Lil Wayne hopped on a recent episode of the I Am Athlete podcast where he touched on career longevity and signing two of Young Money’s biggest stars, Drake and Nicki Minaj.
Weezy shared that his decision to sign Drake and Minaj was based on more than just turning them into “the next one,” but rather the potential he initially saw in them. “That’s when I saw way more than just potential,” he said, further touching on Drizzy’s shining star. “When Drake’s music was brought to me from the homie Jas, it was about rap. I was like, ‘This dude sound different, What I loved about him, he was sounding just as dope as we were. When I say we, I’m talking about the streets and what we came from.”
"I told him, 'You could make working in a cubicle — you know how to make that the most awesome thing in the world," he continued. 'Don't give up.' Then I heard '[singing voice]' one day. 'What the f*ck was that,' for example. I recall asking Mack [Maine] who's [singing] on the hook?... You must be the greatest artist on the planet. When my friend comes to town, he'll be able to do two nights."
The founder of Young Money also discussed how he's managed to build a nearly 30-year career, stressing that it's all about keeping an open mind. "First and foremost, you have to be embracing," he explained. "You can't be the one who says, 'I don't like the new music,'" she says. You've got to adore and love it started you better understand that’s music. That’s not a certain type of music, that’s music. You got to Apple Music and top 100s and them folks right there.”
“Therefore you have to embrace that,” he further shared. “You gotta go get you a vocal coach. Rest in peace, Ms. Betty Wright. Then you got a Drake. He’s music. My goal now, if you want to be the ultimate artist, that’s what I want to be. In sports, we like to call them the Swiss Army Knife.”
