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Cool interview few weeks after C2.
Says he wants Nas, Jada and Em on the Best Rapper Alive (Remix)
Talks about Reel & BG
Ghostwriting for Trina, Diddy & Birdman
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Says he wants Nas, Jada and Em on the Best Rapper Alive (Remix)
Talks about Reel & BG
Ghostwriting for Trina, Diddy & Birdman
Lil Wayne: Yo!
WordofSouth.com: What's up man. What's going on?
Lil Wayne: What's poppin'?
WordofSouth.com: You pushed $240,000 your first week for The Carter 2, how you feeling about that?
Wayne: Feel good, 111 (thousand) second week
WordofSouth.com: Alright then, so what you plan on doing to keep them numbers steady so you hit platinum?
Wayne: Ahh man, hopefully praying, ya dig (laughs). Keep praying, waking up everyday dog, that's all. But naw, keep giving 'em what they want. Bout to drop that second single sometime soon, so that's gonna be that fire.
WordofSouth.com: What's the second single?
Wayne: "Grown Man" possibly, but I'm thinking about "Hustler Music."
WordofSouth.com: Alright then, now what's your opinion on the importance of lyricism in hip hop?
Wayne: Uuh, very important because people are listening to us and music has always been- not just now, but music has always been- to help people, to make people feel a certain way. And people listening man, in a certain way. And if you ain't intelligent, don't even talk, don't open your mouth. Like they give people deals that really don't even know how to do an interview, don't know how to be themselves. People listen to this stuff. My momma and my daughter, they listen to music, ya know. I hate when they gotta listen to stuff and the person not even intelligent, the person not even lyrically talented. I hate that. And I am a lyrically talented person, and I'm a creative person. Shout outs to the other people that is.
WordofSouth.com: Yeah, I feel on that. So saying that, do you think there should be more substance to music than just money and dope and all of that?
Wayne: No. Because if that's your reality, that's your reality. It doesn't matter. It's the way you speak about it. Like basically, what I'm saying is I'm me and I'm always in a sticky situation, I'm always in a position that I'm not usually in. Now that I'm the president of Cash Money Records, I'm always in business offices and always gotta correct a person and let 'em know where I come from is the streets, and gotta intelligently let 'em know that. And I have to find a creative way and significant way to understand that, (rather) than just tell 'em I'm from the streets. Na mean? And that's the same thing you gotta do with music. If that's your point, if money and dope and the streets and all that is your reality, then say it. And say it with a creative and great delivery. Na mean?
WordofSouth.com: Yeah I feel ya on that, like corporate thug it.
Wayne: You ain't gotta corporate thug it, it's just that's what I do. I'm saying if you a rapper and you trying to get a point across, get it across in a great manner, so if somebody's listening to it, you ain't gotta do it corporate-wise. I mean Young Jeezy, I love his style and it ain't corporate at all. Na mean?
WordofSouth.com: Yeah alright. Now you mentioned a while ago you stopped writing, you did like Jay-Z when you recording a song, you just go off the top. When did you start doing that? Do you remember your first song?
Wayne: Ahhh, no. It was a long time ago dog. I was like 17 years old. Maaan.
WordofSouth.com: So probably like, "Lights Out" or the first album ha?
Wayne: "Lights Out" album. That was it.
WordofSouth.com: Now "The Carter 2" has kind of a more of an east coast sound on it. Did you aim for that, or did it happen accidentally?
Wayne: Um, I'll say that's your opinion. Na mean, that's how I answer that one. That's me. You may say that because there's no Mannie Fresh production on there, and every track don't sound like a shake ya ass track from the South. But what that is, that's not an east coast sound. That's just a full album to me, an album ready for the world and not for the south.
WordofSouth.com: Well, on the track "Best Rapper Alive," you got any negative feedback since it dropped?
Wayne: Nooo.
WordofSouth.com: That's good. Now I heard a rumor that you were trying to get Eminem on the remix on that. What's the word on that?
Wayne: Ha ha ha ha! Haaa! Yeah, I'm trying to get me, Eminem, Nas and Jada.
WordofSouth.com: Oooh!
Wayne: Yep!
WordofSouth.com: Now being that you feel you're the best rapper alive, what methods do you use to sharpen your skills?
