Pro skaters Torey Pudwill, Keelan Dadd, Yosef Ratleff & more surprised the rapper
Over the holiday weekend, music legend Lil Wayne was gifted with his own “pro model” skateboard, which includes an image of Lil Wayne accompanied by some of his best lyrics. Pro skaters Torey Pudwill, Keelan Dadd, Yosef Ratleff and more surprised Wayne at a private skatepark. Phil Lopez, Young Money Skate videographer, wanted to reward Wayne for all his hardwork and dedication he’s put into the craft over the past decade.
“This was a Christmas gift, but I decided to turn it into a surprise because it would be more meaningful that way. As Wayne’s videographer, I wanted to do something special for him that he’d remember. I approached Torey, owner of ThankYOUSkateCo, with the board design, and he was able to help execute the production process,” says YM Skate videographer Phillip Lopez.
In the holiday spirit, Wayne and his business partner/Young Money Entertainment President Mack Maine also gave back to their hometown of New Orleans by inviting 150 kids to celebrate A Weezy Christmas at Dave & Busters. They partnered with Wilson Sporting Goods to provide the attendees top-of-the-line equipment across the following sports: basketball, football, baseball, soccer, and tennis.
Lil Wayne rewrote the entire game in his image. The 5x Grammy Award-winning multiplatinum rap icon, Young Money Entertainment founder, acclaimed author, skater, philanthropist, and history-making superstar left an indelible tattoo on the culture. By 2020, he cemented his legacy forever as “one of the best-selling artists of all time,” tallying sales in excess of 100 million records worldwide with 25 million albums and 90 million digital tracks sold in the United States alone. In 2022, Wayne earned his first Diamond certification from the RIAA with his generational smash hit “Lollipop” featuring Static Major. Not to mention, he garnered 11 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two MTV VMAs, and eight NAACP Image Awards. Among many milestones, he emerged as “the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100,” logging a staggering 183 entries – the 3rd most of all time.
With a discography highlighted by five career spanning No. 1 debuts beginning with 2008’s 6x Platinum, 3x Grammy Award-winning opus Tha Carter III and its 5x Platinum, 2011 successor Tha Carter IV, he released the latest version of the series – Tha Carter V – in 2018. Not only did it clinch No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but it also achieved “the second-largest streaming week for an album in history.” Every song on the tracklisting charted on the Billboard Hot 100 as he became “the first artist to debut two songs in the top 5.” It all bulldozed the way for his 13th full-length, Funeral, a year later. Simultaneously, Wayne owns and operates Young Money Entertainment as CEO. The company ignited the careers of two of the most successful artists ever — Drake and Nicki Minaj. The committed philanthropist founded The One Family Foundation too.
