There’s a lot to be said about Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. Some love him, some hate him, and others are fascinated by him. As an artist he had his share of controversies, but he also wears a lot of hats. He’s a rapper, a skater, a fashion designer, but most importantly he’s a businessman. There was a period in time when he was unstoppable. He sold over a million copies of Tha Carter 3 in one week, broke Elvis Presley’s record for appearances on the Hot 100, and even got a shout out from Barack Obama.

Lil Wayne’s achievements were a result of some smart moves and adapting to a changing music climate. Even if you’re not a fan of his music, there’s no denying that he did something right. When the music industry was struggling make legitimate sales, Lil Wayne found a hole in the market and used this to multiply his recognition in the music business.

via Billboard

He rose to fame while other people struggled, and then he passed the success on to his team. To find this type of success in the music industry he had to treat it like a business. In this way, he is one of the the savviest businessmen to ever be in the rap game.

The Early Days

If you look at Wayne’s early career, it was not remarkable. I remember watching MTV as a kid and hearing his verse in Juvenile’s Back That Azz Up. During the early 00’s he was establishing his name and releasing some of his early projects. These projects are generally…