Lil Wayne's new uproar
hip hop's new daily operation | 6.6.20
TheMotto No. 34 is focused on Lil Wayne. I hit Wayne’s manager Mack Maine the other day to let him know how much I’m enjoying Young Money Radio. Weezy looks super comfortable under his neon Tunechi sign. The respect Wayne’s guests have for him—he’s a true Hall of Famer—is evident, and it leads to open conversations.
Coming off the long legal battle with Cash Money, it’s clear that Wayne now truly feels free to explore his passions with no interference. Under Baby, he was a child star. Shielded. Now he’s begun to let go of some of that mystique.
Growing up in Queens, I was always attracted to media. One of my favorite shows was The Odd Couple — I related to Jack Klugman’s character, Oscar Madison. He kept a sloppy room (like I did), and he was a sportswriter. There weren’t lot of black men or women on shows playing media types. So I watched Warner Wolf call the highlights. And I listened intently to Howard Cosell’s interviews and sports commentary.
The 2010s were truly about my transition from behind the desk to in front of the camera. Developing the CRWN series in 2013 — especially those early interviews with Tyler, Cole and Drake—truly boosted my confidence. I had my missteps though. And I learned on-the-job, so to speak. Still learning. So while I find it difficult to relate to how Wayne speaks about race, and his feelings about law enforcement, I respect him and give him room to be him.
On last night’s episode, Wayne responded to backlash he received after sharing his views on race and law enforcement with Fat Joe. Wayne detailed three different encounters he’s had with law enforcement that have helped shape his world view.
The first clearly impacted him. We’re all becoming more familiar with the violent story: “My life was saved when I was young. I was 12 or something, I think. Shot myself. I was saved by a white cop, Uncle Bob. So you have to understand ... you have to understand the way I view police, period. I was saved by a white cop.”
The officer Robert Hoobler, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff, was fired in 2012 due to a tasing incident.
At the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards, Wayne spoke of Hoobler and the bond they have maintained.
Last night, Wayne also spoke on growing up in New Orleans and getting harassed by cops who they called Jump Out Boys and, most recently, Wayne had a conflict with a white pilot who was flying Wayne’s private plane. The pilot called police who were waiting on the tarmac when the flight landed. There were no arrests.
Wayne closed out the segment by saying: “Before you want to speculate about anything, understand that I go through situations, too, and we all got our situations, so don’t judge no one for no reason, for how or whatever, don’t judge. Do you. Do you. Help out in any kind of way you want to help out, any kind of way you can.”
what more can I say:
Back in February, Wayne presented The Funeral in a Miami Car Test — we were all up in the Wynwood area ⬇️ He was in great spirits and complimented me on my Drake interview.
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