Wayne: Work every day dog. Every day, listen to everything, listen to everybody and really listen to 'em and not hear 'em. You can hear something and say, 'Yeah, I heard that.' There's a difference between saying, 'I listened to that.' Na mean, listen to everybody, and work everyday on your craft. If you work everyday on your craft, and somebody's beating you at it, then there's nothing you can complain about, because there's nothing more that you can do, but you gon' figure out what you can do. But, like I said, if you not working every day on your craft, that's why niggas can beat you.
WordofSouth.com: Alright, so tell me about that track "Shooter." How did that track come about?
Wayne: Uh, I had that dude album. His album came out like in 2004. I been had his album but he had that song on that bitch and I had been jocking it. I liked that song. So, I was rappin' to the shit, but one day the leader of Motown Records and Motown and Universal got together. So I met him in the building one time and I told him I like the song. And he was like, 'I fuck with you too.' And so, I was like, 'I wanna do it on my album.' He let me have the whole track, pro tools, vocals, everything.
WordofSouth.com: So how many songs a day you do about?
Wayne: If I'm in the studio working early, I can do about five songs. I preferably don't leave without doing two.
WordofSouth.com: So about how long you in there for?
Wayne: I'll probably go there, I set it up for eight, don't pull up 'til nine, uhh, and probably don't leave up out there til about two.
WordofSouth.com: Now off "The Carter 2," what's your favorite song on there?
Wayne: Uh, I'll say "Hustler Music."
WordofSouth.com: "Hustler Music," why you feel that one?
Wayne: Man that hook, man that beat so soulful. Shout out to T-Mix, that beat so soulful, and that hook. Na mean, them vocals, them lyrics. That's a complete song right there. Truest shit I ever spoke.
WordofSouth.com: I think it was in XXL or something like that, it mentioned that you were ghostwriting for Diddy and a few others. Can you drop some names on who they might be?
Wayne: Uhh, yeah shout out to the man Diddy. You know of course my pop, Birdman, that's my nigga. Never let him go out there with nothing crazy. Uh, who else. Of course my girl Trina. Uh, na mean, numerous people ya know. They ask me, and even if they didn't ask me, I write shit and send it to 'em. How you like this, na mean? I don't stop working. And like I said, when ya listen to everybody, if you do that and you don't stop working and that combination right there make you wanna work for other people. And that make me wanna work for other people and send it to 'em and see what they think about it.
WordofSouth.com: Now you got the "Fireman" track, and then BG came and made a diss and called it "Triggaman." And then on Rap City, you said you wasn't gonna make no mix tape dissing him, so what you think y'all need to do to try to patch things up?
Wayne: Nothing. I ain't trying to patch things up, I'm trying to make money.
WordofSouth.com: Alright, it is what it is. Now, what's your relationship with Turk these days?
Wayne: That's my nigga, that's my nigga. I still holla at his baby momma. We'll shoot him a lil' cash every now and then. That's my nigga all day.
WordofSouth.com: You remember much about y'alls' independent days before signing with Universal?
Wayne: Yeah, what's up?
WordofSouth.com: How would you compare that to the major label politics versus being independent?
Wayne: Independent is get your money and go. Politics- get your money, sign papers, talk about this, consider this, think about that, pay for this so this don't happen, tax for this, tax for that- you get the drift.
WordofSouth.com: Now what happened with the Boyz N Da Hood?
Wayne: Uh, my album dropped, and I had to pursue that. That's that whole situation, na mean? I think it's on pause right now. I don't know if it's just completely stopped. Like I said, I had an album coming out, I gotta focus on that.
WordofSouth.com: This was a couple of weeks ago I think. RZA, he was on Rap City talking about how you know, he was the rapper that put grills out there. And I was a little offended by it, because I'm like, people in the south been rocking grills before this rap thing even started, but he wouldn't know that because rappers from the south, they ain't really get put on 'til what, the late 90's? So I was a little offended by that. How you feel?
Wayne: Uhh, na mean. Opinion wise, I don't never have a personal opinion about nothing nobody says. But I mean, everybody wanna think what they want. I mean if you know something, you know. You know that the south man, we been rocking, we been doing what we do. I had golds in my mouth when I was 12 years old man.
WordofSouth.com: Yeah, I remember. But the Georgia Power tour, with Jeezy and T.I., I think it was last Thursday or something, y'all had a show in Baton Rouge?
Wayne: Yeah.
WordofSouth.com: And I heard something about you throwing some cash at Lil Boosie. What's up with that.
Wayne: (Laughs) Man I ain't throwing no fucking cash at Lil Boosie.
WordofSouth.com: (Laughs) Alright, I'm hearing shit wrong then. My fault on that one.
