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March 29, 2024

Interview: Lil Wayne Talks New Book, Music and More

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Lil Wayne had a recent signing for his book Gone Til’ November in Manhattan, NY this week and sat down with The New York Times. He spoke with them about the book and talked about how he is NOT doing any music for a while. The book is meant to hold fans over while he fights it out on court. You can take a look at excerpts from the interview below and read the full article here.

NY Times: With this book, were you worried about revisiting a difficult time?
Wayne: I haven’t read it, and I don’t plan on reading it. I’m not one of those people who revisit things. I don’t remember [expletive]. I could meet the president and forget it. Of course I thought it was because I smoke too much. But somebody told me: “The reason why you don’t remember things is that it’s not the same for you as it is everybody else. Because you are it.”

NY Times: You write in the introduction that the book is for fans to “have something from me while they continue to be ever so amazing and patient.”
Wayne: Plain and simple, because they’re not getting anything from me, unfortunately. They’re not getting a damn thing from Wayne other than a tweet here or there.

NY Times: Is there something about working with younger musicians who are pushing boundaries?
Wayne: I would say so. It’s different. These people are turning the clock right now. They are the trendsetters of tomorrow, and I actually pay attention to what they send me. If [my manager] Tez sends me a song and says, ‘I need you to do this verse for whoever,’ I knock it out in that one night and send it right back. When I get the Solange or Chance song, I’m actually riding in my car, banging that. When I put my verse on it, I’m telling my engineer, “Let me get a copy.” The other ones, I’m just sending back to Tez.

NY Times: Are there rappers in the new school that are motivating you? Are you keeping up with Yachty, Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Kodak?
Wayne: I swear to God I didn’t know you were saying people’s names just now, so that should probably answer that question. I just do my own thing.

NY Times: In prison, you watched a lot of reality TV — “American Idol,” “Celebrity Apprentice.” Do you have any words for Donald Trump?
Wayne: [Laughs] Who’s that?

NY Times: Is “Tha Carter V” an album that’s finished, or is it constantly evolving as the months and years go by?
Wayne: It’s done, sitting and wrapped as is. I just listened to it for the first time in months the other day. I had forgotten every single word on it, because I work every day. I popped it in, and I was like, it’s still so much better than everything I’ve ever heard. Not what’s going on right now — everything I’ve ever heard.

NY Times: When other artists came out in support after your retirement tweets, did that make up for how low you were feeling?
Wayne: I’d be a liar to say it didn’t. People always say, “How could not expect it?” But when I saw people giving a damn about what I’m going through, that made me think and obviously uplifted me. Sometimes what you’re going through takes you far away from what the reality is. It takes someone to remind you: Look this way and remember what’s over here. I never have bad days; I have bad moments.

NY Times: Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel with the label situation?
Wayne: I do. I don’t have to even look. I’m gonna make sure that there’s light. If there’s a wall at the end of the tunnel, I’m gonna shoot that [expletive] down. And there’s gonna be light behind that wall.