At the age of 12, he put a gun to his chest and pulled the trigger. Laying on the floor, he almost bled to death if Robert Hoobler – an off-duty police officer – didn’t come to save him. From that point on, the boy’s life was changed forever. Now, he is known as “the best rapper alive” by countless fans across the globe and still affectionately refers to his savior as “uncle Bob”. Yes, you know who I am talking about: Lil’ Wayne, the 5-time Grammy winner. There are many things we can say about him: He’s a rapper unlike any other, a mixtape master who drops albums that defy standards. He’s done more guest spots than most rappers would ever dream of and is worth more money than you’d ever imagine. On and on. Still, there is a question that will confuse even his most loyal fans: ‘How tall is Lil’ Wayne?’
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So, How Tall Is Lil’ Wayne Really?
There are so many rappers who call themselves “Lil” out there. It stands for “little”, of course, but that nickname doesn’t always refer to their statures.
In certain communities, especially African-Americans, nicknames are more prevalent. Among them, “little” or “big” are the most common ones. It is not strange to see a kid being referred to as “Little Sammy”, or “Big Sammy” if he is an older child. For example, when Tupac’s character Lucky in “Poetic Justice” pretends to be a family member in the reunion he stumbles on, he says “I’m Lucky… remember Lil Lucky?”.
Rappers end up taking these nicknames as their stage names, and “little” is shortened to “Lil” since that’s how it sounds phonetically in many accents or dialects. That said, some of the “Lil” rappers are, in fact, not little at all. Just look at Lil Nas X, who stands a good 6’2 or around 185cm, you will know what I mean.
But for Lil Wayne, the greatest among the “Lils”, his name definitely gives us a slight clue to his height. We all know that he is one of the smaller rappers in the game, yet ‘how tall is Lil Wayne exactly?’ still makes a debatable question.
This is because the star gives out inconsistent height claims in various songs. Precisely, in the 2009 hit “The Only Reason”, Wheezy raps: “I’m only 5’8″ and y’all short to me”. This line later became his trademark, but whether or not he really stood 5’8’’ was yet to be confirmed. Two years later, in “President Carter”, he gave another statement regarding his measurements, saying “140 pounds, 5’6 from the ground”. Finally, in 2012’s “Pop That”, Wayne once again embraced his height: ”I’m 5’5″ but I could six nine”.
Now, let’s compare Lil Wayne’s posture to other celebrities to see which claim is closest to the truth:
Lil Wayne And Kevin Hart’s Face-Off Explicit
The 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards saw one of the most exciting rap battles: Lil Wayne VS. Kevin Hart’s rap alter ego Chocolate Droppa. Beyond that, it gave us a chance to compare their heights. When on the same stage, Wayne has a clear height advantage over the 5’2” Kevin. Now we know that all the rumors about him being below 5’3’’ is ridiculous.
If someone can prove that height doesn’t matter to an artist, that’s Kendrick Lamar. In case you wonder how tall he is, Lamar stands only 5’4.5’’, making him one of the shortest rappers in the industry.
On collaborating on the song “Mona Lisa”, when Lamar and Wayne are pictured next to each other, Wayne has a clear 1-inch height advantage. This puts our Wheezy at 5’5.5″ tall.
Finally, we look at the height gap between Lil Wayne and Eminem. Standing next to the “Lose Yourself” artist (whose height is 5’8”), Wayne appears to be 3 inches shorter. This puts Wayne again at around 5’5″ tall.
So, to answer the question ‘How tall is Lil Wayne?’, I’d say he is somewhere between 5’5’’ and 5’5.5’’. His height claim in “Pop That” is likely the truth, and it’s great to see Wayne (as well as other short rappers) seem to be open about their heights more than any other genre of music.
6 Untold Truths About The “A Milli” Rapper
Aside from his height, Lil Wayne’s personal life also piques our curiosity. His bold and quotable rap lines along with deep storytelling make all of us wonder: Who is he off the stage, really? Well, we’ve put together a list of little-known facts about Wheezy so you can understand a bit more about this tiny but mighty man.
Lil’ Wayne Is A True Libra
What is Lil Wayne’s zodiac sign, you ask? The rapper was born on September 27, 1982, making him a true Libra. People who are born under this sign are known for their charm and creativity – kind of perfect for the stage, no? From Kim Kardashian to Bob Odenkirk, there are a number of Libra celebrities who perfectly embody this air sign. Now you know that Lil Wayne is part of the club!
