Artist Lil Wayne

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Lil Wayne

As in the cases of T-Pain and Akon, it’s a little hard to remember a time when Lil Wayne’s cartoonishly animated, growly raps weren’t flowing out of radios nationwide, every second of the day. The magnitude of 2008’s chart-topping Tha Carter III—which won four Grammys, including Best Rap Album and Song—rocketed Weezy into the top tier of popular music acts. He’s since cooled, albeit briefly: His foray into guitar-rock, Rebirth, was poorly received at best, and he spent a majority of 2010 in jail on gun-possession charges. But the pride of New Orleans remains potently prolific, having released I Am Not A Human Being from his cell, and prepping Tha Carter IV, which is set for an August 29 release.

Updated 07/27/2011