: " Go D.J. ," produced by Mannie Fresh, became his first major solo hit, reaching the top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100 .
As the year closed, the conversation had changed. People stopped asking if Lil Wayne could survive without the Hot Boys. They started asking if anyone could survive in hip-hop without checking what Lil Wayne was doing. In 2004, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. didn't just sell records; he began the process of rewriting the rules of modern rap. The torch had been passed, and Wayne was running with it—braids swinging, tattoo tear drop and all. lil wayne 2004
That all changed with the release of his fourth studio album, Tha Carter , in June. : " Go D
He moved away from the "Bling Bling" era toward soulful, gritty production. People stopped asking if Lil Wayne could survive