Check out the list below to see which Lil Wayne songs have been the biggest of his still-dynamic career arc.
Down
The song was released in North America as his debut single from his first album there, All or Nothing. In other markets, including the UK, the song serves as Jay Sean's lead single from his third studio album.The track was released to US radio on 31 May 2009, and digital retailers on 30 June 2009. "Down" hit number one on the Billboard Hot Number-one single chart in the issue dated 17 October 2009, knocking The Black Eyed Peas off the top of the chart after their 26 week reign at number one.his made Jay Sean the first British act to score a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single since Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in 2008, and the fourth British act overall this decade.[8] The song has also made him "the first UK Urban act ever to top Billboard's Hot 100",[9] the ninth (second British) male solo performer to top the US charts with his debut single in the US, and the first British act to have reached No. 1 in the US and not in the UK with a song since Seal's "Kiss From a Rose" in 1995. It is also the best-selling single by a British/European male artist in North America since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" in 1997,[and the first by a British Asian artist since Freddie Mercury in 1980.
2. Lollipop
The first single from "Tha Carter III" proved to be the album's biggest hit, despite being a weird, minimal, Auto-tuned jam that few saw coming from the rising star. Lil Wayne's explicit ode to everything nasty carried a sad note with its chart rise, as the song's featured artist, Static Major, died suddenly in February 2008.3. Let It Rock
Weezy gave a huge assist (and a verse and a half) to Cash Money signee Kevin Rudolf on the smash first single from the singer-songwriter's "In The City" album. "Let It Rock," which crashed the Top 10 of the Hot 100 in 2008, has easily proven to be Rudolf's biggest hit, although he once again tapped Lil Wayne for follow-up singles "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)" and "Champions."4. Soldier
Before Lil Wayne got money and T.I. asked what we know about that, the rappers assisted the ladies of Destiny's Child on this 2004 jam from their final studio album, "Destiny Fulfilled." The song, which impressively scaled the U.S. Hot 100, found Lil Wayne still establishing his superstar potential one year before "Tha Carter II" brought him newfound buzz.5. How To Love
Lil Wayne slowed it down and scored with this "Carter IV" ballad about a
girl who can't seem to find that "forever" kind of love. Along with
semi-justifying Weezy's dip into rock with "Rebirth," "How To Love"
helped the fourth entry in Wayne's "Carter" series move 964,000 copies
in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan
6. Look At Me Now
Whatever your feelings toward Chris Brown, it's hard to say the elastic
ferocity of Diplo's beat on his "F.A.M.E." single, which scaled the pop
charts and dominated the hip-hop tally last year. Busta Rhymes runs
rampant with his verse, but Weezy drops the most revealing line: "My
pockets right and my diamonds white/And my momma's nice, and my daddy's
dead
7. Can't Believe It
In the same year that "Got Money" blasted onto the chart, T-Pain and Lil Wayne slowed things down for the first official single to the former's "The33 Ringz" album. While shots of Lil Wayne singing in Auto-tune on a ferris wheel in the music video remain comforting, that planned "T-Wayne" album is looking less and less likely.8. The Motto
Drake capped off his sophomore LP "Take Care" with winning Lil Wayne
collaborations like "HYFR" and "The Real Her," but "The Motto"
immediately stood out as a rapid-fire late-album gem. While Weezy struts
around comfortable alongside T-Minus' beat, credit must go to his
protege for coining "YOLO" on this track.
9. A Milli
Positioned as the third track on "Tha Carter III," "A Milli" was the
moment in which Wayne's breakout album became a classic. Working over
Bangladesh's indelible beat, Weezy delivers an endless stream of
quotable lyrics -- who could look at Orville Redenbacher popcorn the
same way after this song? -- and made us reconsider the difference
between goons and goblins.
10. Forever
Released on the soundtrack from the LeBron James documentary "More Than a Game," "Forever" earned the four MCs another ring on Top 40 radio. Lil Wayne takes the third quarter here, while Eminem blacks out during the finale to easily win the game.11. Got Money
The most gleeful single from "Tha Carter III," "Got Money" was an Auto-tuned party that acted as Lil Wayne's answer to Kanye West's T-Pain-assisted 2007 single "Good Life." Four years later, the bank-robbery music video is as goofy as ever.
12. I'm On One
Khaled's 2011 hip-hop summit featured a slithering beat, Drake
hopscotching between crooning and spitting, Rick Ross in full Bawse mode
and Weezy comparing himself to Pat Reilly. How could it fail? It
didn't, and Khaled's superstar friends gave him yet another hit.
