Lil Wayne Speaks On Supporting Drake From The Jump

BYGabriel Bras Nevares6.1K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Erika Goldring/Getty Images
Weezy remarked how the 6 God's competitive spirit and determination warranted his consistent support.

Sometimes it's a bit tough to talk about other rappers due to the genre's competitive nature, but that spirit can also garner a lot of respect in the game. Lil Wayne recently spoke about supporting Drake since the onset of his career on his recent Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe. While Weezy's already started Tha Carter VI season with a new single, he also took time to reminisce on one of his protegés. During his conversation with Zane Lowe, the New Orleans rap titan praised Drake's persistence, vision, determination, and hunger to best his competition. Given their incredible run through Young Money and beyond, Wayne clearly placed his bets well.

"It was easy for me," the 40-year-old said of nurturing the career of the rising 6 God. "It was obvious. I saw what he could be and would be. It was easy for me to keep motivating him and letting him know what it is. You have to see it to believe it. It was very simple. Doing a song with me. It was just that simple. Him knowing 'I can go blow for blow with you on a joint' — that was his motivation. That’s his chip." Even in normal conversation, Weezy drops some crazy bars, and that joint line is no different. Anyway, his words make sense given that the Canadian superstar always had somewhat of a chip on his shoulder. While many took time to appreciate his artistic and commercial contributions to the game, his will and skill were evident from the jump to artists like Tunechi. Of course, Drake was the first, and not the last one, to thank him for his vision.

Lil Wayne Praises Drake & Drops New Single

Also, the "Let The Beat Build" MC spoke during that interview on preferring creativity over competition in hip-hop. Sure, it might slightly undercut some of his praise of Drizzy here, but preference isn't the same as dismissal. “This is creativity,” he remarked. “No one gets behind a mic, approaches a song, and says ‘I’m making a song so it can be better than this one.’ If we all approached it that way, yeah it’d be a competition. This is creativity. Any individual who creates, this is their individuality. They’re putting their growth and creativity out there for you to enjoy. But we also know this is what the world does, so we have no problem with it.”

Meanwhile, fans are as excited as ever for Wayne's next studio project. “Everybody already know… you already know… come on… it’s Carter VI,” he stated about his next album. “I never even imagined. That didn’t even sound right years ago. I can’t believe we’re at Carter VI. My fans know I give my all. Go listen to my last feature and know it’s gonna be a thousand times better than that.” As always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news, updates, and greatness from Lil Wayne.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
...