Love him or hate him, Lil Wayne remains paid.
From the minute his career launched in 1995 — when he was the all of twelve-years-old — he’s remained at the top of the charts. He first hit it big as part of the Hot Boys collective (that also launched the career of Juvenile), then exploded when he finally went solo.
Lil Wayne has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide. These sales records, according to the RIAA, make him one of the world’s best-selling artists. On Sept. 27, 2012, he dethroned Elvis as the male artist with the most entries on the Billboard charts, with 109 songs. It’s a record that he held until 2017, when fellow Young Money alum Drake shattered that record with 154 songs (Drake, as of this writing, still holds the record to this day).
All of this success has certainly paid off for the New Orleans native. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lil Wayne has a net worth of $170 million, and he’s an artist that certainly knows how to diversify his investments. Between 2007 and 2018, he made a career total salary of more than $200 million, and despite his few falterings, he knows how to hold his own.
Let’s take a look at how Lil Wayne has made his money through the years.
Young Money Entertainment
The most successful of all of Lil Wayne’s ventures is the Young Money Entertainment record label, which was founded by Lil Wayne back in 2005. Co-founded with fellow rapper and lifelong friend Mack Maine, Young Money Entertainment launched the careers of Nicki Minaj, Drake, DJ Khaled and others. The label has produced fourteen albums that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, and according to High Snobiety, Lil’ Wayne sold the catalogue to Universal Music Group for a staggering $100 million.
TRUKFIT
TRUKFIT, or “The Reason U Kill For It,” is a clothing line that was first launched by Lil Wayne back in early 2012. Like his shoe line, TRUKFIT is a clothing line designed for skaters and skater culture. The line is still available through the Grailed clothing website.
Tunechi Beats By Dre
Back in October 2012, Lil Wayne teamed up with Beats by Dre to launch his own Tunechi Beats by Dre proprietary headphones line. Although it’s no longer available today, they retailed for more than $300 a pair at the height of their popularity.
SPECTRE by SUPRA
The Spectre by SUPRA shoe line is Lil Wayne’s brain-child, which he first started designing all the way back in 2012. It’s a vulcanized skater shoe that’s popular amongst the skater crowd to this day!
Books
In 2013, shortly after he was sentenced to a year at New York’s infamous Riker’s Island for gun possession, Lil Wayne began penning “Gone ‘Til November,” a journal which chronicled his life behind bars. The book was an instant best-seller.
Bogey Cigars
Formerly known as Bogey Blunts, Lil Wayne first got involved with Bogey Cigars all the way back in 2008, at the height of his rap career. They’re currently available all over the country, wherever your favorite tobacco products are sold.
Real Estate
In 2018, Lil’ Wayne dropped $17 million on what Orlando Weekly called a “mega-mansion” in Miami. “Located just off the coast of Miami Beach on Allison Island, this impressive 10,632-square-foot pad boasts seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It also features a personal theater, an elevator, a pool with cabana house, an outdoor kitchen, custom Italian cabinetry in the kitchen with Subzero and Wolf appliances, and even a staff quarters,” they reported.
The outlet also pointed out that Weezy previously purchased a house in Miami for $10 million all the way back in June 2017. Although Lil Wayne paid $11.6 million when he bought the first Miami house back in 2011, he also sunk “millions of dollars” into the property before ultimately selling it. So, he took a pretty hefty loss on the sale of the property.
Lil Wayne also has a Hidden Hills mansion that he bought in April 2021. The mansion was built in 2019, and Weezy paid $15.4 million for the property, according to The Dirt. He bought the house after he split up with his now-ex, Denise Bidot.