13. You
Who would have known that the song Lloyd leaked himself to Atlanta
radio, back in 2010, would become he and Lil Wayne's first No. 1 on
R&B/Hip-Hop Songs? The singer's smooth mid-tempo beat took fans and
radio by storm quickly thereafter, as it made its way to No. 9 on the
Hot 100 chart.
14. 6 Foot 7 Foot
Lil Wayne hit the ground running after being released from a nine-month
prison term in late 2010. After teasing fans with two verses on
Birdman's "Fire Flame," Weezy teamed up with "A Milli" producer
Bangladesh and Cory Gunz for yet another Hot 100 top 10.
15. Right Above It
Before his nine-month prison stint, Lil Wayne recorded one his most
successful collaborative singles, "Right Above It." The "I Am Not a
Human Being" single peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 2010
16. Motivation
Kelly Rowland was re-introduced as a more sexier version of herself with last year's seductive summer slow jam, "Motivation." The Jim Jonsin-produced track wouldn't be what it is without Wayne's silly double-entendres, and "Motivation" undoubtedly helped Kelly's "Here I Am" album peak at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
17. Make It Rain
Aside from the whimsical wordplay, Lil Wayne is known to lay down an
addictive hook such as on Fat Joe's "Make It Rain." Fat Joe's first
single off "Me, Myself & I," featuring Weezy, was nominated for a
2008 Grammy Award.
18. Mrs.Cater
Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" was stocked with Hot 100 hits, including
this song dedicated to the lady-cops of the world. The song, featuring
Bobby V crooning the siren-sounding hook, was Weezy's seventh song from
the No. 1 album to chart on the Hot 100.
19. She Will
When two of Young Money's most wanted hit makers team up on a song, it's
sure to blasts its way on to the charts. "She Will," the Drake-assisted
single from "Tha Carter IV," peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and
eventually ascended to No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
20. Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
Wyclef tapped some famous friends to spin a yarn about the power of
money and its negative effects on a young lady. Interpolating the hook
of Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M.," "Sweetest Girl" was the cream of the
crop on Jean's 2007 album, "Carnival Vol. 2: Memoirs of an Immigrant."
21. Turnin On Me
Keri Hilson is now a star in the R&B/pop world, but it wasn't until
"Turnin' Me On" with Lil Wayne that the singer saw chart success. The
singer's second single, featuring Weezy spitting his signature sexual
similes, became her biggest hit until "Knock You Down."
22. Gimme That
"Gimme That," Chris Brown and Lil Wayne's first collaboration, was the
first sign of how successful of a team the two artists can be. The song
not only marked their first of many Hot 100 collaborative hits but
followed the success of Breezy's "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Run It!"
23. Go Dj
With the help of the addictive soundscapes courtesy of Mannie Fresh, "Go
DJ," the second single from "Tha Carter," became Lil Wayne's first solo
song to see the top of the charts. "Go DJ" peaked at No. 14 on the Hot
100 chart.
24. Swagga Like Us
"You can go see Weezy for word play, Jee-z for the bird play, Kanyeezy for diversity and me for controversy," T.I. closes the prolific "Paper Trail" collaborative second single. T.I. brought some of hip-hop's biggest names to the upper reaches of the Hot 100 with "Swagga Like Us," which samples M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes."
25. Duffle Bag Boy
Before 2 Chainz earned his first Billboard 200 No. 1 with "Based on a
T.R.U. Story," the rapper, then known as Tity Boi, climbed the Hot 100
chart with his and Dolla Boy's first single, "Duffle Bag Boy." Lil
Wayne, on the recognizable hook, gave Playaz Circle a most welcome lift.
26. My Life
"When you're in the studio with Wayne, you could pretty much chill, man,
because everything is so easy," Game once said of Lil Wayne. "He keeps
it 100, I keep it 100." The rappers' "easy" sonic connection on "My
Life" led them to see success across the Billboard charts (No. 21 on Hot
100, No. 4 on Rap Songs, and No. 15 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs).
27. I Can Transform Ya
Chris Brown, like Lil Wayne, is known to turn a song from ordinary to
extraordinary, so it's no surprise that when they team up, as on "I Can
Transform Ya," the collaboration will see success. The first single off
Chris Brown's "Graffiti" introduced an electronic-infused sound that
Breezy would carry throughout his following projects, and strengthen a
prosperous bromance between both rapper and singer.
28. I Made It
After finding Top 10 success with his 2008 song "Let It Rock" alongside
Weezy, Kevin Rudolf calls upon his "Cash Money heroes" for yet another
chart-climber, "I Made It."
29. Strange Clouds
B.o.B. kicks off his second studio album, of the same title, by
recruiting Weezy to join him in laying aggressive wordplay over Dr. Luke
and Cirkut's dubstep/hip-hop soundscapes. The result was another Hot
100 hit for both artists.
