Lil' Wayne is the influence behind this current generation of hip-hop artist, which some could argue is not a good thing but there are few musical runs in any genre that can stand next to the New Orleans-born hip-hop artist. During an interview in the '90s, Lil Wayne stated that he was going to be the best rapper alive and a decade later he proved just that by releasing an insane amount of great music in only a couple years span.
His rise to prominence as a solo artist started with his 2004 album, Tha Carter and after that, he never looked back. He could be considered the mixtape king and one of the hardest working members in the hip-hop community to this very day despite the fact that he's currently being held hostage by his Cash Money record label led by Bryan 'Birdman' Williams. Will Lil' Wayne's Tha Carter V album ever see the light of day? Who knows.