Carter IV would be packaged with Rebirth as a double disc album. However, Wayne denied this idea saying that "Tha Carter IV deserves Tha Carter IV". He went on to say that We Are Young Money may be packaged with Rebirth. However, it was later confirmed that Rebirth and We Are Young Money will be released separately and that Tha Carter IV will be released during 2011. He started from scratch on Tha Carter IV since getting released from jail. He recorded his first track since being released from jail and it was described as being "a 2010 version of A Milli'' on steroids." The album is set to feature multiple guests, including Tech N9ne. The album will be released February 2011. The first single "6 Foot 7 Foot" featuring Cory Gunz was released on December 15, 2010. It was available for digital download on iTunes December 16, 2010. The song is produced by Bangladesh, who also produced Lil Wayne's single A Milli in 2008. Tha Carter IV is expected for release in Winter 2011.

Future projects

He has announced several possible upcoming projects, including a collaboration album I Can't Feel My Face with rapper Juelz Santana that has been in production for several years. He has discussed a possible R&B; album titled Luv Sawngz, for which he will heavily rely on a vocoder. He has also talked with singer Lloyd about doing a collaboration album in the future. On June 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain formed a duo called T-Wayne and planned to release an album. On June 8, 2010, Drake confirmed that he and Wayne are planning to release a joint album in the future. Lil Wayne and Baby will release a second Like Father, Like Son album around Fathers Day 2011. Wayne and Drake will release a collaboration album sometime in the near future.

Television and film career

Lil Wayne was a guest debater going up against Skip Bayless on the "1st & 10" segment on the January 6, 2009 edition of ESPN First Take. On February 10, 2009 he also appeared on ESPN's Around the Horn and beat out veterans Woody Paige, Jay Mariotti and fellow New Orleanian Michael Smith to win that show's episode. Wayne is set to produce and compose music for the film Hurricane Season. A documentary of Lil Wayne titled The Carter was released at the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to the 2009 Grammy Awards, Wayne was featured in an interview with Katie Couric. He then appeared on an April 24 episode of The View – talking about his GED and addictions. In September 2009, Wayne was profiled in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music and was a presenter of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.

Personal life

Family

Lil Wayne has four children. His first child, daughter Reginae, was born when he was 15, Internet rumours started circulating in August 2008 that Wayne's daughter had died in a car crash, which however he quickly cleared up as false saying "Please allow me to dispel any rumors or speculations and report that my daughter is alive, healthy and surrounded by family who care and love her dearly. The rumors are completely false and unfounded; neither Reginae nor any other member of my family has been involved in any car accident." His second child, Dwayne III, was then born on October 22, 2008 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. His third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, was born to actress Lauren London on September 9, 2009. He had his fourth child, Neal, on November 30, 2009 with singer Nivea.

In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, Wayne described why he goes by the name of "Wayne" instead of his given name, Dwayne. Carter 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". Couric asked Wayne if his father knew of this and Wayne replied with a smile, "He knows now". He also revealed on The View that he switched to the University of Phoenix and majored in psychology taking online courses. An article in Urb magazine in March 2007 asserted that Wayne had been earning high grades at Houston.

Sports and musical interests

In an interview with Blender magazine, Lil Wayne revealed one of his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana, and cites them as a major influence in his music.

On September 24, 2008, Lil Wayne published his first blog for ESPN in their issue, ESPN The Magazine. Wayne revealed he was a fan of tennis, the Green Bay Packers, the Boston Bruins, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Red Sox. Wayne has continued writing for ESPN, notably reporting at the ESPN Super Bowl party.

Lil Wayne made his debut on ESPN's daily sports round table show Around The Horn on February 10, 2009.

Along with Mack Maine, Wayne was in attendance of Game 3 of the opening round NBA playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and the home team New Orleans Hornets on April 25, 2009.

Religion

Lil Wayne is a practicing Christian, who takes time to read the Bible regularly. He then asked the Newark crowd if they also believed, and they responded affirmatively with a roar.

According to his Rikers Island inmate ID and prison records, Wayne is specifically a Roman Catholic.

Philanthropy

On February 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and Cortez Bryant revisited their alma mater McMain Secondary School to get students to design an invitation to the gala introducing Lil Wayne's nonprofit One Family Foundation. The website Change.org states: "The mission of One Family Foundation, Inc. is to empower urban youth by engaging them in opportunities to cultivate their talents and skills, educating them to become productive and economically self-sufficient, and motivating them to dream beyond their circumstances."

Drug use and arrests

Wayne told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric on her All Access Grammy Special in 2009 that he enjoys smoking marijuana recreationally. He also stated that he is "not addicted" to drinking purple drank (codeine cough syrup) any longer, like some claimed he was. He has been arrested for use or possession of marijuana and other drugs.

Following a performance at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, Lil Wayne was arrested October 5, 2007 on felony fugitive charges after Georgia authorities accused the rapper of possessing a controlled substance. The incident was later described as a "mix-up" and the fugitive charges were dropped.

