The Legendary Lil Wayne Turns 40 Today

The iconic Dewayne Carter from Louisiana, who goes by the emcee name of Lil Wayne, turns 40 and is arguably one of the greatest artists ever. As a 28-year-old, anybody in my age range, 24-34, will tell you that Lil Wayne was in their daily rotation growing up. Forget about just music; Wayne’s influence on the entertainment scene today goes a long way in establishing why he is one of the prominent figures in modern times.

From the acceptance of face tattoos into a societal norm of beauty, the concept of blending musical genres such as Rock and Hip Hop, working with artists such as Jay Z, 50 Cent, & Kanye to establish Hip Hop as the world’s most popular genre of music, and consistently being a part of the culture for two decades, Dewayne is a legend. From blending in signature nostalgic rap puns that balanced modern melodic punch-ins to make Hip Hop more radio-friendly, Wayne is one of the few legends who pioneered a genre and made it more expansive. Every younger emcee today has either studied Lil Wayne or is influenced by him.

Add in the fact that with Young Money Records, he has discovered two of the highest grossing musical legends in their own rights, Drake and Nicki Minaj, gave Kendrick Lamar & his fellow’/former TDE acts such as ScHoolboy Q the co-sign needed to boost them into mainstream popularity, and gave J. Cole more acclaim along with Jay Z to boost him into modern superstardom. To put it simply, Lil Wayne was fundamental in establishing the current generation of contemporary superstar acts in Hip Hop, so it’s safe to say that Weezy F Baby should be regarded as one of the most extraordinary acts in all of music.
Put some respect on his name; that’s it.