Meet Lil Novi, Lil Wayne’s rapper son who just collaborated with North West

At just 16, Lil Novi – born Neal Carter – is a prolific musician. The son of rap legend Lil Wayne and R&B singer Nivea, Novi grew up surrounded by music and the creative energy of his parents.

Lil Novi in March. Photo: @lilnovi/Instagram

Now, with his latest collaboration alongside North West, daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Novi is making headlines as a potential rising star in hip-hop.

What is Lil Novi’s background?

Lil Wayne with three of his kids, including Lil Novi, in 2023. Photo: @liltunechi/Instagram

Lil Wayne – of course – is a five-time Grammy winner and a defining voice in rap, while Nivea made her mark in R&B in the early 2000s. As Lil Novi now seeks to carve his own path in music, he says he doesn’t think “too hard” about the nepo baby label. “I’m used to it. I just look at them as regular parents,” he told Vibe recently.

But music was an undeniable constant in the young artist’s household. “I just took inspiration from seeing my brother make his first song. When I saw that, I wanted to record and stuff. I wanted to take it seriously for real,” he said.

Novi is the youngest of four – his elder siblings being Reginae, Dwayne III and Kameron – all born to different mothers.

How did Lil Novi get into music?

Lil Novi in 2023. His father Lil Wayne took to Instagram to wish him happy birthday. Photo: @liltunechi/Instagram

Novi launched his music career in 2024, releasing his first singles “Spinach Dip” and “Taliban” that year. His first album, Bat Kave, dropped that October, followed by B4 The Albvm the following month. He has cited artists La Flame, P’ierre Bourne and Playboi Carti as his inspirations.

Since then, he has collaborated with artists such as Mag!c and K3no on the We Are Young Money Mötley Krëw album by the rap collective in 2025. He has also been steadily releasing EPs, including 2025’s Tour Life. He appears on his father’s most recent album, Tha Carter VI, on the track “Mula Komin In”.

In 2024, when he was asked who he considers the GOAT of rap, he said, “Obviously, my dad … But for me, I’d say like … [Playboi] Carti is like the Wayne now. So yeah, Carti.”