Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana), better known by many as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. Formerly a member of the rap group Hot Boy$, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager. Get It How U Live, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne’s first album with Hot Boy$. Lil' Wayne's first solo album, Tha Block is Hot (1999), was certified platinum. His following albums, Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002), went gold.