Lil Wayne Reflects To Missy Elliott How "Tha Carter III" Changed His Career

Weezy recently told his favorite rapper about how his 2008 album ushered in a new era of commercial and critical success for him, which also extended to his peers.

BYGabriel Bras Nevares
Lil Wayne Missy Elliott Tha Carter III Changed Career

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III is undoubtedly one of the best hip-hop albums of the 2000s, whether for its quality or its influence. What's more is that Weezy got the chance to reflect on how the 2008 classic changed his career with his favorite rapper Missy Elliott across the room. Moreover, their conversation will form part of TV One's upcoming "UNCENSORED" series, which will touch on many different perspectives and careers. Furthermore HipHopDX obtained a clip on Friday (May 5) that provides some insight into the two's interview. During their talk, he spoke on how the metrics of success have changed, and how Tha Carter III brought him to previously unimaginable heights.

"I think that was the first time for me I started really getting that praise,” Lil Wayne told Missy Elliott. “I started really loving it, embracing it, at that time around that album was when I was seeing people in the street or hearing from other artists, so the confidence was strong." For those unaware, Tha Carter III became the fourth-ever hip-hop project to sell over a million units in its first week.

Missy Elliot Hears Lil Wayne Reminisce On Tha Carter III

"I come from the days we as in artists — we as in Juvenile and B.G. we checking the Billboard magazine to see where this and that. That don’t exist now,” Lil Wayne continued. "When we dropped Tha Block Is Hot it sold like 114,000 or 95,000 the first week and that was the equivalent or the impact of selling a million and I remember I was like, ‘I can’t do nothing but thank God.'" Overall, it was quite the sweet moment, especially considering how much Missy Elliott and Tunechi admire each other.

"That would be why I was making so many sounds,” he said of her talents. “Missy was into the who- brrrrr- the whole heeheeheeHA. And so when Mannie Fresh would get you in the studio, he gon’ remind you ‘hey, you need to throw that ha ha in there.’ I was like ‘man, he want me to do a sound for every damn line!’ And so the ‘Block Burner’ song was my best favorite song because my favorite artist was Missy Elliott." On her end, the "Lobby" MC praised the Young Money boss' impact. "You have Birthed a whole generation after you & Its easy for people to acknowledge Some1’s GREATNESS when their no longer around but I want you to know YOU ARE LEGENDARY no matter who thinks differently,” she tweeted. “YOUR BLUEPRINT is PRESENT! No debate." For more on Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne, return to HNHH.

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.