Wayne: Yeah, no man, I don't even know how that guy look. And I damn sure ain't throw no money at nobody. I ain't throwing no money.
WordofSouth.com: Well let's talk about Young Money now. What's going on with Real? I ain't seen him in a while.
Wayne: I don't know. You ask him. When you see him, ask him what's going on. All I know is "The Carter 2" poppin'.
WordofSouth.com: Now what about Raj Smoove, he still with y'all?
Wayne: Raj? Naw, Raj Smoove been doing his own thing for a minute now.
WordofSouth.com: So tell me this then, if you could pick one in-house producer for Young Money, who would it be?
Wayne: I like that dude (mumbles something)
WordofSouth.com: Who that?
Wayne: I like… I mean noo, you know who, Develop. The Doe Boys.
WordofSouth.com: You don't usually have a lot of features on your album, but you did a lot of features for other people. What was your favorite feature this year that you did?
Wayne: "I'm on it" remix. Big Boi, Purple Ribbon. I did that remix, "I'm on it." I like that one.
WordofSouth.com: Now here go another question a lot of people trying to get cleared up. You make a lot of references to Blood affiliation, and people wanna know if you in the Bloods or you just saying shit for whatever reason?
Wayne: Naw, I fuck with 'em. I ain't no Blood, I know a couple of 'em. Got New Orleans bloodline in me. And they got New Orleans Bloods, they consider me one. I consider myself one.
WordofSouth.com: You mentioned how you're the president of Cash Money. Everybody know that now. So being the president, do they allow you your own freedom or is Universal or whoever coming at you saying, 'Yo, you need a track like this.'
Wayne: No, nobody ain't never told me nothing like that my whole life. I was just creative. Every track I've done was always my idea. Every direction was always me. Maybe Mannie Fresh would tell me, 'you could talk about this,' but as far as label reps and everything, it ain't never been that way.
WordofSouth.com: Well, since you are the president, do they allow you to put your own input on future projects, how y'all might want an album to sound or something?
Wayne: Yeah, of course. That's what I do.
WordofSouth.com: So what y'all got coming next from Cash Money?
Wayne: Oh, we got Lil Allstar bout to come out. Lil dude from Tennessee. He got Yo Gotti on his single, me on his single. It's called "Grey Goose."
WordofSouth.com: Well that's about it, you got any closing words for us.
Wayne: "Carter 2" in stores man, go cop that. Got Lil Curren$y dropping next year too.
WordofSouth.com: What's up man. What's going on?
Lil Wayne: What's poppin'?
WordofSouth.com: You pushed $240,000 your first week for The Carter 2, how you feeling about that?
Wayne: Feel good, 111 (thousand) second week
WordofSouth.com: Alright then, so what you plan on doing to keep them numbers steady so you hit platinum?
Wayne: Ahh man, hopefully praying, ya dig (laughs). Keep praying, waking up everyday dog, that's all. But naw, keep giving 'em what they want. Bout to drop that second single sometime soon, so that's gonna be that fire.
WordofSouth.com: What's the second single?
Wayne: "Grown Man" possibly, but I'm thinking about "Hustler Music."
WordofSouth.com: Alright then, now what's your opinion on the importance of lyricism in hip hop?
Wayne: Uuh, very important because people are listening to us and music has always been- not just now, but music has always been- to help people, to make people feel a certain way. And people listening man, in a certain way. And if you ain't intelligent, don't even talk, don't open your mouth. Like they give people deals that really don't even know how to do an interview, don't know how to be themselves. People listen to this stuff. My momma and my daughter, they listen to music, ya know. I hate when they gotta listen to stuff and the person not even intelligent, the person not even lyrically talented. I hate that. And I am a lyrically talented person, and I'm a creative person. Shout outs to the other people that is.
WordofSouth.com: Yeah, I feel on that. So saying that, do you think there should be more substance to music than just money and dope and all of that?
Wayne: No. Because if that's your reality, that's your reality. It doesn't matter. It's the way you speak about it. Like basically, what I'm saying is I'm me and I'm always in a sticky situation, I'm always in a position that I'm not usually in. Now that I'm the president of Cash Money Records, I'm always in business offices and always gotta correct a person and let 'em know where I come from is the streets, and gotta intelligently let 'em know that. And I have to find a creative way and significant way to understand that, (rather) than just tell 'em I'm from the streets. Na mean? And that's the same thing you gotta do with music. If that's your point, if money and dope and the streets and all that is your reality, then say it. And say it with a creative and great delivery. Na mean?
