Lil’ Wayne – Interview [2004]

Hailing from the tough streets of New Orleans, Lil Wayne caught the attention of Cash Money bosses Bryan “Baby” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams, who signed him to a label deal at the tender age of 11. After grooming and honing his skills, Lil Wayne first made a name for himself as a member of the group the Hot Boys. In 1999, Lil Wayne released his solo debut Tha Block Is Hot at the ripe age of 16 and set the platform for his success. As the youngest member of Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne is revered as one of the most prolific lyricists from the South. With three critically acclaimed Hot Boys albums to his credit: Get It How You Live (1997), Guerrilla Warfare (1999), and the most recent Let Em Burn (2003). He also has three national solo projects: The Block Is Hot (1999), Lights Out (2000), and 500 Degreez (2002).

Anchoring one of hip-hop’s most essential crews, holding down his own solo projects, and introducing a new record label, Lil Wayne proves that the only thing small about him is the Lil in his name and The Carter is poised to become one of the biggest albums of his career.

We’ve seen how rappers are in videos and so on shown writing out rhymes—is that your style?

It takes a lot of sickness and I need my medicine. (Laughs) I don’t write my music and that’s what makes it a whole lot more easy (sic). I go straight off the head. I get on the mic and let the music move me.

As you get older does writing get easier?

For me it gets easier because if I did it once I did it a hundred times.

Plus more life experience.

Exactly.

Life has changed. How much have you changed—especially since you’ve made a lot of money?

I’m from New Orleans so it ain’t like I’m from New York or L.A. so I can’t just up and get away from where I’m from. I’m always around my city so I can’t change the way I am. That part of me will never leave. Money can’t change me. Until I got as much money as Bill Gates I ain’t got shit. (We laugh)

Does Mannie tell you its time for the studio because he’s got beats for you?

Fortunately I’m blessed with Mannie Fresh so he’s always stocked up with music and I always have some raps. So whenever I get a minute and Baby tells me its time to do an album, Mannie will have like twenty tracks done and I have some raps done.

Done, meaning you write rhymes out?

I have them in my head. I just get into the studio and drop one after another.

Is it fun being in charge of your own company?

Yeah, you know what? My company was a birthday gift.

So it’s still family.

Big family.

And you have everyone around to guide you. Is it cool because you have them to lean on when you need some help?

Yeah. They always there to back me up on everything. They with everything, but I also got God.

How hard is it to pick tracks when you have so many songs done?

It comes together. When you sit down you know what goes to this beat, what track goes to what. When I hear a track I think about what you would want to hear on the track and what I should talk about.

Do you think about hip-hop is getting watered down?

I only worry about this guy Wayne right here.

Oh yeah? (Laughs)

Cash Money and Young Money records are my main concern. I don’t know anything else that’s happening in hip-hop. Is there a thing called hip-hop? I only know Wayne.

So you don’t listen to other stuff?

No you know… I listen to other stuff, but I don’t know if hip-hop is watered down because I’m not really a regular listener so I can’t really answer it you know?

What do you listen to?

This guy named Jay-Z, another guy named Jigga, and some other guy named H.O.V.A.

Now you’re just playing me.

Nah—I listen to a lot of artists. I listen to whatever. I listen to everything to tell you the truth.

You have all this stuff started—has your dream always been to be a CEO or just a rapper?

I never dreamed of owning my own company—just to be a big rapper. I’m doing that and now I have to have more things and that is what I’m doing.

Do you have to keep moving to the next challenge?

I never have a limit.

+ Charlie Craine