Lil Wayne

USA, 1995–now

New Orleans rapper (Dwayne Carter), one of the best-selling and most influential hip-hop artists of his era. The Tha Carter series and a torrent of mixtapes made his inventive, punchline-heavy style a template for modern rap.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Lil Wayne and 2 artists Lil Wayne influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Lil Wayne?

• 2Pac — Lil Wayne has repeatedly named Tupac as his greatest inspiration — Tupac's charisma, prolificacy and emotional directness shaped Wayne's style.
• OutKast — OutKast's inventive Southern hip-hop helped open the lane for the New Orleans/Southern rap Lil Wayne came up in.

Which artists did Lil Wayne influence?

• Kendrick Lamar — Lil Wayne's punchline writing is among the styles Kendrick absorbed growing up in the 2000s.
• Migos — Lil Wayne's inventive, ad-lib-rich Southern rap and mixtape dominance shaped the melodic, punchline-driven flows Migos popularized.