Man Interrupted

LiL Wayne Already Conquered Hip Hop. Next Stop: History



By Chris Faraone



We didn't feature Lil' Wayne in this issue because we wholeheartedly agree that he's hip-hop's greatest asset. Nor did we do so on account of having ignored him in the past; not long ago we schooled you with an exclusive Wayne and Baby interview previewing their debut collaboration. For the record, we didn't make the decision because we felt he hasn't clocked enough covers; between magazine stands and mixtape spots, he gets enough face time on urban streets to make even the most egomaniacal ayatollah jealous. Honestly, we asked Wayne to grace our glossy for one simple reason: to sell units, and if you're on the bowl right now dropping science to the tune of this article, then our plan worked.



But it's not that simple. As many sides as homeboy has, they've all been relentlessly covered. In November, Spin schooled Wayne with a piercing Q&A; that same month, he surfaced in a straight jacket in Complex, which famously quoted that he fancied himself a Martian. Every blog, rap rag and web site from Timbuktu to Bucktown has negotiated the homophobic fodder concerning him and his adopted pops, Birdman, and his extraordinary prolific spirit was well documented in Vibe, which recently listed the "77 Best Lil' Wayne Songs of 2007." Looking to set things in a different motion, we asked Wayne for a fresh angle on his master narrative.



"They cover a lot of things, but while I wouldn't say that they perceive me as a bad father, the media doesn't focus much on the things I do with my daughter," he says. "It's mostly all about music and females and all of that, but she's the most important part of my life, so it's interesting that they don't talk about that a lot more. God blessed me with an understanding daughter; if I was home every day she would ask me why I wasn't on the road and why I wasn't in the studio. She's the same way with me that I was with my mom."



Chances are you want to read about Wayne's daughter as much as you want to read about Kanye's mother (sorry, bad example). It's definitely notable that he manages to simultaneously play dad and vie for rap's leading role hell, Hova can't say that for himself but it's old news. He made that statement years ago cradling her on an XXL cover; we wanted something wholly unique.



"Maybe you can write about how there's some new bullshit written or said about me every two hours and I don't give a fuck," Wayne suggests. "To me this is all part of the game. If I ain't ready for that, then this isn't for me. Then I ain't made for this. This was supposed to be done. I'm not the first person it's been done to, and I damn sure ain't gonna be the last, so I know I ain't gonna be the motherfucker who complains."



Now we're getting somewhere. Wayne has a case and point; he was crucified for showing affection for the man responsible for his being a multi-millionaire instead of another drug, street or Katrina statistic. He's currently in the sights of mainstream media for his part-time fuck affair with Karrine "Superhead" Steffans; and, perhaps most pressingly, he's the subject of countless debates about whether or not he is or at least has the potential to be the greatest cat who ever kicked it. And from the outside, it seems like all that baggage just inspires him to travel forward.



"I started calling myself the 'Best Rapper Alive' first, but I only started saying it because Jay-Z said it," he claims. "He was retired at the time, and I just thought that it was time to step up. It's kind of working over now, but only because it's something that I would love to live up to not because of what everybody else is always saying. For me, I feel like I should die if I don't live up to that."



For the complete story get ISSUE 82 "THE FASHION ISSUE"