Who’s Drake’s Ghostwriter? Lil Wayne’s Son Says It’s His Dad

In a candid YouTube interview, Lil Novi, the son of legendary rapper Lil Wayne, has ignited a debate in the hip-hop community. Lil Novi suggests that his father served as Drake’s ghostwriter during his early career.

The interview was conducted by TrillMarty and features Lil Novi and his crew discussing their musical influences, aspirations, and the legacy of Young Money—which was founded by Lil Wayne. When the host asks Lil Novi who is better between his father and Drake, Lil Novi responds with the assertion that his dad IS Drake’s early works.

“Lil Wayne, my dad, wrote most of the lyrics so I mean, on God, like if it wasn’t for my pops, it wouldn’t be no Drake,” the young rapper states. “Like for real for real. I mean, it probably would be a Drake, but he wouldn’t be where he at now.”

Ghostwriting is a controversial topic in hip-hop because the lyrics to rap are supposed to be personal experiences. Lil Novi’s comments, taken at face value, would confirm longstanding rumors that Drake’s early work was heavily influenced by Lil Wayne—especially if he was Drake’s ghostwriter. Drake was signed to Young Money in 2009 and has always credited Lil Wayne as a mentor for his career, but has shied away from verifying any ghostwriting rumors floating around.

The interview also touches on Lil Novi’s own musical journey and the pressures of living up to his legendary father’s legacy. When asked if he feels pressure to fill his dad’s shoes, Lil Novi admits: “Low key, but no, not for real. Like I feel like I’ll eventually be able to handle that.” He also revealed that he was supposed to debut several years ago but chose to forge his own path when things didn’t materialize as planned. Lil Novi said he gravitated toward an underground sound to grow his career as an artist.

Drake’s alleged use of ghostwriters has been a persistent topic of debate in the hip-hop community for years now. Meek Mill publicly accused Drake of not writing his own verse on the song “R.I.C.O.”—instead implying that Quentin Miller crafted that verse as a ghostwriter. That exchange kicked off a highly publicized exchange of diss tracks, but also brought the topic of ghostwriting into the mainstream hip-hop zeitgeist. Drake himself has repeatedly denied the use of ghostwriters, calling the allegations a ‘narrative’ and emphasizing that he collaborates with other artists when it suits his creative process.