WordofSouth.com: Yeah I feel ya on that, like corporate thug it.
Wayne: You ain't gotta corporate thug it, it's just that's what I do. I'm saying if you a rapper and you trying to get a point across, get it across in a great manner, so if somebody's listening to it, you ain't gotta do it corporate-wise. I mean Young Jeezy, I love his style and it ain't corporate at all. Na mean?
WordofSouth.com: Yeah alright. Now you mentioned a while ago you stopped writing, you did like Jay-Z when you recording a song, you just go off the top. When did you start doing that? Do you remember your first song?
Wayne: Ahhh, no. It was a long time ago dog. I was like 17 years old. Maaan.
WordofSouth.com: So probably like, "Lights Out" or the first album ha?
Wayne: "Lights Out" album. That was it.
WordofSouth.com: Now "The Carter 2" has kind of a more of an east coast sound on it. Did you aim for that, or did it happen accidentally?
Wayne: Um, I'll say that's your opinion. Na mean, that's how I answer that one. That's me. You may say that because there's no Mannie Fresh production on there, and every track don't sound like a shake ya ass track from the South. But what that is, that's not an east coast sound. That's just a full album to me, an album ready for the world and not for the south.
WordofSouth.com: Well, on the track "Best Rapper Alive," you got any negative feedback since it dropped?
Wayne: Nooo.
WordofSouth.com: That's good. Now I heard a rumor that you were trying to get Eminem on the remix on that. What's the word on that?
Wayne: Ha ha ha ha! Haaa! Yeah, I'm trying to get me, Eminem, Nas and Jada.
WordofSouth.com: Oooh!
Wayne: Yep!
WordofSouth.com: Now being that you feel you're the best rapper alive, what methods do you use to sharpen your skills?
Wayne: Work every day dog. Every day, listen to everything, listen to everybody and really listen to 'em and not hear 'em. You can hear something and say, 'Yeah, I heard that.' There's a difference between saying, 'I listened to that.' Na mean, listen to everybody, and work everyday on your craft. If you work everyday on your craft, and somebody's beating you at it, then there's nothing you can complain about, because there's nothing more that you can do, but you gon' figure out what you can do. But, like I said, if you not working every day on your craft, that's why niggas can beat you.
WordofSouth.com: Alright, so tell me about that track "Shooter." How did that track come about?
Wayne: Uh, I had that dude album. His album came out like in 2004. I been had his album but he had that song on that bitch and I had been jocking it. I liked that song. So, I was rappin' to the shit, but one day the leader of Motown Records and Motown and Universal got together. So I met him in the building one time and I told him I like the song. And he was like, 'I fuck with you too.' And so, I was like, 'I wanna do it on my album.' He let me have the whole track, pro tools, vocals, everything.
WordofSouth.com: So how many songs a day you do about?
Wayne: If I'm in the studio working early, I can do about five songs. I preferably don't leave without doing two.
WordofSouth.com: So about how long you in there for?
Wayne: I'll probably go there, I set it up for eight, don't pull up 'til nine, uhh, and probably don't leave up out there til about two.
WordofSouth.com: Now off "The Carter 2," what's your favorite song on there?
Wayne: Uh, I'll say "Hustler Music."
WordofSouth.com: "Hustler Music," why you feel that one?
Wayne: Man that hook, man that beat so soulful. Shout out to T-Mix, that beat so soulful, and that hook. Na mean, them vocals, them lyrics. That's a complete song right there. Truest shit I ever spoke.
WordofSouth.com: I think it was in XXL or something like that, it mentioned that you were ghostwriting for Diddy and a few others. Can you drop some names on who they might be?
Wayne: Uhh, yeah shout out to the man Diddy. You know of course my pop, Birdman, that's my nigga. Never let him go out there with nothing crazy. Uh, who else. Of course my girl Trina. Uh, na mean, numerous people ya know. They ask me, and even if they didn't ask me, I write shit and send it to 'em. How you like this, na mean? I don't stop working. And like I said, when ya listen to everybody, if you do that and you don't stop working and that combination right there make you wanna work for other people. And that make me wanna work for other people and send it to 'em and see what they think about it.
WordofSouth.com: Now you got the "Fireman" track, and then BG came and made a diss and called it "Triggaman." And then on Rap City, you said you wasn't gonna make no mix tape dissing him, so what you think y'all need to do to try to patch things up?
Wayne: Nothing. I ain't trying to patch things up, I'm trying to make money.
