There are many artists releasing mixtapes of their original music every day, but a lot of it never makes its way to the mainstream.
Every now and then, however, an artist comes along and releases mixtapes that are just as successful as their major studio releases.
Lil Wayne mixtapes have been a major element in shaping the amazingly successful career of one amazing rapper.
Lil Wayne released his debut album in 1999 and sold over 1 million copies in the United States.
However, his next two releases were not nearly as successful.
He released several mixtapes between 2006 and 2007 and they were so great that they built up the hype for his 2008 release Tha Carter III, which went on to sell 1.
1 million copies in the first week it was available, putting Lil Wayne on the hip hop map.
There were two mixtapes in particular that stood out and the first was the 2006 Dedication 2.
It featured tracks with DJ Drama as well as the socially mindful track Georgia Bush.
The song was a comment on how President Bush handled the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and it made a huge impact on everyone who heard it.
In 2007, Lil Wayne released another mixtape called Da Drought 3.
In a smart move to make it available to as many people as possible, this mixtape was available for free legal download from the Internet.
It featured Lil Wayne rapping over beats from recent hits by other artists and was considered by Billboard Magazine to be one of the top albums of the year.
After releasing two albums that were not very successful, Lil Wayne mixtapes rejuvenated the rapper's career.
They built up such a buzz that his next album sold over a million copies after only being available for one week.
The two standout albums are still among some of his best work and continue to be enjoyed by hip hop fans around the world.