Lil Wayne has been rapping professionally for two-thirds of his life -- ever since Birdman took him under his wing at the tender age of 11. Wayne released three solo albums and three Hot Boys albums over the course of his teenage years. Indeed, he had a full decade of experience under his belt by the time he released Tha Carter in 2004.
This list quickly covers Wayne's career up to the point when he released his 2002 album 500 Degreez two months before his 20th birthday. Click through to get to know Teenage Weezy.
B.G.'z - "From tha 13th to tha 17th" (1995)
In the mid-'90s, Birdman orchestrated the short-lived rap duo the B.G.'z, comprised of a 12-year-old Lil Wayne (then known as Baby D) and Lil Doogie. It lasted long enough to yield "From tha 13th to tha 17th," a funky Mannie Fresh production.
Hot Boys - "Get It How You Live!!" (1997)
The title track from the Hot Boys' debut album Get It How You Live!! showcased Wayne's precocious lyrical taste that he would refine over the next decade. He hooks the listener immediately:
"So you say you ready to hustle
Scuffle over a dollar, rumble over a bundle
Ready to bust over two dollars, ready to die for five
Ready to ride on nine, better be bout your change
Letting hang at all times, ready to fight high."
Juvenile - "Back That Azz Up" feat. Mannie Fresh & Lil Wayne (1998)
Lil Wayne's outro on "Back That Azz Up" tends to get caught up in the greatness of the rest of the song. For it, too, is great.
Hot Boys & Big Tymers - "Bling Bling" (1999)
"Bling Bling" is the 1999 Cash Money anthem that made "bling" a thing. Wayne delivered an unbelievable verse that somehow didn't make the official track. He replaces Lil Turk in the clean radio edit, which is far better than the explicit version.
"Tha Block Is Hot" feat. B.G. & Juvenile (1999)
"Tha Block Is Hot" is the best song on Lil Wayne's debut album Tha Block Is Hot. It contains an unexpected Eddie Bauer shoutout that would be the best EB shoutout in rap history if not for Hussein Fatal's "Hit 'Em UP" threat, "My ready-power tucked in my Guess under my Eddie Bauer."
Hot Boys - "I Need a Hot Girl" (1999)
Even at 16, Wayne was comically bending words to suit his rhyme schemes. His appearance on "I Need a Hot Girl" was short but memorable: "She a doggy with it, she gonna wobbledee."
"I Need a Hot Girl" appeared on Guerilla Warfare, the Hot Boys' most commercially successful album.
"Get Off the Corner" (2000)
It might be better engineering, but Lil Wayne's vocal presence took a major leap on his sophomore album Lights Out. He dispatches a savage ultimatum to all the bitchmade hustlers: "get off the corner."
Cash Money Millionaires, Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Big Tymers - "Project Bitch" (2000)
In 2000, Cash Money produced an hour-long action film called "Baller Blockin" starring Birdman and his brother. Lil Wayne portrayed the hustler Iceberg Shorty. "Project Bitch" appeared on the film's soundtrack.
"Ether (Freestyle)" (2002)
Lil Wayne's SQAD UP crew released seven mixtapes between 2002 and 2003. SQ1 featured a Weezy freestyle over an "Ether" freestyle nearly as formidable as Nas' original:
"Call me bad Wayne and I'm like Max Payne
The sickest shit to hit since anthrax came
I leave you with a tampax frame
All bloody"
"Where Ya At" (2002)
"Where Ya At" takes the form of a roll call for all of Wayne's boys, and it makes for a invigorating listen, even if you are not one of Wayne's boys. It appeared on 500 Degreez, the prequel to Tha Carter. Indeed, things were heating up...