New Orleans, LA, is known for its rich history and culture. From Mardi Gras to the rich food scene, the city is top-tier for making its mark and taking up space. And this is evident through its people. One prominent example is the Hip-Hop dynasty of Cash Money Records, namely the self-proclaimed best rapper alive – Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter, Jr.
Lil Wayne hit the scene as a member of the group Hot Boys and eventually went on to enjoy a lucrative and successful career as a solo artist. This era was specifically documented with his series of “Carter” albums.
Across that album sequence, Lil Wayne was able to produce hits such as “Go DJ,” “Mrs. Officer,” and “6 Foot 7 Foot.” And if you tally all of his chart-topping hits, Billboard recorded him having 109 songs to hit the charts, giving him the title of the male artist with the most entries at one point. He was only knocked off that crown by his former label mate and Young Money protégé Drake.
But with so much success, the Louisiana rapper found himself in hot water with the IRS. A previous report from AfroTech outlined how he once had a $14,194,944 tax debt bill. However, his fellow rap colleague and Hip-Hop’s top billionaire Jay-Z pulled him out of that multimillion-dollar hole.
“There’s people like Jay-Z. He helped me when I was really, really, really down. Really, really, really down,” Wayne said to a crowd during a performance in Chicago. “Jay don’t want me to tell nobody. That man helped me with my taxes. He’s a real friend, y’all.”
This admission could explain why Carter didn’t buy into what the internet says about his net worth. According to Insider, Lil Wayne said he had nothing close to what the sites shared was his net worth of over $150 million. Celebrity Net Worth says that number is closer to $170 million.
“Honestly, I’m gonna let everybody know now, when you go check a motherf-cker’s net worth and that shit be saying some crazy numbers, I don’t have a cent close to that sh-t,” Carter said in an interview on “The Nine Club” in 2016.
It’s fair to assume that Lil Wayne’s overall asset balance and what information was on the internet didn’t match. And this is why he was hard-pressed on his agent about what the public could assume about his wealth.
“So I be always calling my agent and being like, ‘I’m telling you, bro, I’m gonna fire the sh-t out of you,” he continued. “I Googled that. You know what I mean? I’m like, I’m a zillion-dollar rapper on Google, bro. It’s motivation, that’s all. It’s just motivation.”
Nerd Wallet explains that net worth is calculated by subtracting liabilities from assets. But this does not mean that those with high incomes have more significant net worths. Or, in Lil Wayne’s case, people with more modest current earnings have lower net worths.
“People with modest incomes can accumulate significant wealth and a high net worth if they buy appreciating assets and are prudent savers,” Nerd Wallet explains.
Now that some time has passed and his tax troubles are behind him, Lil Wayne has continued to be successful in music, releasing a compilation album, “I Am Music,” which dropped on March 31, 2023.
But music isn’t the only thing that makes up the “I Need A Hot Girl” rapper’s wealth value. Let’s look into what makes up Carter’s fortune.