WordofSouth.com: Alright, it is what it is. Now, what's your relationship with Turk these days?
Wayne: That's my nigga, that's my nigga. I still holla at his baby momma. We'll shoot him a lil' cash every now and then. That's my nigga all day.
WordofSouth.com: You remember much about y'alls' independent days before signing with Universal?
Wayne: Yeah, what's up?
WordofSouth.com: How would you compare that to the major label politics versus being independent?
Wayne: Independent is get your money and go. Politics- get your money, sign papers, talk about this, consider this, think about that, pay for this so this don't happen, tax for this, tax for that- you get the drift.
WordofSouth.com: Now what happened with the Boyz N Da Hood?
Wayne: Uh, my album dropped, and I had to pursue that. That's that whole situation, na mean? I think it's on pause right now. I don't know if it's just completely stopped. Like I said, I had an album coming out, I gotta focus on that.
WordofSouth.com: This was a couple of weeks ago I think. RZA, he was on Rap City talking about how you know, he was the rapper that put grills out there. And I was a little offended by it, because I'm like, people in the south been rocking grills before this rap thing even started, but he wouldn't know that because rappers from the south, they ain't really get put on 'til what, the late 90's? So I was a little offended by that. How you feel?
Wayne: Uhh, na mean. Opinion wise, I don't never have a personal opinion about nothing nobody says. But I mean, everybody wanna think what they want. I mean if you know something, you know. You know that the south man, we been rocking, we been doing what we do. I had golds in my mouth when I was 12 years old man.
WordofSouth.com: Yeah, I remember. But the Georgia Power tour, with Jeezy and T.I., I think it was last Thursday or something, y'all had a show in Baton Rouge?
Wayne: Yeah.
WordofSouth.com: And I heard something about you throwing some cash at Lil Boosie. What's up with that.
Wayne: (Laughs) Man I ain't throwing no fucking cash at Lil Boosie.
WordofSouth.com: (Laughs) Alright, I'm hearing shit wrong then. My fault on that one.
Wayne: Yeah, no man, I don't even know how that guy look. And I damn sure ain't throw no money at nobody. I ain't throwing no money.
WordofSouth.com: Well let's talk about Young Money now. What's going on with Real? I ain't seen him in a while.
Wayne: I don't know. You ask him. When you see him, ask him what's going on. All I know is "The Carter 2" poppin'.
WordofSouth.com: Now what about Raj Smoove, he still with y'all?
Wayne: Raj? Naw, Raj Smoove been doing his own thing for a minute now.
WordofSouth.com: So tell me this then, if you could pick one in-house producer for Young Money, who would it be?
Wayne: I like that dude (mumbles something)
WordofSouth.com: Who that?
Wayne: I like… I mean noo, you know who, Develop. The Doe Boys.
WordofSouth.com: You don't usually have a lot of features on your album, but you did a lot of features for other people. What was your favorite feature this year that you did?
Wayne: "I'm on it" remix. Big Boi, Purple Ribbon. I did that remix, "I'm on it." I like that one.
WordofSouth.com: Now here go another question a lot of people trying to get cleared up. You make a lot of references to Blood affiliation, and people wanna know if you in the Bloods or you just saying shit for whatever reason?
Wayne: Naw, I fuck with 'em. I ain't no Blood, I know a couple of 'em. Got New Orleans bloodline in me. And they got New Orleans Bloods, they consider me one. I consider myself one.
WordofSouth.com: You mentioned how you're the president of Cash Money. Everybody know that now. So being the president, do they allow you your own freedom or is Universal or whoever coming at you saying, 'Yo, you need a track like this.'
Wayne: No, nobody ain't never told me nothing like that my whole life. I was just creative. Every track I've done was always my idea. Every direction was always me. Maybe Mannie Fresh would tell me, 'you could talk about this,' but as far as label reps and everything, it ain't never been that way.
WordofSouth.com: Well, since you are the president, do they allow you to put your own input on future projects, how y'all might want an album to sound or something?
Wayne: Yeah, of course. That's what I do.
WordofSouth.com: So what y'all got coming next from Cash Money?
Wayne: Oh, we got Lil Allstar bout to come out. Lil dude from Tennessee. He got Yo Gotti on his single, me on his single. It's called "Grey Goose."
WordofSouth.com: Well that's about it, you got any closing words for us.
Wayne: "Carter 2" in stores man, go cop that. Got Lil Curren$y dropping next year too.
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