Rapper Lil' Wayne might be the most tweeted-about prison blogger right now. But he's not the first. How does Wayne stack up against history's immortal prison writers?

After a series of dental mishaps delayed his imprisonment, the New Orleans rapper (government name: Dwayne Carter) is finally behind bars on Rikers Island on a weapons rap. On Friday, he posted a letter to WeezyThanxYou.com, a website apparently set up for Wayne to communicate with fans in jail.

The first post is sweet and, oddly for Wayne, pretty coherent. He thanks his fans, God, and, uh, ESPN, and responds to three letter-writers by name, encouraging one girl to get her MLIS (marking the first time a rapper has ever sounded like my parents).

But this isn't all about me, you are the reason for this letter. It's because of you Rebirth went gold when critics aborted it. It's because of you Young Money is and will always be a movement. If the weight of the world is on your shoulders, I beg of you, place it on mine. That's the least I could do for you, after all you have sacrificed for me. If I could, I'd write each one of you back. Because of this, my team and I have created a website where you can view my letters. Each week I'll answer as many questions as I possibly can.

Mia Edwards (Southern California) – I wish you nothing but the best for you. Earning your Masters in Library and Information Science is beautiful. I'll keep you in mind whenever I decide to do an autobiography on my life.

But how does Wayne compare to other imprisoned writers?

Lil' Wayne
 Prison: Rikers Island
Crime: Criminal possession of a weapon
Central Message: God is good, everything happens for a reason, my fans are important to me.

St. Paul
Prisons: Ephesus, Caesarea
Crime: Proselytizing
Central Message: God is good, Jesus of Nazareth is his son, Kosher is so Old Testament.

Marquis de Sade
Prisons: Fortress of Miolans, Chateau de Vincennes, the Bastille, Charenton Hospital, Sainte-Pelagie, Bicetre
Crime: Kidnapping, rape, sodomy, blasphemy, generally being an asshole
Central Message: Pleasure and pain are but two sides of the same coin, adherence to external morality is the equivalent to slavery, anal sex is totally rad.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
 Prison: City Jail, Birmingham, Alabama
Crime: Disorderly conduct
Central Message: Civil disobedience is a moral obligation in the face of injustice, direct action is necessary, white people are disappointing.

Roger Avary
Prison: Ventura County Jail (work-relase program)
Crime: Vehicular manslaughter
Central Message: Jail is terrible, I am an asshole, Twitter should be shut down forever [not technically Avary's message].

[image via Getty]