He Started Rapping At The Age Of 9
You might think 10 years old is too young to kickstart a career, but Lil Wayne proves otherwise: He wrote his first rap song when he was 9 years old. A year later, he met rapper and founder of Cash Money Records, Bryan “Baby” William (mostly known by his stage name Birdman). Birdman became the young boy’s mentor and encouraged his love for hip-hop.
Since then, Wayne was featured in some Cash Money tracks. That served as a stepping stone for him to put out his first album, “Get It How You Live”, at the age of 16.
Lil Wayne’s “Get It How You Live”
The Gunshot Wound He Has Always Referred To As An “Accident” Is Actually A Suicide Attempt
Lil Wayne might be lucky to have found himself a mentor. Nonetheless, for such a young kid who hailed from one of the poorest neighborhoods of New Orleans, the road to chasing his dream wasn’t easy. The 5-time Grammy winner had always referred to his gunshot wound as an “accident” until he admitted on an unnamed track from his 2018 album “Tha Carter V” that it was a suicide attempt.
Lil Wayne Opens Up About Childhood Suicide Attempt And Mental Health Awareness
“When I was told that I couldn’t have what I wanted, what I dreamed of and what I desired and that was to rap,” Wayne said. “I was willing to die for it.”
He Was Only 16 When His First Baby Was Born
Luckily, he was saved, because just a few years later, 15-year-old Wayne was already more successful than most of us when we are 40. He had obtained his GED, became a platinum rap artist, and went on a lot of tours. As a result, Wheezy was always on the go, and his mom started to develop early empty nest syndrome.
In an attempt to get her baby back in the house, she convinced him to have a child with his high school sweetheart, Antonia “Tonya” Wright. The two had a daughter together, who they named Reginae Carter.
Now, the rapper share 4 children with 4 different women: 21-year-old Reginae, 11-year-old Dwayne Carter III, 10-year-old Kameron, and 10-year-old Neal Carter. In 2020, little Kameron’s mother Karen London posted a photo of her son in the studio, with a caption that said: “King Cam Carter, you are the reason.” This special photo made the fans get emotional because it seemed like he would follow in his father’s footsteps.
He Planned To Retire At The Age Of 35
If you are thinking 35 is too young to retire, I got you. Nonetheless, Lil Wayne has been on that grind for years. Considering that he started working at the age of 9, he has been putting in a solid few decades of hard work.
“This is what happens when you work very, very hard. People think that when you say you work hard, they think you put two extra hours in. This is my life,” said the rapper. “That’s why retiring at 35 would be a life lived, because this music thing is my life.”
And we really thought he would, because, for half a decade, Lil Wayne almost faded into the hip-hop backdrop. His follow-up record, “Tha Carter V”, spent five years in stasis, teased and prepped for release but nowhere to be seen. Eventually, it dropped in 2018, treating hip-hop fans to a magnum opus featuring collabs with Kendrick Lamar and Drake, as well as a 31-strong tracklist with a verse or two from Soulja Boy, DJ Mustard, and even Justin Bieber.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkLLeOCOQ3w
From “Tha Carter V”: Don’t Cry ft. XXXTENTACION
Can You Guess How Much His Net Worth Is?
But even if the rapper decided to put down the mic, we could see why: As of 2022, Lil Wayne already obtained for himself a whopping net worth of $150 million. That makes him one of the richest rappers in the world, just after Ice Cube with a $160 million fortune and Drake with his $160 million.
Of course, our Wheezy does know how to spend his money. Wayne is known to drive a black Bugatti Veyron that reaches 60mph in 2.5 seconds. Additionally, he is also a huge fan of Dr. Dre’s headphones and has been spotted wearing a diamond pair of Beats headphones. The head-wear cost Lil Wayne around $1 million. He is also clearly a fan of diamonds, so what’s the better way to keep an eye on the time than with a $1 million diamond watch?
“All Hail Wheezy, Call It Bad Weather!”
Now that you got the answer for ‘How tall is Lil Wayne?’, you now know that the “Sucker For Pain” rapper is one of the smaller (and more appropriately nicknamed) rappers in the game. However, he has made up for it with his lyrical prowess and prodigious output. He’s a giant in his field, even if he’s shorter than most of his peers.
After all, hip-hop is all about reinvention and telling the world how you wish to be perceived. As such, Weezy’s song “6 Foot 7 Foot” does a better job than any tape measurer.
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