Lil Wayne Says He Was Placed In Protective Custody At Rikers Against His Will

BY Aron A.
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Lil Wayne co-headlines the American Family Insurance Amphitheater at Summerfest on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
Lil Wayne co-headlines the American Family Insurance Amphitheater at Summerfest on Saturday, June 25, 2022. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Lil Wayne talks about his time in Rikers Island.

For those who’ve followed Lil Wayne’s career, you know that one of the most consequential moments was his time in Rikers Island. During the peak of his success and right around the time he had introduced Drake and Nicki Minaj to the world, he was sentenced to a year in prison for a weapons charge. Of course, the streets were screaming free Weezy at the time, and Wayne even released a memoir based on his experience behind bars.

During a recent appearance on Friends Keep Secrets show, Wayne opened up about his experience behind bars and why he was in protective custody. Most rappers have tried to make clear that they weren’t ever placed in PC, but Lil Wayne detailed how he didn’t really have a choice.

“I wasn’t around that. I wasn’t around people,” he said when one of the co-hosts asked if he was in PC. “I was in PC with all the crazy people.” When asked if he purposefully went into PC, he said, “No, they put you there. You ain’t even got to ask.”

Wayne added that it’s likely because he was already a massive celebrity to begin with. Then, they tried to compare what happened to Wayne to what happened to R. Kelly. “I don’t know because they got real time,” Wayne added. “I had a year.”

Lil Wayne Readies New Podcast

His appearance on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast provided Wayne with the opportunity to share insight on his experience. He’ll also be bringing his insight to The Joint Venture, a new podcast he will be hosting alongside Craig Carton. Hopefully, we’ll get more unheard stories from Lil Wayne’s career and more. Check out the clip above and osund off with your thoughts in the comments below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

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