From kiddie rapper to the industry's hottest artist, here are 10 landmarks in the career of Lil Wayne, who will perform Monday at Target Center in Minneapolis. October 1997: The arrival. Alongside fellow Cash Money Records labelmates Juvenile, B.G. and Turk, 15-year-old Lil Wayne -- born Dwayne Michael Carter -- makes his debut on the Hot Boys' first album, "Get It How U Live!" The New Orleans foursome goes on to release two more albums, 1999's "Guerrilla Warfare" and 2003's "Let 'Em Burn." Wayne, meanwhile, becomes a fixture on Cash Money with hits such as "Project Chick," B.G.'s "Bling Bling" and the Big Tymers' "#1 Stunna."

November 1999: "Tha Block Is Hot" is released. Wayne's solo debut is largely a round-robin affair, with his Hot Boys and Cash Money posse members chiming in on more than half the cuts. Wayne has yet to mature as an artist, but the title track catches fire with listeners and pushes the album to a respectable 1.4 million sales.

June 2004: "The best rapper alive," but with a caveat. Wayne's fourth album signals a creative rebirth, as the rapper's stock had dipped with the lackluster solo efforts "Lights Out" (2000) and "500 Degreez" (2002). On "Tha Carter," his wordplay is much sharper and his newfound confidence staggering. On the track "Bring It Back," he calls himself "the best rapper alive since the best rapper retired," a reference to Jay-Z's short-lived 2003 retirement. The boast here is wildly premature but hints at greatness to come.

November 2004: A "Soldier" enlists. Appearing on Destiny's Child's street-leaning single "Soldier," Wayne steals the show with his "call him Weezy F. Baby, please say the 'Baby' " line. From this point onward, Wayne makes himself hip-hop's unofficial Cameo King, appearing on a barrage of tracks from dozens, if not hundreds, of artists (if Wayne isn't on your track, you must not have paid him). He makes himself so ubiquitous that you can't help but take notice, and his croaky delivery becomes as familiar to hip-hop's sound as hand claps or rattling drums.

December 2005: No more asterisk. On "Best Rapper Alive," a track from "Tha Carter II," Wayne continues his argument that he's the best in the biz, but without the "since the best rapper retired" caveat. Fueled by the single "Fireman," the album sells 1.5 million copies.

May 2006: A "Dedication" to George W. Bush. Wayne becomes a fixture on the underground mixtape circuit, and further asserts his lyrical dominance on the "Dedication" series of mixtapes with DJ Drama. The highly acclaimed "Dedication 2" disc closes with "Georgia ... Bush," a lament for Wayne's hometown of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The song unfolds over a sample of Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind," and features several pointed jabs at President Bush and his handling of the disaster. For a rapper often accused of talking about little besides his own greatness, it's a sizable leap forward.

May 2007: "Da Drought 3" floods the marketplace. By 2007 Wayne has begun convincing others of his self-appointed Best Rapper Alive title, and he proves it on this seminal mixtape. The two-disc set -- released for free on the Internet -- features Wayne rapping over familiar instrumentals from Gnarls Barkley, Beyoncé and more, and easily, breezily making each track his own. Anticipation continues to build for what's set to be his magnum opus, "Tha Carter III."

July 2007: MTV names Wayne the "Hottest MC in the Game." In a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, MTV's influential poll of industry movers and shakers places Wayne at the top of hip-hop's mountain, above such heavyweights as Kanye West and OutKast's Andre 3000. By Wayne's clock, they're only three years too late.

June 2008: "Tha Carter III" sells "A Milli." After months of anticipation (and several delays), "Tha Carter III" -- driven by the No. 1 hit "Lollipop" -- becomes the first album to sell 1 million copies in a week since 50 Cent's "The Massacre" in 2005. It goes on to be 2008's best-selling album, selling 2.75 million copies to date, while topping innumerable critics' polls.

December 2008: Grammy calls. Lil Wayne receives a field-leading eight Grammy nominations, including album of the year for "Tha Carter III." Talk swirls of -- you guessed it -- "Tha Carter IV."