In anticipation of this month’s release of Tha Carter V, Lil Wayne blazes the cover of NYLON Guys‘ December 2014/January 2015 issue.
The magazine paid a visit to Weezy’s Miami mansion to see the Young Money boss at work and play. Between his skate and smoke sessions, he spoke about his dedication to music, his epileptic seizures last year, and being the best at what he does.
“When I first started doing it, you only did it to be the best—not to have a hot song or popularity or for Instagram or Twitter,” said Weezy. “I’m one of the last of a dying breed…the ones who are only about the music. You have to want to be unforgettable. The only other people who I can think of like that are Kanye and Beyoncé.”
Read highlights below and pick up the issue when it hits newsstands on December 9.
On his love for music: “All I am is music. That’s all I do and all I know, 366 days a year, 25 hours a day, eight days a week. This is my life and what I breathe. This isn’t something I do. It’s who I am.”
On heeding the call: “I was always ready for the call. That’s the best way to explain it. Wayne’s always ready. When it’s my turn, I make way more than the most of it. If you’re ready when they call you, and you make the most of your time, then they’ll never stop calling you.”
On his process: “I’m just a regular street ni**a that’s a little smarter than the rest. I rap whatever comes up in my head. Whatever rhymes with the next word and how I’m feeling. I start rapping and we find something within what I just said and make a song out of it.”
On his need for weed: “I don’t know how it works, but I know that I need weed…extra when I’m creating. It helps in a major way.”
On his 2013 seizures: “I don’t remember anything about the experience. I don’t mean to sound bad, but it wasn’t no life-changing thing. I shot myself when I was 12. I grew up in Hollygrove. I’ve seen way worse.”
