The rap sensation Lil’ Wayne was born with talent and despite being born into Southern poverty, he never took his talent for granted and pursued a career so few ever become successful at. We can learn a lot from Lil’ Wayne, who never gave up and has risen to the heights some of us only get to dream of. Here are some interesting facts about Lil’ Wayne.

Fact 1: His real name is Dwayne Carter. He was born on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans Louisiana. He grew up in Hollygrove, one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

Fact 2: His talent appeared early. He started writing rap songs at age 8.

Fact 3: His is a Christian, specifically Roman Catholic.

Fact 4: His first album is almost entirely curse-free due to the wishes of his mother.

Fact 5: In 2009 he won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance (‘œA Milli’), Best Rap Performance by a duo or group (‘œSwagga Like Us’), Best Rap Album (‘œTha Carter III’), and Best Rap Song (‘œLollipop’).

Fact 6: His diamond teeth are permanent.

Fact 7: Before going solo he was part of the rap group Hot Boys. Their first album sold 400,000 copies.

Fact 8: He once sold crack for a living and accidentally shot himself in the chest with his mother’s gun.

Fact 9: He dropped out of school at thirteen to pursue his rap career full time, although he was a straight A student.

Fact 10: He had a daughter when he was sixteen.

Fact 11: He is covered in tattoos. In fact, he has so many tattoos that he is often referred to as a ‘œwalking museum’. He even has tattoos on his face.

Fact 12: On August 14, 2006 he was arrested for possession of marijuana and unlabeled bottles of generic Xanax.