Solo Artist · Weezy
Most frequent collaborator: Byron Thomas · 78 tracks
Holds writing credit on 230 of 234 tracks
Yes, entirely. Lil Wayne writes every word he raps and holds a lyricist credit on essentially all of his tracks, from 'A Milli' to 'Mona Lisa.' Famously he does not write lyrics down; he freestyles and refines them in the booth. What he does not make are the beats, which come from outside producers, so his songs are collaborative even though the words are all his.
Across all 234 tracks: how many Lil Wayne wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Share of all 234 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lil Wayne's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
Where Lil Wayne sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Covers all 13 studio albums.
Cash Money Records / Universal
Cash Money Records / Universal
Cash Money Records / Universal
Cash Money Records / Universal
Cash Money Records / Universal
Cash Money Records / Universal Motown
Cash Money Records / Universal Republic
Cash Money Records / Universal Republic
Cash Money Records / Universal Republic
Cash Money Records / Young Money Entertainment / Republic Records
Young Money Entertainment / Cash Money Records / Republic Records
Young Money Entertainment / Cash Money Records / Republic Records
Young Money Entertainment / Republic Records
No albums from this decade.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. BT Byron Thomas · MF Mannie Fresh · BW Bryan Williams · B Birdman · C Cool · D Dre
Data Insight
The most interesting split in the dataset: Lil Wayne writes every word he performs, his lyricist credit runs at 100% across 172 tracks, but the musical compositions are built almost entirely by outside producers. Mannie Fresh defined his early Cash Money sound; Bangladesh, Jim Jonsin, and others powered Tha Carter III. The data reflects hip-hop's fundamental division between the MC, who owns the words, and the producer, who owns the beat.
Quick Facts
Creative Fingerprint
The purest rapper-producer split on the site: Lil Wayne writes every word he raps, so his lyricist credit runs near 100%, but the beats come almost entirely from outside producers.
The Story
Lil Wayne (born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) is one of the most prolific and influential rappers in hip-hop history. Signed to Cash Money Records at age nine and releasing his debut album at sixteen, Wayne built a reputation as a relentless recording machine and versatile lyricist. He writes all of his own rap verses, often freestyling and refining lyrics in the booth rather than on paper, giving him near-total lyricist credit across his catalog. His 2008 magnum opus Tha Carter III sold over one million copies in its first week, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, and cemented his status as one of the greatest rappers alive. His lyricist-to-composer ratio is a defining characteristic: he owns his words entirely while typically collaborating with external beat producers.