On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona. A K-9 Unit recovered of marijuana, almost of cocaine, of MDMA, and $22,000 in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185 bond he posted. On May 6, 2008, Wayne returned to court in Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges. A bench warrant was issued on March 17, 2010 when Lil Wayne didn't show for a final trial management conference. However, the rapper was already in prison, serving a year-long sentence in Rikers on weapons charges. On June 22, 2010 Wayne plead guilty to the charges. As part of the plea deal he may serve 36 months of probation. On June 30, 2010, he was sentenced to 3 years probation.

On December 18, 2009, Wayne and 11 others were detained at the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint after an unknown amount of marijuana was found on two of his tour buses.

New York weapon case

On July 22, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in New York City following a performance at the Beacon Theatre; the New York City Police Department discovered Lil Wayne and another man smoking marijuana near a tour bus. After taking Lil Wayne into custody, police discovered a .40 caliber pistol on his person. The gun, which was registered to his manager, was in a bag located near the rapper. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana.

On October 22, 2009, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He was due for sentencing in February 2010 and was expected to receive a one-year jail sentence, but on February 9, 2010, Lil Wayne's attorney announced that the sentencing was delayed until March 2 due to dental surgery, which was performed on February 16. The surgery included eight root canals, the replacement of several tooth implants, as well as the addition of a few new implants and work on his remaining original teeth.

On March 2, 2010, sentencing was postponed again when the courthouse reported a fire in the basement.

On March 8, 2010, Lil Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison, which he served in Rikers Island. His lawyer said the rapper expected to be held in protective custody, separated from other prisoners. He was released on good behavior. However, in May 2010 Wayne was found by Rikers Island correctional staff to be in possession of contraband (an MP3 player, charger, and headphones). However at that time, it was reported by MTV and HipHopDX (and later confirmed) that Lil Wayne was to be released four months early in November.

In April 2010, Lil Wayne's friends created a website called Weezy Thanx You, which publishes letters written by Wayne in prison. In the first letter, titled "Gone 'til November", the rapper described his daily routine, saying he works out a lot, and reads the Bible every day.

Lawsuits

In February 2009, production company RMF Productions filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against Wayne, following a $100,000 advance payment for three shows, all of which were cancelled by the artist.

On October 2009, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Cash Money Records and various music distribution outlets were sued for copyright infringement by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims his voice was used without permission. The rappers asked him to record some "Italian-styled spoken word recordings" in 2006. The lyrics were allegedly used on "Respect" and other tracks from the rappers' collaboration album Like Father, Like Son and Birdman's 5 * Stunna.

Public references by Barack Obama

Lil Wayne has been referenced in public speeches by President Barack Obama on at least two occasions, in mixed contexts. Speaking to a largely African-American audience during a general election campaign town hall speech in Georgia, then-U.S. Senator Obama exhorted children to stay in school and achieve their dreams through education and perseverance instead of hoping for shortcuts to fame and riches, stating: "You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school."

After assuming the Presidency, Obama later echoed this theme of personal and familial responsibility—and the difficulty of achieving Lil Wayne's lyrical skills or success—during an address to a meeting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, telling the audience:}}

Obama also mentioned listening to Lil Wayne on his iPod:

Discography

; Studio albums

1999: Tha Block Is Hot

2000: Lights Out

2002: 500 Degreez

2004: Tha Carter

2005: Tha Carter II

2008: Tha Carter III

2010: Rebirth

2010: I Am Not a Human Being

2011: Tha Carter IV

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

Lil Wayne at MTV

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:21st-century American criminals Category:African-American Catholics Category:African American rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American shooting survivors Category:Cash Money Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:Rappers from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:University of Houston alumni Category:World Music Awards winners

Name	Lil Boosie
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Torrence Hatch
Born	November 14, 1982
Origin	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2000–present
Label	Asylum, Trill
Associated acts	Webbie, Foxx,
Url	www.myspace.com/lilboosie

Torrence Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Boosie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hatch was bestowed the nickname Boosie by his family, and he was raised in southside Baton Rouge. He is currently serving a four-year prison sentence in Dixon Correctional Institute for drug and gun possession.

Biography

Early life

Hatch grew up in a poor neighborhood of Baton Rouge, and his father was absent from his childhood. He played basketball while attending high school but was expelled for drugs, so Hatch decided to become a rapper. He worked with rapper C-Loc and his group Concentration Camp and made his debut on C-Loc's fifth album, It's a Gamble in 2000 as his old alias Boosie. Shortly afterwards, Hatch joined growing record label Trill Entertainment which was backed by its CEO the late Pimp C of UGK. Soon after, Trill independently released his debut album For My Thugz as his new alias Lil Boosie in 2003.

Personal life

Lil Boosie is married to Walnita Decuir-Hatch. The couple has three children: Torrence Hatch, Jr., Ivyana Hatch, and Tarlaysia Hatch. His mother is Jacquelyn Hatch. Shortly after Bad Azz was released, Boosie announced that he had diabetes. Judge James Moore doubled the sentence on November 10 after finding Boosie had violated probation while awaiting sentencing. Between his plea and sentencing, Boosie was electronically monitored and placed under house arrest.

