Rap star Lil Wayne isn’t just the biggest, most successful Hip Hop artist in the country right now. Wayne is a genuine superstar across genres. The prolific MC started his career as a teen with The Hot Boys, but today he finds himself at the center of the Pop music world’s attention. His latest album, Tha Carter III, was the biggest selling CD of 2008 and it was also nominated for eight Grammy awards, the most nominations for a Rap artist ever.
The sheer amount and diversity of material Wayne has been responsible for or part of (with hundreds of guest and mixtape appearances) might suggest he has taken over the charts by oversaturating the market. But Tha Carter III is an impressively forward-thinking album, revealing an artist who may have found his true voice, but shows no sign of settling into one predictable sound. Some have compared Wayne to everyone from Kanye West to Kurt Cobain. That is yet to be seen, but the innovative Carter III is certainly a positive step in that direction. Wayne’s “I Am Music Tour” comes to U.S. Bank Arena Saturday, featuring openers Gym Class Heroes, T Pain, Keyshia Cole and Keri Hilson. $39.75-$125.75.
Get details, buy tickets and find nearby bars and restaurants here.
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2009.