Want to go?
WHO: Lil Wayne’s The Dedication Tour with special guest Rae Sremmurd
WHERE: Nutter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Fairborn
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. Doors OPENat 6:30 p.m.
COST: $39.75, $59.75, $69.50 and $99.50
MORE INFO: 937-775-4789 or www.nuttercenter.com
ARTIST INFO: www.youngmoney.com
Naming the top modern rapper is a difficult task. Is it Kendrick Lamar? Maybe it's Drake or Kanye West? It's difficult to say for sure because those titles are subjective but no conversation on the topic would be complete without considering Lil Wayne, who brings The Dedication Tour to the Nutter Center in Fairborn on Friday, Feb. 26.
Here are 6 things you should know about Lil Wayne:
Rap prodigy: Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in New Orleans on Sept. 27, 1982. He was only 9 years old when his duo The B.G.'z joined the Cash Money Records family in 1991. He went on to a successful run as a member of the Hot Boys before going solo in 1999.
Working overtime: The 2000's was a productive period for the Louisiana native. He released a string of top-selling albums like "Lights Out" (2000), "500 Degreez" (2002) and "Tha Carter III" (2008) and scored radio hits with songs like "Go D.J." (2004) and "Lollipop" (2008). He also dropped mixtapes like "Dedication 2" (2006) and "No Ceilings" (2009) and found time for a wide variety of guest spots with everyone from Destiny's Child and Mariah Carey to Busta Rhymes and David Banner.
Label wars: The rapper has been trumpeting the release of his 12th album, "Tha Carter V," since 2013 but it continues to be delayed due to disputes between Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records. If all goes well, the album will finally be released in 2016.
More O.T.: It's not like fans have gone without new Lil Wayne product since the 2011 release of his last official studio album, "Tha Carter IV." "Believe Me" featuring Drake, the lead single from "Tha Carter V," was released in May 2014. In 2015, the rapper released the mixtapes, "Sorry 4 the Wait 2" and "No Ceilings 2," and the digital, "Free Weezy Album."
New group: On Feb. 15, Lil Wayne appeared on the "The Tonight Show," with rapper 2 Chainz backed by the Roots and duo Black Violin, which returns to town for a concert at Victoria Theatre on March 11. The rappers premiered the new song "Rolls Royce Weather Everyday," the first taste of a new collaboration called ColleGrove.
Sports talk: Lil Wayne is a massive sports fan and makes regular guest spots on ESPN programs like "Sports Center" and "First Take." On March 16, he stopped by the cable sports network's studio, where he talked to anchor Stan Verrett about ColleGrove, Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime performance and being friends with professional athletes like Chris Paul and DeSean Jackson.
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