Murder charge

On June 17, 2010 Lil Boosie was indicted on federal charges on first-degree murder of Terry Boyd. He also faces charges for three counts of possession with intent to distribute narcotics (Schedule II-Codeine, Schedule I-Ecstacy and Schedule I-Marijuana), three counts of "conspiracy to commit possession with intent to distribute narcotics", and two counts of "conspiracy to introduce contraband into a penal institution". District attorney Hiler Moore stated that the killing seemed to be "over turf". If convicted, Lil Boosie may face death penalty. Prosecutors have stated that believe the rapper may have been involved in at least five other murders. On June 28, Lil Boosie entered a not-guilty plea in a Louisiana court room. While Boosie's defense addressed the fact that the rapper has several ongoing cases, they emphasized that he is not a murderer.

Discography

Official studio albums

2002: For My Thugz

2006: Bad Azz

2009:

2010: Incarcerated

; Collaboration Albums

2000: Youngest of da Camp (with C-Loc)

2003: Pimp C Presents... Ghetto Stories (with Webbie)

2005: Gangsta Musik (with Webbie)

2007: (with Foxx, Webbie and Trill Fam)

2010: (with Foxx, Webbie and Trill Fam)

Filmography

Films

(2010)

Awards

Ozone Awards

*2008: Club Banger of the Year ("Independent") [Won]

*2007: Best Rap Album (Bad Azz) [Nominated]

*2007: Best Breakthrough Artist [Won]

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:African American rappers Category:American prisoners and detainees Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Category:Prisoners and detainees of Louisiana Category:Rappers from Louisiana

Name	Fonzworth Bentley
Background	solo_singer
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, record producer, actor, television host, fashion designer, singer
Years active	1994–present
Label	GOOD Music
Associated acts	Sean Combs, Outkast, will.i.am, Andre 3000, Kanye West
Url	fbentley.com

Derrick Watkins, popularly known as Fonzworth Bentley, is a musician and author. He is perhaps best known for being Sean Combs' former personal valet and assistant, as first seen in Making the Band 2, and is currently the host of MTV's From G's to Gents. His first single, "Everybody", features Kanye West and Andre 3000.

Music

He first appeared rapping on Da Band's 2002 album Too Hot for TV, in the track "Cheers to Me, Mr. Bentley (Interlude)". In 2003, Bentley was featured on the "Good Day, Good Sir" skit on OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. In 2004, he had a part on the music video of Kanye West's "The New Workout Plan".

Bentley has appeared in several music videos, such as Usher's "Yeah", P. Diddy's "D.I.D.D.Y." and "I Need A Girl (Part Two)", Slum Village's "Selfish", OutKast's "The Way You Move" and "Roses", as well as UGK and Outkast's "International Player's Anthem". He made a brief appearance in the music video for "Grammy Family", by West, DJ Khaled, John Legend and Consequence.

In August 2006, Bentley was featured in Sprite's Sublymonal campaign.

Although his debut album, C.O.L.O.U.R.S., was originally scheduled to be released in 2007, to date, it has not been released.

He was also featured, playing the violin in the "Yes We Can" music video in support of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

Other media work

Bentley was an executive producer for Borrow My Crew in 2005, in which he allowed one boy, Cory Cole, to borrow the entourage of P. Diddy for two days. Since 2008, he has been hosting the MTV series From G's to Gents.

In 2007, Bentley authored an etiquette book, Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead.

Public service

In 2007, Bentley contributed to KnowHow2GO, a national public service advertising campaign designed to encourage low-income and first-generation students to take the steps necessary to go to college. Bentley's involvement in the campaign has included creation of a radio public service advertisement ("Wanna Go?") and participation in the 2007 YMCA Black and Hispanic Achievers Teen Leadership Summit in Orlando, Florida. KnowHow2GO is a joint effort between The Ad Council, Lumina Foundation for Education and the American Council on Education. Recently, Bentley sang as a member of the chorus for "We Are The World", a remake of the original for Haiti, in February 2010; it aired during the start of the Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Works

Television

From G's to Gents (since 2008)

Top Ten Gentlemen's Club (2008)

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2008)

Confessions of a Celebrity Assistant (2006, the E! Channel)

VH1 Fashion Rocks (2006)

All Shades of Fine: 25 Hottest Women of the Past 25 Years (2005)

P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy (2005, uncredited)

2005 Trumpet Awards (2005)

Caleta Condor, Chile (2005)

Before, During and After the Sunset (2005)

106 & Park Top 10 Live (2005)

Kanye West: College Dropout - Video Anthology (2005)

Borrow My Crew (2005)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (2005)

Fade to Black (2004)

2004 MTV Movie Awards (2004)

Late Show with David Letterman (2004) - Uncredited

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '04 (2004)

The 18th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (2004)

MTV Video Music Awards 2003 (2003)

OutKast: The Videos (2003)

Making the Band 2 (2002–2003, series)

Films

House Party (1991) - Uncredited

Honey (2003) - Barber

Fat Albert (2003) - Salesman

Idlewild (2006) - Voice of Flask

''We Were Once A Fairytale - cameo appearance

Notes

External links

Category:Living people Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:American television actors Category:American film actors Category:American fashion designers Category:African American rappers Category:Morehouse College alumni