Princewill Pius
Though Lil Wayne has spoken in the past of his admiration for hip-hop icons like Jay-Z and Birdman — both of whom he’s had complicated relationships with over the years — the subject of his public praise is from a younger generation of rappers. In fact, you might even say the up-and-coming rapper’s name is befitting of a symbolic passing-of-the-torch for the future of hip-hop: Lil Baby.
During an appearance on the podcast All That Smoke in April 2020, Lil Wayne waxed poetic on the subject of Lil Baby’s talents to co-hosts (and former NBA stars) Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, highlighting his intuition, intelligence, and open-mindedness (via Complex). According to the five-time Grammy winner, his praise is far from unqualified. In fact, his accolades stem from his own experience collaborating with the younger rapper firsthand.
“I was in a session with him before,” began Lil Wayne. “He heard a beat come on out of the blue that I was working on. It was an uptempo beat. It was probably a feature for somebody. Baby was like ‘I couldn’t even begin to rap on no s**t like that,'” Wayne said on the show.
According to Lil Wayne, however, his protegé was undeterred, despite his initial self-doubt. “After that session, I done heard two or three songs like that come out that he done did. I was like ‘See, he went right back and figured it out,'” he added.
Written by: Nicki
