Lil Wayne
The sound, the look—you know Lil Wayne.
From syrup to collabs with everyone from Chris Brown to Cash Money, to being in Hot Boys. Putting Drake on and countless cultural moments, including “Bling Bling.”
Yet, admittedly, I never really got into Lil Wayne. Loved the Bling Bling era and Hot Boys. Tha Carter? Free Weezy? I passed.
That is this post. Why?
Last night I caught my first episode of Friends Keep Secrets, hosted by Lil Dicky and Benny Blanco, plus Lil Dicky’s wife, I believe.
For the uninitiated, Lil Dicky is a funny rapper—from songs about his penis, to his TV show, to being broke—not exactly the gangster rap we grew up with. Benny Blanco is a music producer, most recently linked to Selena Gomez as her husband, but an important music impresario in his own right.
So when they had Lil Wayne on their candid, living-room aesthetic of a show, I tuned in.
A good friend of mine had told me about the show earlier this year. The seed was planted. By then I’d already watched what felt like every MythBusters episode and every Homeworthy NYC episode, lol.
Lil Wayne was insanely real. Appreciative. Collaborative with Dicky and Blanco. Ripping blunt after blunt as the trio peppered Wayne with questions about the creative process and his career beginning at seven years old.
Lil Wayne’s responses were so endearing that I even paused the episode to grab water because I didn’t want to miss a second.
I found the whole episode nostalgic, wondering why I had slept on Lil Wayne for almost two decades.
About four years ago, I went down an MGK rabbit hole.
After MGK did the “Rap Devil” diss against Eminem, I went to an MGK concert. I met MGK, and to say I was starstruck is still an embarrassment. I’ll save that story for a different day.
Point is, during MGK’s transition from rap to rock, he did a collab with Lil Wayne. In an interview, MGK talked about sending Wayne a beat for a feature. He said Lil Wayne kept everyone in the studio waiting, then eventually pulled up, laid down the verse, and left.
The song was “Ay!” on the Mainstream Sellout album.
I remember hearing that story four years ago—MGK, Lil Wayne, and Wayne’s creative process.
So when Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky started talking about collaborating with other artists, Lil Wayne’s response was so telling of the man and the artist.
Wayne said something to the effect of, when Dicky asked, “Are there some songs you won’t do a feature on?”
“No,” Wayne answered.
Then he explained why.
“That’s art. That’s the artist’s canvas. How can I say no? I was invited. I’m not anything but honored that you want to share your art with me.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Too many times we lead with opinions and limiting beliefs instead of first appreciating the collaborative nature of human connection—art, music, food, whatever it may be.
I don’t know if that last line landed.
I’ll close with this: I added Hot Boys and “I Need a Hot Girl” back onto my running playlist.
And now, I’m officially in a Lil Wayne rabbit hole.