Waka Flocka Flame On His Impact: "I [Brought] The Lifestyle Into Rap, I Wasn't Supposed To Do That"

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Waka Flocka Flame
Waka Flocka retired from rapping back in 2020.

Waka Flocka Flame retired from rapping some time ago, but the 35-year-old's influence on the culture is hard to deny – even he can admit that. As HipHopDX reports, the "Hard In Da Paint" hitmaker recently sat down with DJ Akademiks on his Off The Record Podcast, during which the two discussed the lasting impact that Waka's career has had.

"I was bringing the lifestyle into rap, I wasn't supposed to do that," the New York-born spitter told Ak. "Put it like this, I got electric wire – I'm from where electricity hang at, right? But then I finally found out I can swim in water without getting shocked. So I started swimming. 'Oh this shit is cool, it's happy!'"

Waka Flocka Flame On His Impact: "I [Brought] The Lifestyle Into Rap, I Wasn't Supposed To Do That"
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He continued, "But one day I drop a plug in that muthaf*cka and everybody get electrocuted. So is swimming dangerous, or is what you did made me dangerous? Meaning, that people are bringing danger into a lifestyle that pulled them out of danger. So it makes it dangerous."

Ultimately, Waka is of the opinion that you can't be both street and music, you have to pick a lane and stick to it if you wanna kick it with him. "You can't do this and this," he told Akademiks. "I can't just trust a n*gga trying ton play balance street or music, ain't no balance."

Check out the full conversation between DJ Akademiks and Waka Flocka Flame on Off The Record above, and let us know if you agree with the Mollywood recording artist's sentiments in the comment section below. 

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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