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wayne Carter is a juggernaut. At 24, the last Hot Boy standing is on top of the world and “can’t see you lil’ niggas, [cause] the money in the way.” Wayne has almost single-handedly kept Cash Money Records afloat, and with the kind of paper the Hollygrove hustler has accumulated; you’d think he’d be content. Nope. Wayne is a perpetual paper chaser who calls two places home, but if you’re thinking Miami and New Orleans, you’ve got the wrong idea. Weezy F. resides solely in the studio and on the road. He and his entourage members, who have recently been accused of instigating a riot at Morgan State University’s homecoming concert by throwing money into the crowd, take it to the road on their tour bus from coast to coast damn near daily. They’ll spend one day in M.I.A, the next in Atlanta, then to Tallahassee for Florida A&M’s homecoming concert, two days later it’ll be New York City for a taping of 106 and Park, and then 48 hours later Wayne arrives in California to film the video for Outkast’s “Hollywood Divorce” (take a breath). Wayne’s World is a busy place, full of potent marijuana smoke, willing women, and a bevy of heinous haters. Many of whom are disgruntled former Cash Money employees such as Gillie Tha Kid, who has not only claimed to have ghostwritten for Wayne on several past projects including “The Carter,” but also takes responsibility for circulating the now infamous picture of Wayne and his surrogate father, Cash Money CEO Bryan “Baby” Williams, kissing on the lips. Wayne’s response is “Stop hating, get money,” which appears to be advice that remains much easier said than done for the everlasting legion of Cash Money haters. Regardless of whatever the naysayers may allege, Baby and son are still champions, possibly the most powerful father-son combo since Georg W. Bush and his pops. These two Cash Money half-billionaires have a very special bond dating all the way back to the early 90s when Wayne was only 11 years old. Though many aspects of life are now different, some things never change: Cash Money’s still the company and Weezy’s the boss! You’ve been a signed to Cash Money Records since you were 11. How has being signed to a record label at a young age influenced how you grew up? It made it better, because I rapped and nobody else did. I rapped when nobody else was rapping, everybody was doing something else so rapping kept me from doing what they was doing and getting into trouble. 58
I heard you used to freestyle on Baby’s voicemail back when you were trying to get signed. Not many eleven year olds have that kind of hustle. You know, I got it however I could get it. I love what I do, and that was just a perfect example of how much I love what I do. No charge, I was dropping hard-up 16 bars on nigga’s voicemails for nothing. A lot of other rappers who start off as pre-teen sensations never really get respected as genuine artists, but you’re highly regarded as one of the best lyricists in the South, is that something… [interrupts] I’m one of the best lyricists period. I agree, but the South will always be on your back. Basically, the question I’m trying to ask is, do you believe good emcees are born or made? Good emcees can be made, but great emcees are born. Damn, that’s poetry. So speaking of great emcees, you claim that you’re the “best rapper alive, since the best rapper retired,” but now that Jay-Z has stepped out of retirement, are you still the best rapper alive? Didn’t I say that? Well, are you still the best even though Jay-Z is back? Ah-huh. He’s still the greatest. I’m the greatest too, though. So you’re saying there can be more than one greatest rapper? Big’s the greatest, Pac’s the greatest, ya know. I’m one of those type of niggas, that’s all that means. Since we’re on the subject of Jay-Z, everybody knows he was trying to recruit you to Def Jam, so why exactly didn’t that work out? We talked, but I was more hungrier than what he had on the plate. A lot of people have speculated that you might have had more success on a label like Def Jam, but you’ve continued to stay loyal to Cash Money Records throughout your entire career. Why is that? Loyalty is hard for any human to do, to stay and stick with something when it’s down, when it’s up, or whatever; but the effects of the situation taught me how to be real, keep it solid.