Press Play: Rapper Lil Wayne marks life and career milestone

Related

By Mike McCray

Rapper Lil Wayne turned 30 last week and found one more reason to believe he's the "Best Rapper Alive."

The New Orleans native surpassed Elvis Presley for the most appearances by a male artist on the Hot 100 as rapper Game's "Celebration" hit the chart at No. 82. Lil Wayne performs on "Celebration," which also features Chris Brown, Tyga and Wiz Khalifa. This marks his 109th appearance on the Hot 100 chart. Presley held the previous record of 108, having amassed that total between 1958 and 2003.

It's hard to imagine the rapper is only 30, since Lil Wayne has been a part of the hip-hop lexicon since Cash Money Records exploded in the late 1990s. Then again, the rapper was only 17 in 1999 when my middle-school friends and I ran out to buy his debut, "Tha Block Is Hot," which went platinum. (Only one of us could score the explicit version.)

Billboard points out that Lil Wayne's 13-year sprint to the throne is due in large part to his frequent collaborations. Only 42 of his 109 singles are his own.

The Associated Press reports that the "Glee" cast has the most overall Hot 100 appearances, with 204.

Still, the rapper's string of hits over the past decade can't be overlooked. All nine of his studio albums have gone gold or platinum. His 2008 release, "Tha Carter III," sold 3.6 million copies, despite being massively pirated. That release shattered the industry's myth that no artist could do major numbers in the digital era.

Lil Wayne is also the man to thank/blame for the term "bling bling," which out-of-touch parents everywhere still use in referen! ce to an ything shiny.

Also last week, the rapper opened a skate park, Trukstop, in the Lower Ninth Ward of his hometown. Trukstop was a collaboration between Wayne, Mountain Dew and Glu Agency to build something in one of the most devastated parts of the city after Hurricane Katrina. The project is part of their DEWeezy program, and the name plays off his clothing line, Trukfit, which is available in Macy's.

We recently wrote about a UNC-Charlotte freshman designing the cover for his latest mix tape, "Dedication 4," which dropped earlier this month.

Not a bad way to bring in the big 3-0.

Download: J. Capri - 'Plagues'

There's new music from North Carolina rapper J. Capri. "Plagues" is set against an apocalyptic backdrop, with the Raleigh native shunning the big-time guest features of his previous mix tape, "Bornstars." Instead, he has just one guest appearance by Abdul Jabbar on the track "The Reckoning."

"Bornstars" was released in January, and it was positively received behind powerhouse guest features from Kendrick Lamar and John Connor, and with the North Carolina touches of Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother.

You can stream or download "Plagues" at the Press Play blog.

Staff writer Mike McCray can be reached at 609-0649 or mccraym@fayobserver.com.