Lil Wayne started his solo career in 1999 with the launch of the album Tha Block is Hot, eventually going double platinum. His second album Lights Out went gold and started working closely with the CEO of Cash Money, Birdman. He released 500 Degreez in 2002 to show his loyalty to Birdman and then released an underground mixtape in 2003 called Da Drought. After receiving a lot of attention from hip-hop press, he continued to release countless mixtapes in anticipation of his album releases. Tha Carter was released in 2004 and started a new series of critically-acclaimed projects. In 2005, Tha Carter II was a huge success selling over a quarter-million copies the week of its release. Tha Carter III arrived in 2007 and sold more than a million copies in its first week. Wayne revealed his Young Money crew by releasing the underground mixtape, Young Money is the Army, Better Yet the Navy in 2010. Tha Carter IV was released in 2011 and reached the top spot on the Billboard 200. Lil Wayne continued to release mixtapes and in 2016, he released his Free Weezy Album followed by Dedication 6, hosted by DJ Drama. Wayne’s oft-delayed Tha Carter V finally dropped on September 2018 lead by singles “Uproar” and “Don’t Cry,” rapidly climbing the Billboard charts.