Lil Wayne Loved Drake Because He Sang Like Missy Elliott

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on July 21, 2023657 Views

Lil Wayne at The 2023 ESPYS held at Dolby Theatre on July 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

Lil Wayne's story in the New York Times got plenty of attention.

In celebration of rap music's 50th anniversary, The New York Times asked 50 different rappers to tell their stories about the genre. The wide range of results has captivated rap fans since the piece first dropped. Highlights include Eminem explaining how Nas' classic debut album Illmatic inspired him and Gucci Mane being inspired by Birdman not actually being that great of a rapper. Lil Wayne has provided about as much to hip-hop as anyone and he told a story of his own for the piece.

According to XXL, in his section, Lil Wayne explains how he first stumbled upon his frequent collaborators Drake and Nicki Minaj. "Before there was Drake and people who were rapping and singing, Missy was doing that," Wayne says. "That captivated me, and I was moved by that. It made me want to do it. That's why I loved Drake when I met Drake," he continues. One person who loved the story was Missy herself. The rapper and singer responded to Wayne's shoutout with a tweet of her own. "I am so Grateful," Missy Elliott writes. "Wayne has shown me love since 1996 he was a lil kid & I remember birdman saying my son love you & he called Wayne on the phone & from that day he has shown the same LOVE & RESPECT for me & my work & mind you Wayne is a LEGEND himself!"

Lil Wayne Saw A Future Missy In Drake

Even this deep into his career Lil Wayne is still releasing music pretty often. Just today he teamed up with Mario and Tyga for a new song called "Main One." The trio dropped the track after being spotted shooting a music video together earlier this week.

Lil Wayne's last studio album Funeral dropped in 2020. The project hit number one on the Billboard 200. It also featured collaborations with Lil Baby, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Takeoff on the hit song "I Don't Sleep". What do you think about Lil Wayne's story in The New York Times? Let us know in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.