It’s been seven years since Lil Wayne dropped an installment of his legendary Tha Carter series, but the 42-year-old rapper made his return Friday with the release of Tha Carter VI—a 19-track studio album and his first solo project since 2020.
The album features a star-studded lineup including Andrea Bocelli, Bono, Kodak Black, LL Cool J, MGK, and Wyclef Jean, among others. With Tha Carter VI, Wayne is poised to add to his impressive tally of 120 million records sold worldwide.
Also on Friday, LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey took to social media to celebrate Wayne’s latest milestone.
“Congratulations @LilTunechi 💜💛🤍,” Mulkey wrote.
Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has deep Louisiana roots, having grown up in New Orleans. He also shares a strong connection with LSU star guard and rapper Flau’jae Johnson. The two collaborated last year on the track “Came Out A Beast,” which featured a cameo from Mulkey in its music video. The video has racked up over 469,000 views on YouTube. Johnson also performed at Wayne’s Lil Weezyana Fest in November.
Speaking to Billboard, the 21-year-old Johnson shared how she juggles life as a college athlete under Mulkey and a rising rapper.
“(Coach Mulkey) knows I’m going to handle my business, so she doesn’t have to worry too much about me,” Johnson said. “This year is more about being a leader now that I’m an upperclassman. She’s on me about being consistent, bringing energy every day, and setting the tone.”
Mulkey and the Tigers are aiming to build on their impressive 31-6 campaign from last season, which ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to UCLA.
