Lil’ Wayne sat down with his favorite rapper, Missy Elliot, to discuss his childhood in New Orleans, becoming a child star and founding Young Money Entertainment.
Source: TV One / other
Tonight, TV One will air the conversation between the two legendary rappers on the season finale of UNCENSORED.
Lil Wayne And Missy Elliott Give Each Other Their Flowers During The UNCENSORED Interview
The 40-year-old rapper normally “stays in his own bubble.” This time he got candid, openly sharing his love for Missy Misdemeanor and other Artists that shaped his love for Hip Hop,
“As a kid before Jay — this before I even knew a Jay-Z existed, I was into Missy Elliot.”
“Oh wow,” Missy responded with a chuckle.
“Yeah and you know it was because you were able to [sic] you would say things that I would want to say as I’m rapping. You not only made me lik—You made me love it,” Wayne revealed.
He continued, “And I became so interested in you. And what happened was I bought the album and did not know that you really was spitting like… You know what I mean. You know I spit that verse to you all the time. So, it was you and Cee-Lo Green was who I would listen to at the time a lot.”
“And I was very much into Noreaga,” he added.
The “Get You Freak On” rapper noted the diversity in his musical taste as none of the Artists he named had a similar sound,
“But that’s what’s dope ’cause it’s just so extreme like just here, here, here, here…”
The pair also discussed Weezy’s record-breaking career, monumental album sales and the albums that catapulted him to success.
“How did Tha Carter III change the trajectory for you?”, Missy inquired.
“I think that was probably the first time we noticed — you know what i mean for me, I started really getting that praise you know and I started really accept…Lovin’ it and embracing it. I’m seeing…just seeing people in the street or just from hearing from other artists so really the confidence was just strong.”
Lil Wayne Shares The Secrets To Longevity In His Nearly 30-Year Career, From Hot Boyz To Rikers Island
Lil Tunechi says he and fellow “Hot Boyz,” Juvenile and BG, would check Billboard Magazine to see where their projects landed on the charts. After seeing their performance of “Tha Block Is Hot,” he says, “I couldn’t do nothing but thank God.”
Source: Gary Miller / Getty
Wayne expressed how he appreciated the time period he came up in the music industry, although it was much harder to gain success. He also shared strategically recording during his imprisonment at Rikers Island to keep his career afloat.
“It was a interesting day. I remember I had to make sure everybody was in they cells by a certain time that night. Cause I couldn’t have no — it’s not a studio. So to have it quiet enough for me to actually get a real verse off and you know with takes and all that sh—. You don’t know how much I had to work to get them n—– to stay in they cells that day.”
The OG rapper claimed with the assistance of the guards, the inmates remained silent while he recorded his verse. The surreal story is a testament to his tenacity and dedication to the craft.
In the rapper’s epic 28-year career, he won multiple Grammys and sold millions of records worldwide, and influenced a generation. Wayne — born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. — repeatedly solidified his status as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Jail time, suing his former record label Cash Money Records, and narrowly escaping death after his tour bus was shot up couldn’t stop him.
Weezy F. Baby undoubtedly has a story to tell.
In February, the acclaimed MC announced hitting the road in 2023 with the “Welcome To The Carter Tour.”
Watch Lil Wayne get UNCENSORED with Missy Elliott tonight at 10:00/9:00 Central Standard Time on TV One!