Lil Wyte

Early life

Growing up in Frayser, Lil Wyte discovered his rapping talent at a young age as he could rap Sir Mix-a-Lot's entire song "Baby Got Back" completely. He participated in freestyle battles at high school when he was in ninth grade. Lanshaw rapped with his friend "Lil Black", who inspired him to use the pseudonym "Lil Wyte" and write songs instead of freestyling.

Lanshaw dropped out of high school twice due to truancy. After the third time of dropping out, he went to a different school and eventually earned his high school diploma.

Music career

Lil Wyte was part of an all-white hip hop group, the Shelby Forest Click. Subsequently, the group's home-made demo tapes came to the attention of Three 6 Mafia. Juicy J and DJ Paul (one song in particular is said to have gotten him signed with a song titled Memphiz Playaz.) signed the rapper and worked later with his debut album.

Lil Wyte appeared on Project Pat's song "Crash da Club" from his album Layin' da Smack Down in 2002. His debut album Doubt Me Now was released in 2003 and it became popular, selling over 135,000 copies without promotion. The album Doubt Me Now featured Juvenile, Three 6 Mafia, Frayser Boy, La Chat and Josey Scott. The album had 3 popular songs "Oxycotton", "My Smoking Song", and "Acid". Lil Wyte signed a record deal with Asylum Records and recorded second album Phinally Phamous, which was released in October 2004 and sold over 230,000 copies. It featured Three 6 Mafia, Dirtbag, Frayser Boy, and Josey Scott. He was featured on the single "Who Gives A Fuck Where You From" from DJ Kayslays album. Also making many tunes with Juicy J.

His style has been described as quick-rapping, "machine gun-like delivery". Lil Wyte described his style: "I've always felt like I was a pretty complex rapper to be from the South - I feel like I put a lot into my music."

After years of touring, promoting and recording his third studio album The One and Only was released on June 5, 2007. It featured Project Pat, and Three 6 Mafia. He released his fourth album The Bad Influence on August 25, 2009 which is his only album without any features.

The song "Who I Iz" by Three 6 Mafia featuring Lil Wyte and Trillville was featured on the PC game Saints Row.

Even though his solo albums have charted low on Billboard 200, they found much bigger success on U.S. R&B always getting into the top 20 except for Doubt Me Now, and U.S. Rap so far always getting into the top 5 except for Doubt Me Now.

He also performed on the Gathering of the Juggalos in 2010, 2011, 2012, and on the main stage in 2013. In 2012, he recorded for Insane Clown Posse's cover album Smothered, Covered & Chunked along with Anybody Killa, appearing on "Mind Playin' Tricks On Me", a cover of the Geto Boys song. He currently released his highly anticipated fifth studio album Still Doubted?. It is confirmed that he worked with I-20, Big K.R.I.T., Kansas City Missouri rappers Tech N9ne and Young Keese, having Young Keese make an appearance on his mixtape titled Da Wyte Out, and that he would like to work with Twista, Slaughterhouse, D12, Young Buck, Bun B, Yelawolf, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, and Chamillionaire, and he has also asked a lot of rappers on Twitter to work with him. The first single is "Sike" which also appeared on his Wyte Christmas 3 mixtape. It is planned to be released On June 19, 2012. He was out on the "Still Doubted?" Tour throughout the United States. Currently he is working on his collaboration album with JellyRoll called "No Filter". It will be released on July 16, 2013. The first single is "Break Da Knob Off" produced by The Colleagues. Lil Wyte confirmed a mixtape called July 16th to be released on June 25. The mixtape is related to the album and the title is the album's release date. The first track is U.O.E.N.O. Freestyle, a freestyle over the track U.O.E.N.O. by Rocko. On August 13 he announced on Twitter that he will be recording his next solo album titled No Sick Days. He confirmed it to be released in early 2014. He also worked on a collaboration album with rapper Frayser Boy titled B.A.R. (Bay Area Representatives) and the 4th part of Wyte Christmas mixtape which was released on the 24 of December. On the mixtape he confirmed that his solo album "No Sick Days" will be released on the 20th of April. Also on the 20th of December Lil Wyte and JellyRoll both uploaded a picture of them in the studio confirming that a part 2 of No Filter is in works. A week after the release of his solo album No Sick Days he confirmed working on his next album titled "Overworked and Underpaid". On the 22nd of July he released a mixtape with DJ Hylyte titled Wyte Lytes which contained songs from previous Lil Wyte albums and from the Witch EP by Gangsta Boo and La Chat. On the outro of the mixtape he said he is planning to release Overworked and Underpaid late 2014 or early 2015. He is currently working on an EP called Stonertown EP which is fully produced by T-Stoner. He revealed the cover of the EP also adding that it will soon be released. Lil Wyte is currently planning on touring the Southern United States with underground hip hop artist Statik G for the "Red Wyte and Booze SPRING BREAK tour!" in March 2017 near the release of No Filter II.

Personal life

Lil Wyte passed up the opportunity of writing the song It's Hard out Here for a Pimp because he couldn't relate to the lyrics of having more than one woman.

Lil Wyte used three strains of marijuana to create his own strain of medical cannabis called OG WYTE Kush. It's available in 11 states. The three original strains are Og Kush, White Widow and Grand Daddy Purp.

In 2012 he was arrested in Clarksville, Tennessee for DUI and drug possession.

Discography

Mixtapes