March 14, 2006 @ 1:34 pm

Lil Wayne - Stay Fly

Benjamin Meadows-Ingram

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Every rapper is an actor, at least on some level. But that being said, Lil Wayne is far from Hollywood. The 23-year-old native of New Orleans’ 17th Ward, Hollygrove to be exact, is a rough-looking young cat. Tats blanket his body, right down to the script scrawled across his eyelids. Point being, even though plenty of ladies love him, his is not the mug of Tinseltown’s romantic leads. Or, as Wayne himself jokes when the conversation turns to talk of the silver screen, “What they gonna do, put me in Menace II Society 2?” //Of course, that’s not to say that Dwayne Carter doesn’t live the fabulous life. Raised a Cash Money Millionaire - he first linked up with the label that put bling-bling in your mouth back in 1993, when he was just 11 - Wayne has grown from boy to man playing an integral role in a label notorious for its fascination with material goods. He’s pushed luxury rides since he first learned how to drive and rocked an icy grill years before Paul Wall came on the scene. //But every tale has its dramas, whether in a theater near you or played out behind closed doors. And Wayne’s story is no different. He’s been shot in the chest (self-inflicted), fathered a daughter when he was just a kid himself, and watched some of his best friends—or at least his label mates—turn their backs on him in public. And then, two years ago, after being written off as another rap footnote, he exploded back onto the scene with his acclaimed fourth solo album, Tha Carter. Rumors of a move to Roc-A-Fella Records and a highly publicized romance with Trina followed, as did a growing war of words with both B.G. and Juvenile. Then, just as 2005 was closing, he dropped Tha Carter II, his best album to date.

Led by the explosive single “Fireman,” the project scanned more than 244,000 in its first week of release. Just days after finding out Tha Carter II would go down as the highest Cash Money debut ever, he sat down in his hotel suite high above Times Square, popped a sour-apple Blow Pop in his mouth, and opened up about his rise to the top.

To Read The Rest of This Story, Get This Issue At Your Local Newsstand Now! Do you want VIBE delivered to your home or office? CLICK HERE. Also in VIBE's January 2006 issue:

  • NEXT: Governor, Penelope, Janelle Monae and Dre.

  • VHollywood - Through the Prism of Hip Hop, VIBE Celebrates the Flickering Images That Move and Delight Us - On Both Large Screen and Small.

  • Rising Son - Jaheim is More Than Teddy Pendergrass on Hip Hop or Luther Vandross on Stunts, Blunts, and Hard Living. Craig Seymour Travels to Jah's Old 'Hood and Delves Into His Past - From Gay Rumors and God to the Secret of His Ghetto Love. Meet the Man Behind the Voice.

  • Locked Up - California Has Nearly As Many Prisoners as France, Germany, and Nigeria Combined, With Just One-Seventh the Population. Hundreds are Pregnant Women Who Will Give Birth While Incarcerated. Mark Allen Johnson Goes Inside To Document Their Wrenching Experiences.

  • Revolutions: Mobb Deep, Dem Franchize Boyz, Ghostface Killah, B.G., Javier, and DMC.

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