Lil Wayne says Jay-Z was one of the earliest rappers to influence him.
Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians released a new episode today with Lil Wayne and one of his favorite young rappers today, Lil Baby. The two rappers chopped it up about how they got started, what’s keeping them going, and the challenges they have faced. During the conversation, Weezy revealed that Jay-Z was an integral part of his motivation back in the day.
When the rapper was asked what was one of the first albums that influenced him, he promptly responded Jay-Z, touting the rap mogul’s 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. “It was the first album where I actually had the car that the rapper was talking about. And also, Jay talked so crazy on there. He went bananas on that album. I got lyrics from that album tattooed on me and sh*t so that album stuck with me for real.”
Hov and Tunechi have collaborated on a number of tracks throughout their career including Jay-Z’s 2007 track “Hello Brooklyn 2.0” from his American Gangster album, the platinum-certified “Mr. Carter” from Tha Carter III, and “Swagga Like Us” with Ye from T.I.’s Paper Trail in 2008. As for how Lil Wayne maintained such a great work ethic he says, “I got it straight from Birdman.”
Ultimately, Wayne says it’s his inner circle that he really holds closest to his heart including his family and friends. “Outside of music, my influence all day every day is my children and my family,” he said. He also credited his fans saying, “My fans plain and simple… Just to know that somebody is actually gonna give a f**k about what I’m saying, that right there was always the ultimate feeling from the moment I felt it.”
